I would like to start riding in the morning before work (5:30ish). I have one problem with this, what should I eat for breakfast? I am not much of a morning person and even when I ride at 8 or 9am on the weekends my cereal or oatmeal does not sit to well, not mention last to long. My question is, what should I eat before I ride? How long should I wait after I eat before I ride?

Thanks,
Nathan

Actovegin (extract of calves blood which supposedly improves oxygen carrying
capacity)
Albumina H. (protein in blood plasma)
Androgel (testosterone)
Aranesp (Darbepoetin alfa = super EPO)
Celestote (corticosteroid)
Eprex (EPO)
Genotorm (growth hormone)
Hemoce (plasma)
Deca durabolin (anabolic steroid)
Humatrope (growth hormone)
IgF1 (insulin growth factor 1)
Neofertinon (hormone to stimulate ovulation and estrogen production)
Neorecormon (hormone that regulates red blood cell production)
Norditropin (growth hormone)
Nuvacten (corticosteroid)
Trigon (asthma drug)
Urbason (corticosteroid)
Ventolin (bronchial dilator)
Oxandrolona (anabolic agent)
Vitamin B12 (essential B vitamin)
Triamcinolona (corticosteroid)
Testoviron (testosterone)
Aspirina (analgesic, anti-inflammatory)
Oxyglobin (artificial haemoglobin intended for anaemic dogs)
Hemopure (artificial haemoglobin)
Ferlixit (iron)
Caffeine (stimulant)
Hemassist (artificial haemoglobin)
Prozac (antidepressant)

Some juice and coffee b4 I go, Ultima in my water bottle, and an energy bar in my pocket just in case. Dairy products seem to make me feel the worst so no cereal with milk even b4 long rides when my favorite breakfast is either fried granola or a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

I have switched to eating Powerbar Harvest dipped cinnamon roll bars for breakfast. They take a bunch of water which is good, and they fill the tank for up to two hours. I always do have a Hammer Gel in my seatpack if I run into trouble for some reason.

The real breakfast of champions is PopTarts and a diet coke though :rolleyes:

But I can eat anything, and ride immediately after. Early one morning, late for a group ride, I grabbed a leftover filet mignon and stuffed it in my jersey pocket along w/the usual GUs & Powerbars. It was great, but it kinda grossed out my riding buddies.

If you are trying to get out of the house quick for a short ride (1-1:30) don't sweat the the pre-ride fuel up. Even if it's a longer ride you can eat about 3-400 calories/hr & probably be OK.

Don't forget the tried & true advice: stick with foods you know sit well & drink lots of water w/them.

- Chris

I would like to start riding in the morning before work (5:30ish). I have one problem with this, what should I eat for breakfast? I am not much of a morning person and even when I ride at 8 or 9am on the weekends my cereal or oatmeal does not sit to well, not mention last to long. My question is, what should I eat before I ride? How long should I wait after I eat before I ride?

Thanks,
Nathan

Little chocolate doughnuts, of course!!!!

Here's what I ate this morning before riding to work. It's a little on the big side but I have a workout planned for my ride home later.

Sandwich:
-English muffin
-non-fat cheese
-slice of roast beef

Cereal:
-Total flakes 3/4 cup
-raspberries
&
-1 pouch of instant oatmeal
- added raisins

Beverage:
-1 cup Skim-Milk

Totals:
607 calories, 6g fat, 112 g carbs, 31g protien

Yogurt (plain with sugar added)
Fruit (fresh if it is on sale, frozen if not)

Generally put some sort of granola on top for a bit of a crunch.

Pair this with my morning tea and I'm good too go.

-Spyky

so for me, a piece of toast w/peanut butter seems just about right for a <2 hour ride.

Eggo's,cherrios,instant breakfast. Nice and easy ones.

My menu for an early am ride might consist of the following:

1. coffee. dark and strong. To...uh...get 'things' going and perk me up
2. If its a long ride, I will drink a 24oz glass of a sports drink, otherwise, water.
3. Food might be a piece of toast with peanut butter, an enlish muffin with PB, a donut if it's handy, couple of bananas, an apple....just some sort of carb. I like to add the PB for the protein. The protein will stick with you much longer.

I will get all of this down, change, get my ride prepared and out the door in under 30 minutes. The longer the intended ride, the more I eat beforehand. On a short 25-30 miler, I don't worry as much about any food.

But not some huge multi ingredient thing. Keep it simple. 6-8 oz soymilk and a small banana, push "puree" and enjoy. Take a sport drink on the ride for some more calories, and a gu or something just in case you need it. It really dpends on how long the ride is.

An alternative for early morning riding (or any early aerobic exercise) is to have a before bed snack so your muscle glycogen isn't as low in the AM. Bowl of cereal or toast and peanut butter, that kind of thing.

Many of the posts don't seem to be taking into account that you say that cereal and oatmeal don't sit well with you. This could be a dairy sensitivity (I assume you take milk on both), but it's pretty hard to choke them down with no milk (suppose you could try soy milk).

I too am sensitive to what I eat early, and the two things that work best for me are fresh fruit, and eggs with toast. For my commute or rides under 20 miles or so, I just cut up a variety of seasonal fruitsinto a bowl--pure and healthy carb power. For longer rides like on the weekend, I soft boil 2 eggs and pair with a piece or two of toast, very lightly buttered. YMMV

Little chocolate doughnuts, of course!!!!
Yea,

Little chocolate donuts, and . . . . cigarettes.

A classic.

Thanks for all the great advice, I have a better idea what I should look for and do when riding mornings.

~Nathan

Kenacort and leave it at that, the rest you can take anytime of the day! BTW, I see Bortolami is on the startlist for Flanders, you can't keep a good man down even when he gets caught out by one of those pesky doping controls.

if i am going to be spending more than about 2-3 hours on my bike, i like to eat a solid meal before i leave to keep me rolling all day. my favorite pre-long ride meal is:

a medium-sized bowl of pasta with one hard-boiled egg (yolk removed) cut up on top of it. drizzle this with a little olive oil and maybe have an orange and a glass of water or two with it. this will keep you going all day, but be sure to eat it at least 90 mins before you start your ride if you have a sensitive stomach like i do.

if i am only going to be on the bike for 1-2 hours, i will have a Powerbar and about 8-10oz of water about 45 mins before i get on the road.

as a sidenote: after a 1-2 hour ride, i think a turkey or PBnJ sandwich is great. after a 2-6 hour ride, i enjoy about a half-pound of lean ground turkey, some pasta, and some fruit. works great for me. try it.

I usually start the day with the same thing no matter what I am doing -- oatmeal or a bran bagel, orange juice and tea. However, whenever I have a long ride planned (more than an hour or two), I make sure that I have a good meal the night before. Eating well the night before a good ride is more important to my well-being than whatever I eat in the morning.

I've been getting PowerBar Protein Plus Bars at Costco and usually have one of these with a morning cup of coffee when I get to work. They seem to last a little longer then traditional PowerBars... Sometimes I take some dried fruit and nut mix too...

I often go for about 1.5 hrs in the early a.m. (out the door before six, back home by 7:30-8) without eating anything. Although ravenous when I get home, I don't think the lack of food hurts me much before then.
If I'm going out for three hours, I like pb&j. With maybe a banana kicker.

I would like to start riding in the morning before work (5:30ish). I have one problem with this, what should I eat for breakfast? I am not much of a morning person and even when I ride at 8 or 9am on the weekends my cereal or oatmeal does not sit to well, not mention last to long. My question is, what should I eat before I ride? How long should I wait after I eat before I ride?

Thanks,
Nathan

2 Scrambled eggs, one of those single cups of yogurt and at least 2 cups of coffee. Then I take a banana along to eat when I get to work. The ride is about 25 kms and takes 50 minutes just for a referance.

French toast or pancakes are my favorites. I'll also eat some eggs and toast from time to time. Cereal never sits too well with me. Bagels are a OK in a pinch, but I'm not a huge fan.

Perhaps the protein in the milk is too much for you that early. Besides you admit to being sluggish in the am. Why not try a little OJ or sports drink and perhaps something like a bagel or toast. it goes down easier and probably won't upset your stomach. A light snack before a short ride is probably enough if you eat smart the day before.

Before long rides, I prefer to eat a bigger breakfast. Some people are able to chow down while riding, but I find that I feel stronger when I have a good-sized breakfast and eat about 250 calories per hour. I try to eat about 600 calories before a long ride in mostly carbs and some protein. I eat a bagel, a bar, juice and coffee (or something equivalent) about 1 hour or more before riding. On hot days I drink a lot before rolling out. A sports drink or juice is good for that.

Experiment and see how you feel. Good luck!

Coot

Here is my tried and true pre-race meal: McDonalds sausage/egg McMuffin and a hotcakes and sausage platter with a Coke. I eat the hotcakes plain with no syrup. :D

This meal has been my pre-race ritual since 1987 and has actually led to some great performances including a couple of wins. I've never had an upset stomach with this meal and I've never placed outside of the top 15 in any race where this was my pre-race meal.

Hey it works for me!!! ;)

If I have an hr or so before the ride, I'll eat a bagel w/ PB or almond butter and a glass of milk w/ whey protein and of course, a cup or 2 of coffee. If the ride will be greater than 2 hrs, I'll use a clifbar and gatorade or whatever I happen to have at the time. If It's a real early ride and I don't have a lot of time, it will be a glass of OJ w/whey protein and maybe a balance/zone bar, plus the requisite coffee.

More importantly it's what you eat AFTER the ride when your body is depleted of it's reserves. Make sure that upon arriving at work you chow down something with carbs protien minnerals....A cliff bar or recovery drink coupled with a bagel with cream cheese will do you just fine.

depending on the length of the ride. That holds me over for a 30-35 mile ride then a energy bar after that or a gel. I can't ride on a loaded stomach in the morning.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=577

But really, a multi grain waffle with peanut butter and a sliced up banana. Glass of OJ, and of course coffee.

nm nm nm

but i like nothing more than being woken up by a beautiful woman ......

then after an hour or 2 i'm ready for a soft boiled egg, some toast n honey, fresh fruit, juice & strong coffee ...... then its back to bed i go ;-)

after round 2, im in the shower, more coffee then im ready to set personal bests (on the road that is). If i had this every day i would live & ride for another 100 years - well that's the plan anyway.


ciao

Here is my tried and true pre-race meal: McDonalds sausage/egg McMuffin and a hotcakes and sausage platter with a Coke. I eat the hotcakes plain with no syrup. :D

This meal has been my pre-race ritual since 1987 and has actually led to some great performances including a couple of wins. I've never had an upset stomach with this meal and I've never placed outside of the top 15 in any race where this was my pre-race meal.

Hey it works for me!!! ;)

Here is the nutritional value of what you just ate.
Sausage McMuffin® 4.0 oz(114 g) 370calories 200 fat calories 23g fat
Hotcakes and Sausage 9.5 oz(271 g) 780calories 300 fat calories 33g fat

That would blow me up like the michelin man, but everyone is different. The smartest thing is to go with works for you.

plain oatmeal w/ vanilla soy milk, banana (the brown-er and mushy-er the sweeter) and some cinnamon.

or brown sugar and oat Total w/ vanilla soy and the same banana.

or PB and sliced banana sandwhich (good after a workout too)

before a longer ride or race: yogurt w/ granola or ceral, dried fruit, and a banana. and lots of H20.

all either with Naked Juice (pure fruit juice and vitamins- unlike Odwalla which adds sugar) or Boathouse Farm's Green Goodness juice (tastes tons better than it looks) and some sort of tea (generally caffinated)

or a fresh cinnamon doughnut and apple cider, during cider season :)

the soy isn't bad... i think Silk is the best brand, def. vanilla. it's not as watery as some other brands, and the vanilla covers up the bitter flavor of regular soy, plus sweetens the oatmeal. it's good in coffee and tea too.

i eat a clif bar after i get to work too, or before i head home.

a buddy of mine eats Micky D's before rides.... :p i don't think i could stomach that!

Beer... It's not just for breakfast anymore!!

Did you know that you can satisfy all of the body's nutritional requirements by drinking 47 pints of Guiness a day?

Guiness... the beer that drinks like a meal.

--Shannon "ouch!... my liver!" Menkveld

Delete stupid remark I made because I was hungry and tired.

A cup of strong black coffee and a Marlboro Red – the true breakfast of champions.