Originally Posted by Mach42
I like to load up on pasta or other slow digesting carbs a couple hours before a ride. It helps to keep my energy up for at least 1.5 to 2 hours of riding.
You wrote a lot of good info, but I'd just like to point out that while pasta may be a
slower-digesting carb, carbs in general are fast-digesting. Proteins take far longer to digest than starches. This is why eating a big bowl of oatmeal or a bunch of bread will sometimes make you feel hungrier after an hour: it stretches out your stomach, then converts to sugars very quickly. You want to eat the carbs before you exercise because it's the easiest thing for your body into energy. But for replenishing your muscles and re-building growing muscles, you need protein after you ride.
Good luck, it only gets more fun.