Most young bodies store enough carbs (glycogen) for about 3-4 hours of hard exercise, without eating. I don't know how age affects this, but I suspect not much. Bonking (running totally out of energy, i.e. 'hitting the wall') happens when those stored carbs are depleted, in people without their fat metabolism already trained.
You could certainly experiment to see if a couple of eggs before riding lessen your soreness, but I suspect it comes more from oxygen debt during more intense portions of your ride. I would be interested in your results.
Otherwise, you could just regard going without food beforehand as a bit of beneficial stress. My 65-year-old body can go two hours on an empty stomach without any problem, and I think a banana, for me, in the third hour is psychologically comforting, but not really necessary.