Breakfast Before Early Rides?

[Geonz]

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

[Starfish]

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.

[RolliePollie]

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!

[Crankin]

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.

[Oscarjane]

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.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I don't know how I'd feel if I got up at 4am to ride , 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.

[lisa_b]

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.

[indysteel]

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.

[Starfish]

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!

[Veronica]

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. I'm really looking forward to it.

V.

[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.

[Starfish]

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!!

[Trekie]

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.