cameroon

I'm only new to the world of road ridding and getting up at the crack and going for a ride I really enjoy. The only problem is if I leave home at say 6:30am I find if I eat breakfast cereal juice fruit I struggle during the ride (if ridding really hard some time feel sick). I guess my question is it bad to ride on an empty stomach what should I eat during the ride. Do you guys eat breakfast before early morning ride? Love my new found hobby though pitty did start ridding ten years ago.

531Aussie

I've never been able to do it, but, from speaking to heaps of people, I seem to be in the minority.

It depends a lot on exactly how much and what is eaten, and how soon after the meal the hard efforts are.

I can't keep down more than 1 piece of toast and a couple of cups of coffee

Dewbert

Big bowl of oatmeal with some pecans and fruit....two big glasses of water...every time

skydive69

My pre-ride breakfast is usually composed of a breakfast bar, bananna and a glass of orange juice. If I am going to ride with slow riders, I can eat a full breakfast. My pre-race meal is composed of either a Clif or Power Bar, a bananna and a glass of Power Bar drink. For really hard efforts, you need to have about three hours between a feeding and that effort. If you get a sinking feeling on a ride, then a packet of GU (I use Power Gel) will keep you going. Stay very hydrated before, during and after the ride.

superdex

You're talking about eating then walking out the door, hopping on the saddle, and away you go? Yeah, I'd say a full breakfast would be trouble. I read an article on the e-caps' site that you have full glycogen stores in the morning, and if you are exerting right after waking up, don't worry too much about a meal and just get into your on-ride nutrition as you normally would. That's a terrible synopsis, here's the link

On morning group rides, I typically have an hour or so between breakfast and starting the ride, and I've been happy with a bowl of (uncooked) oats, raisins, and nonfat milk (varying the amount depending on the length of the ride).

You will have to experiment, digestive sensitivity is a highly personal issue. What may work for me may make you puke. shrug.

jennings780

I have a banana prior to the ride.
I have one bottle of energy drink and one of water during the ride.
About 1 hour or so into the ride I have a cliff bar.
Thats it for a 40 - 50 mile ride.

pogoman

I just eat after I come back from the ride, depending on how long it would go for I pack a power bar and lots of water (accelerade)

timmhaan

banana, bagel, OJ and water is about all i have before a ride. if it's a race i'll have about half a bottle of a sports drink as well.

MikeN

I have a Myoplex shake (typically chocolate in a blender w/ skim milk and ice) around 1-1.5 hours before I ride in the morning.

Applehead57

I can eat anything before a ride. Never had that problem.

Are you coming off a period of non-serious exercise? Maybe a couple of years of inactivity?
I tend to think that perhaps your body is adjusting to this new level of fitness.
If so, you will eventually be able to ride with a full breakfast.

gcasillo

Oi. Here come the "Oat People."

al-wagner

I have a small bowl of Cheerios with a large glass of orange juice at least a half hour be for I ride. If I ride sooner I get a upset belly :-)

johnny99

How much you should eat before a ride depends a lot on how long you will wait after eating and before you ride. If you're going to let the food digest for a couple of hours, then you can have a big breakfast (focus on carbs, not protein and fat). If you're going to ride right away, then you're better off with a small breakfast plus snacks on the road after you warm up.

Avalanche325

A frozen microwave burrito with extra hot sauce, a couple warm beers, and an ice cream sandwich and I'm ready.

Really, on regular rides, 45 - 60 miles, a small bowl of Special K, and a bannana.

For a century. A bowl of pasta with a touch of sauce and a bananna. Seperate, not in the pasta.

What I used to tell people about finding my pace: Go until you think you are going to puke, then back off just a hair.

ivan_yulaev

I usually have something very spare with a glass of fluids, and eat a little bit into the ride. I usually skip breakfast anyway, and eat around 2nd period in school. Eating that early, I just am not hungry...

MsMittens

Ditto on the Cheerios although I have mine with blueberries and water. When on tour however I do tend to have oatmeal and/or an eggy with other proteins breakfast (hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, whatever)

caloso

I'm an Oat Person! I'll usually eat a huge bowl of oatmeal with fruit, honey, and skim milk an hour before heading out, if I have time. And a big ol' steaming mug o' joe.

I'll stick a banana and a Clif Bar in my jersey to eat on the road, too.

MrCjolsen

I find that some kind of milk or juice based smoothie works well. I take whatever I have -- bananas, straberrries, yogurt, a little ice cream, and mix it into a cup or so of milk, OJ or both, and toss it in the blender.

The thing is that the liquidity of it makes it hydrating, and it doesn't hang in your stomach too long.

I also drink coffee before every ride, but that's whole 'nother thread.

skinnyone

I drink carnation instant breakfast about an hour before I get out... I always manage to get powerbar gel on my fingers somehow and leaves a kinda sticky feel.. plus you gotta drink a lot of water and it screws up my cardio... Oh I am just making excuses....

DinoShepherd

I can eat pretty much anything as long as I get it down an half-hour before I hit the saddle and have a chance to use the head.

My favorite is a Churrizo burrito, Juevos Rancheros or some other combo of eggs, bread and breakfast meat. For me its all about maximizing the calories before a ride.

(take this for info only. I seem to have an iron stomach and generally don't recommend it to others)

My on-ride chow is PowerBars with Ultra-Fuel. Pretty safe.


-Z (Hungry-Dog Spot)

Hanzo

I've found that as my distance increases I can't skip breakfast or I'll be out of fuel about half way through my ride. Now I eat a banana and some water or a nutri grain bar or something. Even small stuff seems to help out a lot.

ajst2duk

Bacon & poached eggs with a bit of canned spaghetti. At a pinch, a couple cans of choc creamed rice. The other weekend I didn't have time for brekky b4 a 100km ride, I had to stop at the pie shop on the way home and demolished a beef n mushroom & a chicken pie in about 60 secs flat right outside the shop.
For teh big events, I like to drop in at my favourite cafe & order up the works brekky & a freshly brewed flat white.
OJ & bannanas give me reflux, baked beans give me gas.
Looking at what I just wrote gives me a hint as to why my last 15kgs are proving difficult to shift.

Smoothie104

I can get in a 2 hour morning ride, with no breakfast, no problem. But then again, I eat dinner late (usually after 8pm) and I eat a lot

berny

If I'm riding within an hour of ingestion I make a smoothy form an egg, 1/2 a banana, a tea spoonful of honey, a desert spoon of 'Ovaltene/Activite/or Milo and enough whole milk to make it up to a glassful.
For rides or racing with starts of an hour or more after ingestion I usually eat a good bowl of banana porrige with sultanas, honey and yoghurt.
Works for me

jsharr

1 bowl of oatmeal, 1 cup of coffe, a large glass of water as I get the bike ready, and a banana in a jersey pocket to eat on the road. I don't do well if I eat lots of sugary stuff, or the eggs/bacon type of breakfast.