Early morning pre-ride snack (25+ miles)

[topCat]

Helllo, my first post here.
Have found bike maintenance answers here and hoping that someone can give advice about morning nutrition too. This spring/summer I have been trying to do more & more early morning road cycling training rides w/ waking up at 6am. Intense rides, small hills & keeping close to 20mph average. I want to reach minimum 25 miles (40+ kilometers) every morning, but it's always tricky with fueling myself up before the ride.

I usually grab one banana straight after waking up, then it's 10min for getting ready, and off I go. Until 25 miles it's okay, but then the hunger often hits me. I also have 0.7 vitamin drink with me. If I eat much before the ride I feel quite bad (the tast in your mouth during the ride) and can upset the stomach. Also, I don't have time to make for example oatmeal after waking up, also not a big fan of energy gels or bars in the morning.

What do you take with for your morning rides? Any experiences to share about DURING the ride food intake? Thanks.

[Zviedrs]

(06-24-2019, 10:06 AM)topCat Wrote:  Helllo, my first post here.
Have found bike maintenance answers here and hoping that someone can give advice about morning nutrition too. This spring/summer I have been trying to do more & more early morning road cycling training rides w/ waking up at 6am. Intense rides, small hills & keeping close to 20mph average. I want to reach minimum 25 miles (40+ kilometers) every morning, but it's always tricky with fueling myself up before the ride.

I usually grab one banana straight after waking up, then it's 10min for getting ready, and off I go. Until 25 miles it's okay, but then the hunger often hits me. I also have 0.7 vitamin drink with me. If I eat much before the ride I feel quite bad (the tast in your mouth during the ride) and can upset the stomach. Also, I don't have time to make for example oatmeal after waking up, also not a big fan of energy gels or bars in the morning.

What do you take with for your morning rides? Any experiences to share about DURING the ride food intake? Thanks.

I have tried various food items, but 1) raisins, 2) dried cranberries or 3) an extra banana feels the best for me during the mornings However, do not overdo it with and keep the intake at a reasonable level during your ride. Then enjoy some well deserved post ride breakfast with eggs & coffee (gas alert)! Anyway, it also depends on the rider and the purpose of the ride, eg. simple wake-up for the work day or weight loss, or improving your fitness, or aspiration to become amateur racer. Which one are you?

[JoJoJo]

Yeah I agree that you shouldn't absorb too much during the ride so my suggestion -> having a little bit extra food within those 10min before. My experience:

* oatmeal with raisins or cranberries -> have you tried to make overnight oats so that you can instantly have them in the morning? Even two large spoons will hel.
* couple bites of bread/bagel
* stick with a banana which is the best & add perhaps some figs -> not everyone is a fan of those
* glass or two of water
* add some vitamin tablet to your water for drinking during the ride

[topCat]

Thank you for the comments, mates! Will send updates once I've tried multiple methods.

[topCat]

Hello.
I just caught myself day dreaming about the topic of snacking before morning bike rides. Few main go-to foods crystalized over those summer and autumn rides since I posted this. So in the best scenario: 1) glass of water or two post wakeup 2) thin slice of bread with salty spread, not much 3) fresh banana and mixture of dried fruit+berry, such as mango, quince, cranberries.

If I did not absorb enough Kcal the day before, oatmeal comes to the rescue. Thank you for the overnight oats @JoJoJo and vitamin drink tip.

Note: to not overdo sweet and sugary stuff, include salty snack (bread and spread in my case).

[JoJoJo]

(01-04-2020, 09:27 PM)topCat Wrote:  If I did not absorb enough Kcal the day before, oatmeal comes to the rescue. Thank you for the overnight oats @JoJoJo and vitamin drink tip.

good to know! Let's check in once again during the season -> keep me updated about your morning snack habits