When and what should you eat?

Early morning races I usually eat an egg sandwich on rye toast when I wake up, a powerbar, or something similar roughly an hour before the event starts, and a gel 5-10 minutes before go time. It works for me.

Bob42 said:

I'm about to start racing, and am just wondering how to structure my eating to maximise performance. There are some races very early morning (6.30) and some evening (18.30-19.00). For each, what should you eat and when (pre-race)? Thanks.

Also, how should you eat to best recover from a ride?

I recommend Monique Ryan's book (Nutrition for Endurance Athletes). Lots of specific info on how much to eat the day before, morning of, and the time just before a race. Not just for endurance either, and also covers training.

In my case I have learned that I need to eat 150 grams of carbs minimum (e.g. for a criterium), to as much as 300 grams of carbs for a road race, on race morning (1-2 g/lb of bodyweight; I'm 150 lbs). After the race recharge with about half that amount so you don't faint and are ready for your next session. Avoid excess protein and fat; those are mostly for non-race days. Just the basic high-carb 70-10-15 ratio, roughly. Carbs are what you need, mostly low-glycemic index, but a little high-GI too. Pasta, cereal, fruits, yogurt.

In the past I didn't eat nearly as much because I never bonked, but I'm faster now that I eat following her recommendations.