Eat before riding?

25 miles = 40 km. I have a 27 km commute (each way) to work, and I usually don't eat much in the morning (if at all), while I eat during the day so I have enough energy to get home.

Trouble is, when I don't eat in the morning, I usually run out of gas on the way home, even though I bring extra food with me to eat in the afternoon.

So, I say for a 25 mile ride in which you find yourself flagging, you should eat. When I go on a longer ride (100 km and up), I eat quite a bit for breakfast - normally 2 bagels, a bowl of cereal, and a banana. For your ride, I suggest at least one bagel and a banana. Porridge is good too, because it takes a long time to digest.

Hope this helps.

When you do eat that when you go on the longer bikeride, how long do you wait until you cycle?

jjiam25 said:

I ride about 25 miles 4 days a week, and i feel great when I start but by mile 15 I start to lag, so maybe its the food, or no food, any thoughts would be appreciated.

I prefer to eat something before any ride of 25mi or more. How much I eat depends on when I ate last and how far I'm going. In the morning before a long ride it 3-4 waffles, in the evening before a shorter (25-30mi) ride it's a sandwich.

I typically eat again after my ride, quantity depending on length of ride.

jjiam25 said:

I work from 8pm-4am, then I sleep until like 12-1pm. So my question is this, would you guys get up and ride on an empty stomach? or would you eat something and eat later? and if I would eat something, how much time do you think I should wait to eat, I have experimented, but not sure so I need you guys inputs please. and if you eat, what would you eat so it wouldn't steal my oxygen or my strenght if I do cycle later. I live in Las Vegas, so yes its HELLA hot here, but I ride anyway, so as you see I need max energy cause the heat drainsssssssss ya on a ride I can tell you that. I ride about 25 miles 4 days a week, and i feel great when I start but by mile 15 I start to lag, so maybe its the food, or no food, any thoughts would be appreciated.

If you've been riding in the afternoon this past week, you're Superman. I think it was approaching 100 degrees F when I finished my ride at 7:30am this morning. I eat pretty much the same thing before I ride any time of day (banana and fig bar), but I'm not big on much food before my rides. But, if you don't already have one, I'd get a Polar water bottle and put about 1/2 ice in it. I'm not sure 100 degree water is very good for your body when it's trying to deal with this heat. And, electrolyte tablets are a good thing to carry with you. I take 2-3/hr after the first hr. BTW, the wet sound you hear isn't your tires running through water -- it's your tires running across melting asphalt.😄

RapDaddyo said:

If you've been riding in the afternoon this past week, you're Superman. I think it was approaching 100 degrees F when I finished my ride at 7:30am this morning. I eat pretty much the same thing before I ride any time of day (banana and fig bar), but I'm not big on much food before my rides. But, if you don't already have one, I'd get a Polar water bottle and put about 1/2 ice in it. I'm not sure 100 degree water is very good for your body when it's trying to deal with this heat. And, electrolyte tablets are a good thing to carry with you. I take 2-3/hr after the first hr. BTW, the wet sound you hear isn't your tires running through water -- it's your tires running across melting asphalt.😄

id never ride on an empty stomach..infact you should try and eat while riding!

never to early to try and get used to that.

Agree, If riding more than one hour you're gonna need some carbs,and a little protein wouln't hurt either. Experiment, I like something like pancakes or bagels for breakfast before ride if it going to be a couple hours be fore ride, but on the bike i usually live off of energy gels(cliff shots are my favorite). Make sure you are hydrating, 20 oz./hr, maybe more if it is really hot.

Euphoric said:

id never ride on an empty stomach..infact you should try and eat while riding!

never to early to try and get used to that.

Believe it or not, I go through about 80-100 ounces of water on the 1hour 36 min 31 sec ride, 25.08 miles averaging 15.5 mph. So I will try to eat a bagel with peanut butter and jelly, and wait one hour to cycle then cycle and see what happens.

wow! I drink more than most people I ride with,which is probably 20oz./ 45 min. Do you ever woory about over hydrating? I forget the name of the codition but it can be very harmful ot even deadly. What is your exertion level or % of max. H.R.

jjiam25 said:

Believe it or not, I go through about 80-100 ounces of water on the 1hour 36 min 31 sec ride, 25.08 miles averaging 15.5 mph. So I will try to eat a bagel with peanut butter and jelly, and wait one hour to cycle then cycle and see what happens.

manvell said:

I forget the name of the codition but it can be very harmful ot even deadly. What is your exertion level or % of max. H.R.

Hyponatremia

sportsmedicine.about.comaa070703a.htmOpen ↗

acsm.orgRunnersHydrate.htmOpen ↗

medicalpost.comarticle.jspOpen ↗

disclaimer: I provide no opinions only links and let the reader come to their own conclusion. 🙂

Heya Manvell, do you cycle where daytime temperatures when I ride in excess of 110 degrees fahrenheit? So now what do you think 😎

Euphoric said:

id never ride on an empty stomach..infact you should try and eat while riding!

never to early to try and get used to that.

Well, it may be unorthodox, but I ride 300-350 miles/week, at 200w-300w pace, usually beginning at 5:30am. I never have more than a banana and fig bar before my ride and don't eat anything during the ride unless the ride is more than 2 hrs. I haven't dropped dead yet.