flex1493

Hi guys sorry for the newbie ? Do most of you guys have breakfast b4 or eat something after you ride. Should I have something to eat B4 a ride and if yes what do you reccamend I have?. I'm not ricing but I'm training to hang with the guys.

Thanks for any help.

ColinL

This is the same for any exercise or sporting activity.

If you go hard, you can't eat anything solid and significant for 2-3 hours prior. You can do a banana and a gel or something. You really should know this or you've never tried it and puked.

If you're on a leisurely pace it's different. I can eat a huge breakfast and still ride 10 mph with my dad on a MUP.

flex1493

Hey thanks for the info. I was not sure about.

rdubbz

pb&j

GirlAnachronism

Huh? Before my best RR last year I had oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, and waffles. Another time I had a huge plate of huevos rancheros with tortillas, potatoes, beans, zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, hot sauce, etc. maybe 20 minutes before the race. I have a teammate who always eats a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel before races.

Everyone's different.

AngryScientist 

this is poor advice.

your body is a machine that burns fuel to function, and if you're putting serious efforts in, you need to stay fueled. the science of nutrition for cyclists is complex and a long story, but the bottom line is that, when you ride, you burn calories, and if you run out of calories to burn, you're in trouble.

if you're going for a long, hard ride, you better believe you need to eat something before you go, and often times, during the ride.

ever watch the pros race, the TdF for example - those little bags they pick up along the way are stuffed with the nutrition they need to keep going, sometimes sandwiches, energy bars, gels, coca-cola, etc.

experiment with what works for you, the longer and harder you ride, the more obvious the needs and solutions will become.

ColinL

Seriously?

Read the original post again. He's not talking about competing in the TdF and I don't believe they set out before breakfast time.

I absolutely recognize the value of proper eating before and during an event. I'm just saying that if you are going to ride hard early in the morning, eat light before, gels during, and save your big meal for after.

I can't explain GirlAnachronism... however I don't think I am in the minority when I say that if I eat heavy too close to a hard workout, puking will result.

wrr1020

It's different for everyone, some can only eat a light amount before riding and others can eat whatever they want. I usually have a big bowl of cereal or oatmeal and a banana with a cup of water or juice. But i've had eggs, a bagel, bacon, and a waffle before riding and felt the same as when i have my normal breakfast so i can pretty much eat whatever i want before riding. Just experiment and see what your stomach can handle, cause like i said it varies for everybody.

rkwaki

Oh boy here we go. GA great advice.
TdF riders, National Level riders and pack fodders like me almost all follow the same ritual.
You NEED to eat before you ride regardless of your training goals. Then you need to eat while on the bike. Nutrition is the most underrated part of riding.
For me? I will have 3 eggs, the equivalent amount of egg whites, 2-3 strips of turkey bacon, (2) whole wheat toast and fruit 2-2.5 hours before a ride/race.
About half an hour before a race I will have another small snack and about two minutes before "GO" I will eat a gel. I then start eating at 1 hour and have something every 20 minutes (1-2 powerbar gummy thingy) with something a little heavier on the hour.

LowCel 

Before a difficult morning ride I generally eat a sausage and egg biscuit 1.5 hours before the ride. Easier rides I'll have a bowl of cereal or an egg sandwich.

climber7

it may not be universally applicable, but it's not poor advice.

i'm with ColinL. i absolutely CANNOT eat anything (except maybe a gel) within 3 hours of any hard workout. for an easier ride, MAYBE a granola bar or an apple 2 hours before. anything else messes up my stomach. i know my stomach is sensitive and i'm probably on the extreme end of the spectrum, but my point is that you can't set strict rules that will work for everyone.

fishymamba

I usually just eat a slice of toast. I really hate eating in the morning, but when I have a little larger breakfast(toast with eggs or cereal) then I feel a lot better while riding.

Homebrew01

It depends ..... on you, the type of ride, time of day.
Is your ride a 20 mile ride with a bunch of guys spinning around, or 100 miles with 8,000 feet of climbing ?
There is no single answer. You need to experiment, bring food on the longer rides, and drink enough.

rkwaki

Hey brew the only answer is more food - all my rides are planned around Shoney's locations

himespau 

yes

AngryScientist 

one thing is for sure.

espresso = rocket fuel.

gsteinb

If I eat three hours before a ride and my ride is three hours it's six hours before I eat anything significant. That ain't going to work. Depending on how hard I'll eat something an hour before and eat during whatever I'm doing. If it's a race I'll eat a meal 2-3 hours before and eat hourly up to the race.

rkwaki

A classy answer from a classy guy.

agoodale

I'm with GA & others on breakfast. Oatmeal, eggs, & coffee for me. I'll try and eat about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before a morning hammerfest or race.

Lunch is completely different. If a race is anywhere between 11am - 2pm I'll skip lunch. I snack lightly between breakfast and the race & then eat gels and/or bars during the race. If I eat a real lunch I feel like cr*p. In fact, I like to feel a little bit hungry right before an afternoon race.

ColinL

that sounds entirely reasonable to have intervals of smaller food intake.

noise boy

I ride about an hour first thing in the morning, usually (actually almost always) I never eat beforehand, if I were going any longer I would though.

gregf83 

I find this to be true if by 'hard' you mean anaerobic workouts. However, few training rides start out hard and no one rides 'hard' for 3 hrs. I didn't like to eat within 4 hours of playing hockey which is basically 20-30 anaerobic sprints. Cycling, on the other hand, is generally much less intense and I can eat a decent breakfast an hour before starting a ride without any problem.

Beau210

Eat oatmeal with some brown sugar and a banana in the morning about an hour or so before the ride and eat something as soon after as you can. (You should have been hydrating since the night before and all the way through your ride)

escarpment

Your body is a machine, I like to eat big an hour or so before a big ride and then fuel up after again.

that being said, when I commute in the morning I often have nothing besides a cup of tea and granola bar if that. But in that case I usually wake up and am out the door in 15 or 20 minutes and only ride 7.5 miles. I always eat when I get to school though, after I smoke my morning cigarette

jdon

If the car tank is near empty, I probably wont fill it for a short drive to the corner store. If I am going on a 3 hour drive, well, it just wouldn't make sense to not fuel first.

Yes, eat, but leave time as others have suggested for digestion.

I have 3 eggs about two hours before a hard ride, then a bowl of oatmeal and a coffee about one hour before.