FIVE ONE SIX

i'm just curious, do you guys ride better if you eat a certain dinner the night before a ride, and more importantly do you guys ride worse if you eat a particular dinner the night before a ride? basically, i'm trying to figure out if something you eat say 10 or 15 hours before a ride could positively or negatively effect a ride, or would have the effects of the food (positive of negative) have worn off by then...

i know a majority of the people here would say that eating pasta the night before a big ride will help them ride better, but it's been proven that carb-loading takes at least 1 week to really have any effect, so with that in mind could something you eat the night before a ride negatively effect the ride? for example, if you ate 2 slices of pizza the night before a ride, would you ride as good as if you ate say 5 ounces of turkey with potatoes and vegetables? or would the effects of whatever you ate the night before, whether it was good food or not so good food, have worn off by then and not effected your ride at all?

and if it's not 10 or 15 hours, is it a shorter period of time? say 3 hours? 5 hours? 7 hours?

Machka 

Spicy foods, the night before a ride, may not be the best idea.

I ate really spicy spaghetti the evening before a 200K once ... and it tormented me all the way through the ride!!

estabro

Food and rest make all the difference in the world. You may not notice so much if you plan to softpedal for 10 miles and go home, but any serious ride will be affected. I am not just talking about "carb loading" either.

cshell

I know for running, if I eat or consume something (i.e. Clif bar, gatorade, etc) 30 minutes prior to a 5+ mile run, I can feel the effects as opposed to if I go on an empty stomach.

(I'm assuming a 5+ mile run is about the same as a 20+ mile bike ride?)

trueno92

i had a buffet the night before a ride, once.

and i will never allow it to happen again.. ugh.

GirlAnachronism

I'm the same way, only it makes me feel like crap to run with anything in my stomach and I tend to cramp.

So, that's my way of saying that everyone is different and when it comes to nutrition you often just have to experiment to find out what works best for you. If you keep a training log, make a new column where you make notes about what you've eaten and how it made you feel, and you should be able to figure out a good routine. I don't change my meals much before/after long rides, I just eat my usual healthy, well-balanced diet and that seems to serve me just fine.

What are you planning to eat that has you worried? I say go for it, and if you feel bad on the ride you know to skip it in the future. I love spicy food and it doesn't bother me in the least, but I know not everyone feels the same way...

Psimet2001 

Considering there is usually a line for the porta-johns at every event and they are filled with an unusually high amount of feces.....

...wait...where was I going with this....nvrmnd.

timmyquest

It's the nerves man...

Thai for lunch the day of a Tuesday night suicidefest is a bad idea.

Psimet2001 

....for the guy wheelsucking you....srsly warn me next time will ya?

FIVE ONE SIX

well, i work in retail, so it's really hard for me to eat what i would like to eat the night before a ride. for example, i'd love to sit down and eat a nice chicken or turkey dinner with some potatoes and some fruit for a snack later on, but i usually work until around 10:00pm so sitting down for a nice dinner at say 6:00pm or so is usually out of the question. if i eat a sandwich at say 6:00pm or so, it usually doesn't hold me off, so when i get home at around 10:30pm i'm usually hungry and have to eat something. what i'm trying to figure out is if i eat something like a burger at say 10:30pm, will it really effect my ride in a negative way, or would eating something like a tuna sandwich and yogurt at around 6:00pm and nothing else when i get home also effect my ride in a negative way. i tried the sandwich thing on tuesday, and my ride wednesday morning was actually pretty bad, and there have been other mornings when i felt bulletproof on my bike. i never eat before morning rides, so i'm narrowing down what effects my rides to my sleep habits (which are also not that great) and what i eat the day before the ride, but i'm trying to find out how long it takes for the effects of food to really wear off...

timmyquest

Between myself and Colorchange, I think the global energy crisis could be solved.

brian416

It won't affect you negatively unless its something that gets your stomach upset when you eat it.

From my experiences this year doing almost exclusively long distance riding, it doesn't really matter if I eat pasta, a burger, salad or junk food the night before. As long as I get enough calories, I can ride fine the next day.

TJKnight

Before most long rides, I eat a huge breakfast, such as: a small burrito, a tamale, and a flauta, all with salsa, and washed down with coffee. Sometimes I will eat two eggs, toast, bacon, and potatoes, with oj and coffee.

Although I'd prefer riding at leats 90 minutes after eating, I sometimes eat a huge breakfast right before I ride (without getting an upset stomach.) Waiting is just not always possible. Also, I usually get so hungry when I do long (4+ hours) climbing rides, I am always eating solid food again within 3 hours. I usually bring a GU or two to eat at the 5 and 6 hour marks as well. After rides, I will also eat a huge dunner. I'm 6'0", 172 lbs.

GirlAnachronism

Hm, that's a tough one. Are you hungry when you go to bed, and are you hungry when you wake up? If you're hungry, you might not be eating enough. You might try a small dinner early, and a snack when you get home (I love late-night cereal if I've had an early dinner and am still hungry), as breaking your big meals up into smaller, more frequent meals is usually a good idea, although I know this can be tough to do. Also, what are you eating after your rides?

In general, I would still say that you should try to stick to a normal, healthy diet, regardless of your ride schedule. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing quite like a good burger (except for a good burrito), but I don't know that I'd have one every night at 10:30...

pdedes

if you're really in shape, you can race on tim bits.

FIVE ONE SIX

if i ride in the morning, which is most of the time, i usually drink a blender bottle full of Recoverite right after the ride, and some cereal and 2 whole wheat muffins with peanut butter (for protein) when i get home. i will try try your suggestion for eating cereal the night before, it can't hurt. i used to eat light the day before a ride because i didn't want to feel bloated on a ride from eating too much the day before, until i noticed my stomach growling in the car on the way to the ride one day and figured that maybe i should be eating more the day before...

don't get me wrong, i'm not eating one every night, it's just that sometimes it's difficult for me to eat a good meal because of work and such. i'm just wondering if eating something bad the night before is better than not eating anything at all, kinda like how people say eating a bad breakfast is better than eating no breakfast at all...

San Rensho 

What is far more important than what you eat is what you drink. You will bonk after 30 minutes of hard riding if you are not properly hydrated. It will take you at least 50 miles of very hard riding before you even begin to bonk because of lack of food. For most mortals, your legs and lungs will give out well before your body is food starved.

timmyquest

Dehydration =/= bonking.
Both suck.
Drink lots.
Eat lots.