pancakes are not my friend...

...or are they?

All week I had been planning to do a long Saturday morning ride. The BF was aiming for a 60 mile loop, and needless to say I'm not quite up for that yet. At least not at his 17-19 mph average speed. So I settled on a solo 30 mile ride (the longest for me yet). I would spend the first portion of the ride on my nemesis road/hill, aiming for higher speeds, and the second portion tracking out a new route made of paved park roads connecting neighboring towns.

I had decided that the best way to fuel up for this trek was a nice pile of pancakes. Now, I LOVE pancakes. They are my favorite breakfast food EVER. I was completely overjoyed when I read so many accounts of eating pancakes before races, long rides, etc.

So I whipped some up and happily doctored them with butter and syrup. I let them settle, went for an easy jog to warm up, and then sped away on my bike.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out and it wasn't too hot (or humid). I felt my quads kick in as I hauled up the hill(s) and felt them rejoice on the downside. Things, all in all, felt pretty darn good.

And then, around mile 7, I got a little...queasy. Slightly. So I slowed down to try and figure out the unsettled feeling. I've had exersize related nausea before, but this was different. It was lower. It wasn't happy. So I turned around and promised myself to take it easy. I gave myself mental stopping points on the way back. If I didn't feel right by the time I got back to town, I would go right home.

I vowed never to eat pancakes before riding again.

But a few miles later, I felt fine again. I drank some water. I pushed up some more hills. Things evened out and I was able to complete my 30 mile plan.

Maybe pancakes aren't the enemy after all. Maybe I just ate too many.

Yay! A happy ending pancake story!

Nice riding!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

All I saw was "pancakes" and I was soooo reading this thread! ;)
My enemy with pancakes is the butter and syrup. If I eat them before a ride I always put fruit on them. For some reason the sweet makes me feel terrible (and I use sugar free syrup). Go figure!

Who knows what it was??? Maybe just a little stomach-memo to tell you to slow down for a bit and digest a little more?? Regardless- glad your ride turned out GREAT and that you pushed it through the tough parts! Good for you!!!! :D

I am guessing (like TriGirl) that the richness of the butter and syrup did not agree with the exercise, but the carbs of the actual pancakes were fantastic for some energy...

So how about try her suggestion and have them with fruit...

Or, you could have them how I have - with eggs, maybe some bacon (I never eat them with maple syrup although I know bacon and maple is a common combination in the northern hemisphere).

I agree, LB, its nice to see a happey ending pancake story :p

I have always felt that pancakes were gut busters and I don't know why.
I didn't use butter on mine and used a sparing amount of syrup.
instead;
I eat whole grain sprouted toast every morning, so it's not the wheat.

mmmmmPANCAKES......

I loves me some pancakes.
The last time I bought syrup I thought I was buying Log Cabin sugar free but I picked up the wrong one.
It was good.

Most weekend mornings DH & I do long rides. I always start at the cafe with French Toast, bacon, & a big latte. Lots o' syrup and butter. I'm convinced it helps me ride strong and long. :cool:

What works for one person before a ride, might not work for another.

Mmmmmm... gluten-free pancakes, eggs, sausage, real maple syrup, coffee.
Gimme an hour to digest it, and the bike and I take over the universe!

I have never been able to eat pancakes without feeling like I swallowed concrete - I always thought it was the cooking method (cooked in a skillet or griddle with small amount of butter or grease)- because I can eat whole grain waffles with no ill effect.

I'll definitely try experimenting with fruit and save the butter and syrup for non-riding mornings when I have time to eat pancakes. and maybe I'll wait a little longer before hitting the road, too... it's great to hear how different breakfasts work for different folks!

I'm one of the folks who can't do pancakes before a ride. I end up feeling like they've settled into a heavy lump in my gut. Now, steak'n'eggs with hashbrowns are a different story. Some of my longest, strongest rides have been fueled by that combo :D

I did a triathlon on pork chops, potatoes, and eggs, and coffee!

Breakfast of champions!

I think pancakes tend to sit in the tummy like a doughy lump. Now French toast....that's different! ;)

There's something about pancakes I can't get my teeth into :D . I make this great wholegrain batter, make a waffle for me, and pancakes for DH. Same taste (I assume), so maybe it's the spongelike texture of the pancake I don't like.

If we're riding, I have raw old fashion style oatmeal soaked overnight in vanilla soymilk and a bit of honey. Yummy. I can't ride following a big breakfast.

French toast works for me, wiht a little syrple and maybe sugar if it came with it. Just two slices, though.

Man- all this pancake and waffle talk has got me craving some serious breakfast foods....:p

Crepes. Or pancakes with LOTS of butter and spam. Thinly sliced and browned on both sides....

gah. Am stuck at work. Am starving.

spam....... :D

hush. Am hungry and this isn't helping!

I recently discovered low-salt spam. Even better spammy goodness!

Mmmmmmmm. Spam musubi. Fried spam. Cold spam fresh from the can.

I was saving spam labels to get a spam t-shirt, but I lost track of them. gotta go buy some more spam so I can get my t-shirt.

Great pancakes don't need butter or syrup, I usually eat a couple without the condiments and a few with syrup only.

I made pancakes the other morning before riding to work...

my ex-bf had bought a TON of cornmeal last summer :rolleyes: , and it has sat in my cupboard since then. THEN, my roomie's gf left all of her food for us when she moved for the summer, and so there's ANOTHER bag of cornmeal now.

so i was like, hm, cornmeal pancakes, anyone?

i put about a dozen leftovers in the fridge for roomie. some of his buddies were coming in to town for a mtb race this weekend, and when i got home from work the plate was sitting on the counter with nothing but crumbs left! :eek: they had eaten them all (better the skinny racer boys than me, i say!).

so i made some more yesterday morning before they left for their race :cool:

they're tastey with whole wheat instead of regular flour, and honey instead of sugar... and then topped with berries and "greek-style" yogurt from trader joe's. mmmmmmm, pancakes. :D