Vicelord

I usually ride on evenings, because that's the convenient time for me.

Mornings: I wake up and have the following breakfast then ride about an hour later. *one piece of toasted sprouted wheat bread with crunchy peanut butter and half of a banana, sliced. One half banana by itself. 12 oz glass of vanilla almond milk. one half grapefruit. small cup of greek yogurt with fresh berries* and I feel like I get my carbs, protein, etc.

Evenings: I get home from work and ride before having dinner. Usually will ride about 7pm after having a decent breakfast (not nearly as good as the one above) and a decent lunch.

On the morning rides, my body does not perform nearly as well as on the evening ones. in fact, we did a cat 4 climb today that on my night rides is a challenge but have never felt like I couldn't do it, but on today's morning ride I almost stopped the bike... this wasn't just today. It's also not uncommon for me to feel slightly dizzy or faint on morning rides that are just easy spins, whereas night rides I can hammer for twice the distance without any adverse effects. I can't figure out why. This is gross, but I generally do my BM in the morning after I get up, and then after a morning ride, have a second one that is a HUGE movement. Could being backed up full of poo for 30-40 miles cause my body to perform poorly or have side effects that make me feel like I can't complete a ride that would be a 3 on a scale of 1-10? Or is it something else?

Attached is a picture of me in a full team kit with a girl in a tie die shirt. I wear the kit because it was given to me and it's the only nice cycling clothing I own. I sometimes feel like a goon because it is just an easy shop ride, but the alternative for me would be gym shorts with a t-shirt. The climb we had just completed was the Cat 4, an 11% grade for just over 1/2 mile.

Thanks for letting me know your thoughts.

SBRDude

In the summer, I almost always ride at first light. I get up about a 1 to 1.5 hours before my planned ride so I can wake up, take care of "business," etc. Even for a 4 hour ride, I almost never eat - no appetite in the morning. Maybe you're eating too much, as in having too much digestion going on? Dunno. Maybe everyone is just different. I might feel a little better if I waited a few hours, but it's hard to say.

Also, make sure you drink a LOT of water in the morning before a ride. Your body gets dehydrated naturally at night. Don't drink it right before you ride, but closer to when you get up so that you can eliminate a bit of it just before you ride. I usually then down a big glass of water as I'm out the door. I live in a hot climate (like you), so paying attention to hydration is critical.

Vicelord

thanks. yeah I drink a ton of water all the time, usually almost a gallon a day. I drink a 24oz Gu Brew water before every ride regardless of time of day I guess I should have mentioned that. I wonder if I didn't eat at all if I might die. It was 98 when we started the ride at 7am and 106 when we finished at about 9:30. It was a very slow pace but maybe I just got too hot, then again I felt the same a few times in winter when I rode mornings. I did a 55 miler last week at 10PM after being up since 9am and having had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I got home from that ride and felt like I could have done it again.

surgeonstone

Ditto above. If your going for a 3-4 hr morning ride you need a breakfast. When I rise early I have have a glass of orange juice and head out, with juice in my water bottle.

urbanknight

Sounds like you just need to train your body to like mornings. Also, you need a longer warm up since you haven't been out and about yet. Your breakfast seems fine to me, MAYBE pop a gel or bar halfway through the ride and make sure you're hydrating.

And rock on with a cute girl stuck in the 80's willing to pose with you. It overshadows the poseur in your kit.

shouldberiding

The only time I've ever ridden in the mornings and not felt like dung is after staying up all night. If I haven't been awake for a few hours, a ride of any duration is more of a struggle. Does not matter what I eat or how much sleep I get.

garciawork

I haven't noticed much difference... my ride this morning was my best in a while. Although I'm getting in shape after getting injured, so this morning could have just been because I am progressing. I wake up VERY fast, and though I have no appetite, I always cram in some muscle milk, and I have never had any issues in the morning. The only time I notice issues in the evening is when I am just terribly tired regardless but I go for a short ride anyway. Hmm.

rat fink

When I wake up in the morning, I start the day with tons of energy. As the day progresses, that energy slowly tapers off to the point where I'm struggling to function. I always seem to lose momentum as a day progresses, so I have recently adapted and started riding at first light. It allows me start the day strong, and I always ride faster and have a more productive day because of it. You might be one of those people who feel/do the opposite, who gains energy throughout the day. Either can probably be adapted to, but I'd say it's a lifestyle change, and it likely wont happen overnight.

Also, +1 on the cute girl.

dykim90

your biggest bowel movement is in the morning and eating something will stimulate it more. taking a **** for me always improves my performance whether it's because i lose some weight or some tension. overall, taking a **** is enjoyable for me.

znomit

Coffee?

svtmike

I found that a small breakfast the morning of the ride (I have a bowl of cereal, and that's it) is much better for my riding than a larger meal. Try stocking up on your proteins, carbs, etc. the night before and eat a small breakfast to get going in the morning.

909Rider

Personally I'm going to attribute it to the lack of glucose in your body when you wake up in the morning. I'm willing to bet some faster acting energy source, and or a little more time to wake up would do you well. When you ride at the end of the day your body has had plenty of time to convert your complex carbs into energy that you have consumed from your meals.

In the morning? Your starting on an empty tank. A simple analogy if I may. When you fire up your car on a cold morning, you let it warm up before you romp on it no? I'm not sure if you guys do anything else besides ride. But personally I lift, run, and swim. Ever try running after you lift? Your body has used up its glucose stores to fuel the lift, then the run is straight fat stores and catabolism.

Macster

fixed.