Breakfast Before Early Rides?

Apologies...I know this question must be a repeat, but I am not having luck with my searches.

How do you handle pre-ride or on-ride nutrition when your ride starts really, really early, and it is a long ride?

I work afternoons & evenings, and I am a natural night person. In training, I normally get up around 9am, eat something by 10:30 or so, and start rides around noon.

For long, hard, organized rides, I often want to be on course by 5-6am. But, I have a HARD time thinking, walking and talking at that time, let alone eating. And, let alone eating a couple hours before the ride starts to give time for digestion. :confused:

What do you do for proper nutrition when you have 100+ miles to ride, starting at 5am, but getting to sleep around midnight, and not being a morning person?

I would love to hear how you all handle very early morning pre-ride nutrition. (If you know of previous threads and can direct me, I would be happy to read the older stuff!)

Big dinner the night before, hearty snack before bed, Clif Bloks and coffee in the early morning?


(mmmm, Clif Bloks... nature's most perfect food, along with reduced salt Spam)

Wow! Somebody who keeps the same hours as me!

This is paraphrased from The Complete Book of Long Distance Cycling

Carb load 2 - 3 days prior to The Big One 70/20/10 (cho/fat/pro)

"It's important to replenish liver glycogen before an early morning event. The liver relies on frequent meals to stay tanked up. If you don't eat for 6 or more hours prior to riding, you could experience a premature lowering of blood glucose once you begin...a low fat meal containing 75 - 150 grams of carbs eaten about 2 -3 hours before an event, helps ensure adequate levels of liver glycogen and blood glucose."

The examples they give are 2 slices of whole wheat toast with a banana or a couple of cans of a nutritional liquid meal like Ensure or Boost.

No more than 1gram/4kcal per pound of body weight if you will finish eating just 1 hour before riding.

I like sliced banana on whole wheat with p.nut butter and honey.
I also like pinhead oatmeal with raisins, peanut butter and a banana mixed in while cooking. mmm-mmm!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zencentury

I like sliced banana on whole wheat with p.nut butter and honey. I also like pinhead oatmeal with raisins, peanut butter and a banana mixed in while cooking. mmm-mmm!

---

OK, so I am curious. Can you gag this down at 5am, and does it sit OK at 6am when riding? This breakfast sounds delicious if I've been up for an hour or two...but...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KnottedYet

(mmmm, Clif Bloks... nature's most perfect food)

---

Knot, I have a little more experimenting to do, but I might have a whole box of these to send you. I think when I eat these under exertion, they might be causing me nausea. If I can't hack them, I'll let you know.

Starfish, if you wait 2 hours to eat, you could bonk and that's a road you don't want to go down.
how about chocolate milk? is that something you can handle? You just want to keep from going below a safe blood sugar level.

There's a true science to keeping your nutrition right on long rides; that's one of the reasons people don't just go out and ride 100 miles. See what happens on a 30, a 50, a 60 mile ride.

I find myself getting VERY hungry if i ride much more than 25 miles. that's approximately 2 hours. People struggle with nutrition on these epic rides.
People like my DH who rides mostly rides ending in 2 zeros endlessly compare and try alternate diets; like Ensure and very expensive powdered foods; yet
he also likes stuff like chocolate milk and Snickers bars.
experiment on shorter rides, see what works for you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Starfish

Knot, I have a little more experimenting to do, but I might have a whole box of these to send you. I think when I eat these under exertion, they might be causing me nausea. If I can't hack them, I'll let you know.

---

I'd be happy to buy them from you if you don't like them! Funny, isn't it, how one person's perfect food (they STOP my nausea, even when my celiac is acting up) isn't perfect for everyone.

SKnot just gave me a giftcard to REI, and my first thought was to spend it on another pair of Injinji toe socks, followed closely by MORE CLIF!

For my ride last weekend I got up at 4:00 AM, ate about 1/2 carton of yogurt with cereal on top around 4:40. I try to eat the entire carton before a ride, but sometimes I just can't.

Knowing that I had not eaten my full breakfast, I started eating on the bike right away. Usually I wait until 60 minutes into the ride to start my eat every 30 minutes thing.

I am somewhat obsessive about my eating and drinking on the bike. I use Sustained Energy in one water bottle and drink from that every 15 minutes. I eat something solid every 30 minutes. I typically start off with Paydays, eating about half of one mini size at a time. After the Paydays I switch to sport beans, then Cliff Bloks and then Hammer Gels.

Last Saturday I hadn't had any coffee, so when I got to the first rest stop I asked Jesse (who I knew had Red Bulls) for one. I have a caffeine addiction and will get a really bad headache if deprived. But normally I don't drink Red Bulls at 7:30 in the morning. :D

V.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Starfish

OK, so I am curious. Can you gag this down at 5am, and does it sit OK at 6am when riding? This breakfast sounds delicious if I've been up for an hour or two...but...

---

I bet the oatmeal will go down pretty easily, you might be surprised after you see how good it is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Veronica

For my ride last weekend I got up at 4:00 AM, ate about 1/2 carton of yogurt with cereal on top around 4:40. I try to eat the entire carton before a ride, but sometimes I just can't.

---

V, are you talking about a large carton of yogurt, like 24 oz or so? Or, a little single serving one? I do love yogurt...eat it every day...it is just the time of day business that gets me.

I'm also pretty good at eating on the bike...it just seems like if I don't get a good dose of breakfast in me first, I never really catch up. :confused:

And, coffee is never the problem. That is one thing I can suck down right out of bed. ;)

Zen: I literally get sick to my stomach when my alarm clock goes off. I have tried eating breakfast very early in many settings over many years...I just really have a hard time not getting an upset stomach when I am up so early in the morning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mimitabby

how about chocolate milk? is that something you can handle?

See what happens on a 30, a 50, a 60 mile ride.

---

Mimi, thanks. The shorter rides, 30-40 miles, are no problem. It is the longer rides when I notice that, even if I start eating on the bike right away, if I have not had a real breakfast, I think I pay for it several hours later, despite on-bike eating.

When I can eat a huge breakfast, let it digest for 3 hours, then go ride, I do great.

I love oatmeal, and always have it on backpacking trips. Sometimes I eat it the day of a long ride, but often cold cereal. When the alarm goes off, I chow food and then start getting dressed/sunscreen. That way I don't start exercising for about 1.5-2 hours. I always try to pasta up the night before, too.

On-bike eating is different for everybody, but I usually start out fairly healthy and move to progressively more straight carbs. First a banana after half an hour, maybe some slices of apple, Cytomax in one water bottle and water in the other, then maybe an oatmeal cookie, a peanut butter and jelly, some sort of bagel smeared with PB, some Hammer Gel, I've even had PopTarts but they kind of break easily and get smushed, and my secret weapon: Twinkies!

Some people just do straight-up gels and liquids and such, but I like munching on real food.

Starfish, are these "events" racing where you supply all your own food, or organized rides where you can see what's up for grabs at the food stops? Sometimes they'll have stuff I can't turn down, like Little Debbie cakes.

I try to always start the ride as soon as it's light out and so when I get up at 4:30 to ride at 5:30, I always plan to finish my oatmeal 1 hour before we begin riding. I eat 1/2 cup dry oatmeal (microwaved) + 1 packet sweetener + 1 scoop vanilla protein mixed in the oatmeal after it's cooked. Doesn't sit heavy and goes down easily. I also start eating something solid and do the gel thing/drinking thing regularly. Beef jerkey, sport beans, trail mix, banana etc. work well for me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CyclaSutra

Starfish, are these "events" racing where you supply all your own food

---

No racing, LOL! :p Organized rides...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Starfish

V, are you talking about a large carton of yogurt, like 24 oz or so? Or, a little single serving one?

---

Single serving. :) It is my usually daily breakfast. But it also sits well for a ride. I wait as long as I can to eat before a ride. My normal daily routine I get up at 4:30, but I don't eat until 6:45 or so. Nerves also affect how much I can eat before a ride.

If we are driving to a ride and have an hour or so in the car, I will drink chocolate milk.

V.

Before the RAIN ride (across INdiana, mass start 6a.m., 160 miles) I had the same issues. I got those oatmeal munchie things (the ones in the singleserving foil - I think I had two but I"m not sure) and scarfed a banana and a slug of tea and I was peachy. (Yes, I ate well before to build up.) I'm not sure I"m quite normal, though :rolleyes:

Well, thanks everyone...I will just have to keep experimenting on my weekend long rides. I don't know if I have what it takes to do the following, but I suppose I should probably start doing my long rides at 6am on Saturdays in training to learn what will work best for me. Gads.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Starfish

I literally get sick to my stomach when my alarm clock goes off. I have tried eating breakfast very early in many settings over many years...I just really have a hard time not getting an upset stomach when I am up so early in the morning.

---

I'm glad to read this thread and realize I'm not alone in the early morning breakfast battle. Dragging myself kicking and screaming out of bed is hard enough, but eating a good breakfast early in the morning is nearly impossible for me. Starfish, I think you and I have the same internal clock...I do MUCH better if I go to bed late, sleep late, and eat a little while after I get up. I am yet to do an organized ride, but I can see that being an issue for me. For now, I just don't ride first thing in the morning. But the weather will be heating up here soon, so I'll need to ride earlier.

A couple of things I seem to be able to get down even really early...vanilla soy milk and hard boiled eggs (except I absolutely cannot stand the yolk, so it's just the whites for me). But that doesn't hold you over for long. It's amazing how something that you'd love to eat later in the day is so un-appetizing early in the morning.

I commisserate (how do you spell that?!?!) with your breakfast plight!

If I am going on an early morning ride, just to get my riding time in, I eat a Clif Bar and drink half a glass of OJ. Before I commute (very early, I get up at 4:30 and leave around 5:30-5:40), I eat a cup of organic whole wheat cereal, with some plain yogurt mixed in, along with some almonds and dried cranberries. Also have some juice. Then I eat half a Clif bar when I get to work. I have to have coffee within a pretty short time of arriving/getting home, though. If I am going on a ride later in the AM, I eat a good breakfast of 2 eggs, scrambled, a whole wheat bagel and some fruit. I often will drink tea on these days, to get the caffeine, but not the annoying runs to the bathroom that happen when i drink coffee. So, if I'm leaving on a ride at 10, I eat breakfast at 8. When I did the century last year, I ate at 5:30 AM and started the ride at around 7:15. I lived on Clif Bars, bananas, Clif Blocks and Accelerade for the ride, since the sandwiches were pbj and I am allergic to peanuts. I can tolerate a small chicken and cheese sandwich on whole wheat for a lunch stop, but not much else.

The only time I can ride is first thing in the morning. I am up at 5am and on the bike within half an hour. I start with coffee and cereal with a banana in my back pocket, if not a banana then put something like Endura in your water bottle I find this helps:rolleyes. It takes a while to eat first thing in the morning but after a while you look for it. Experiment with different food as we are all different. I understand your problem though it seems that rides are usually in the arvo or middle of the day in other countries but with the heat here in Australia we really do need to ride early.

I don't know how I'd feel if I got up at 4am to ride :eek: , but....if I'm up to ride at 6am or later, I always eat a nice big breakfast before my rides. Before I was active and biking, I never wanted breakfast. Seems my body has taken the hint and now it tells me it wants breakfast before my morning rides. :)

I know the feeling-sick to your stomach when the alarm goes off, just wanting to sleep and then knowing you really must eat breakfast. For my rides that start really early, I've found that a banana and coffee, usually with a bit of granola will hold me over until the start of the ride, and then I try and eat as soon as I'm on the bike. Also eating a big meal the night before helps.

I'm glad this topic came up. This past weekend was the first weekend that our club rides started at 8 rather than 9 a.m., and I was in a world of hurt thanks to my sensitive early-morning tummy. Plus, I had to leave for Saturday's ride at 6:30 and for Sunday's, I rode to the ride and started off at 7 a.m. While I had enough time to eat and digest the food, it just didn't sit well. The food went down okay, but I felt horribly nauseous afterwards. At the first two SAGS on Saturday, I found myself very close to throwing up. That, and my routine of drinking a big bottle of water the minute I get up meant that everything, uh, "moved" through my system rather quickly. Let's just say that it could have gotten very ugly, but thankfully didn't. The only thing I could tolerate on the bike were Clif blocs (which are indeed the perfect food). Both rides were very hard, however, and I could have used something a bit more substantial. I hate riding with that empty belly feeling.

I felt a little sick to my stomach on Monday morning, too, so perhaps I just had a bit of a bug. I hope so because I'm not sure I can endure the next few months of early morning rides if I consistently feel sick to my stomach at start time.

A lot of the food that I eat--instant oatmeal, whole wheat waffles, cereal bars, yogurt, etc., is sweet, which is normally appeals to me, but I wonder if that's contributing to my upset tummy. Perhaps I should stick to bland or savory foods and cut out the little bit of coffee that I drink.

Since I started this thread, I have been experimenting. I am beginning to think that I am trying to eat too much on the bike, and worrying too much about getting in enough fuel before I start an early morning ride.

The really nauseous times I have had recently have been at the starts of rides, and usually the early morning ones, when I have tried to eat breakfast.

I had read in some biking guru's book about how many calories we should try to get in before long rides, and the dangers of starting out a ride hungry. But, I seem to be doing better when I just get up and go, maybe a 1/2 cup of yogurt and a coffee, and then starting to eat bites of Powerbar, etc, within 20 minutes on the bike.

I have yet to try this minimalist approach on a ride longer than about 2 hours. But, next Saturday is Tour de Blast, so I guess I'll find out!

Even though I'm a morning person, when a ride starts at 5 AM I have a hard time eating before that. I usually have about a half a serving of yogurt with some cereal on top. I try to eat the whole serving, but usually I can't.

It's worked out okay for me, I managed to finish my last two big rides. :) I do try to think about eating a little sooner on the bike than I might otherwise when I haven't had a full breakfast.

Tour de Blast is going to be... a blast. :D I'm really looking forward to it.

V.

Somebody posted a really easy recipe for" banana pancakes." Anyway,they are pretty good ,and you can eat them as you are driving to your ride ,or event. I found they gave me the energy I needed in the morning. Sometimes I dip them in maple syrup. Its really hard to eat at 4 or 5 in the morning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

Somebody posted a really easy recipe for" banana pancakes." Anyway,they are pretty good ,and you can eat them as you are driving to your ride ,or event. I found they gave me the energy I needed in the morning. Sometimes I dip them in maple syrup. Its really hard to eat at 4 or 5 in the morning.

---

You know, I love banana pancakes...I have been making them for years. But, one of my recent terrible bouts with a.m. ride nausea has been after eating a couple of those. I think that it is just too much food for me in the morning. Great recovery food, though!! :)

I usually don't eat until I've been up a couple of hours, but that obviously doesn't work when you have an early morning ride.
What works for me and my usually a.m. rocky stomach is this:

I boil an egg the night before. Saves time.
Have it with a small low sodium V-8 juice.
One half a bagel with a small amount of jelly.
and one half banana.

I find those foods not too offensive in the morning.
When I get to the rider start, I'll have 1/2 an energy bar.

Also, if I'm driving to the race start, I eat my bagel on the way.