When and what to eat before a ride

[Christian]

Hello

I don't do very long rides (around 50-70km) but often try to get a lot of up and down in, anyways it's already pretty exhausting and demanding for me.

Often I decide to ride spontaneously or else I have to take a train somewhere in the morning to get where I want to ride. Needless to say my nutrition is often less than adequate for the effort (compared to my fitness and training level). For example when I take the train I have to buy a sandwich and eat it in the train.

Ideally, when one has the time and has planned ahead, what kind of foods should one eat before the ride? Pasta, salad, vegetables, poultry, meat ...? How much sugar/sweets if any? What about fruits? How big of a meal should it be?

Another problem I often have is that my stomach feels bad in the beginning which I assume is a combination of starting out too hard and not having fully digested. What is the ideal time one should eat before a ride? One hour? Two hours?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Hawkwood]

Hello

I don't do very long rides (around 50-70km) but often try to get a lot of up and down in, anyways it's already pretty exhausting and demanding for me.

Often I decide to ride spontaneously or else I have to take a train somewhere in the morning to get where I want to ride. Needless to say my nutrition is often less than adequate for the effort (compared to my fitness and training level). For example when I take the train I have to buy a sandwich and eat it in the train.

Ideally, when one has the time and has planned ahead, what kind of foods should one eat before the ride? Pasta, salad, vegetables, poultry, meat ...? How much sugar/sweets if any? What about fruits? How big of a meal should it be?

Another problem I often have is that my stomach feels bad in the beginning which I assume is a combination of starting out too hard and not having fully digested. What is the ideal time one should eat before a ride? One hour? Two hours?

Thanks for the help!

My very non scientific approach. For rides up to 70 kms 120 grams of pasta measured uncooked, a cup of espresso, and the normal water intake on the bike, no sugar, sweets, or bread.

 

[JayKosta]

6 'fig newton' bars 1 hour before riding. Gatorade in the water bottle(s).
Whey protein with gatorade immediately when finished.

If more solid foods is needed while riding, either more fig bars, or Cliff bars.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[usedtobefast]

a 4x4 from In 'N Out and double fries. and a shake, could be chocolate or vanilla.
no strawberry.try that.

 

[Christian]

a 4x4 from In 'N Out and double fries. and a shake, could be chocolate or vanilla.
no strawberry.try that.

Don't have In 'n' Out here but a Burger King just opened up nearby, does that work too??

 

[durianrider]

This is a nobrainer. Can't believe the fast food recommendations for an athlete looking to build fitness and health.

What do I do? 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day MINIMUM and I take on 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. So if Im going out over an hour thats 65g of carbs per hour to be bonk proof. Eat less fat/protein to have more stamina. Focus on health vs processed crap.

I drink enough water that Im stopping at least every 2 hours for a wizz. Aim for CLEAR urination vs yellow or straw.

Aim for 10 times a day urination and pee in a juice bottle just like we used to do in Belgium at night so you don't have to get out of bed. Just don't knock it over on the carpet.

Keep your cals over 3000 each day with the focus on whole food carb sources like fruit, potatoes, corn, barley, oats, rice etc. Find what staple you prefer and go with that.

I stay 'TDF lean' all year round following this programme for the last 11 years.

 

[ElChingon]

Meanwhile... a pro eats a burger before a race...

 

[durianrider]

This isnt the clinic so dont get me started.

How much money you want to bet that Horner blows out when he retires like so many do.

 

[ElChingon]

This isnt the clinic so dont get me started.

How much money you want to bet that Horner blows out when he retires like so many do.

I don't make bets with/for bananas and who's going to pay if you're blowing out first.

 

[usedtobefast]

Don't have In 'n' Out here but a Burger King just opened up nearby, does that work too??

you can "have it your way" at Burger King

the pic is In 'N Out. sorry Durian no banana shakes

 

[fatsprintking]

Depending on what time of the day you ride, you are trying to start your ride with full liver and muscle glycogen stores. You will drain your liver stores overnight so a good pre ride meal is essential, but different people require different routines re this.

My pre race meal is a packet of crumpets with a little jam, 2 and a half hours before I start to warm up. I have a cup of tea with it and plenty of water. This works well for me as its easy to digest and as I only have crumpets before a race is a bit of a psychological thing as well. For training I just have cereal and fruit.

I react to coffee before a ride (this occurs for maybe 10% of people), but also go no good if I eat too close to exercise as it messes with my blood suger levels.

I start drinking a mix of gatorade and water pretty much as soon as riding and make sure I eat something every 30 min if I am doing anything over 2 and a half hours. I just take a few museli bars if I am training and if racing just chuck a hand full of snakes in my pocket and eat them as a chance arrises in races less than 2-3 hours where there is no designated feed.

As soon as I finish my ride I have a big choc milk, which has a good mix of carb and protein required post ride for recovery and for replenishing muscle glycogen stores.

Main thing I found is that you have to experiment a little and what works for one person may not work for you. Having said that the above will work pretty well as a starting point.

 

[durianrider]

Judging by how much weight Chris Horner has dropped I would say he has cut back his fast food intake and upped his focus on healthy eating habits.

When you're a pro athlete and every gram counts, its unprofessional to be eating crap. Just say'n.

I stay like this all year round. Just the colour of my tan changes. Eat healthy and then you don't have to worry about eating less.

 

[usedtobefast]

my Real preride is usually a banana and tea and cracker. i take the tea with milk and sugar. i roll at 5'10" 130lbs. very little extra.

 

[FluffyPuppy]

I usually have some salad, hamburgers or energy bars to keep away the hungriness and they work out perfectly for me and I think it will help you too.

 

[richwagmn]

Judging by how much weight Chris Horner has dropped I would say he has cut back his fast food intake and upped his focus on healthy eating habits.

He said as much. It was his weight loss that helped him the most.

Last summer I changed to a "highly" raw food diet. Mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and very little meat (chicken and fish mostly). Definitely made a difference for me.

Pre-ride I'm eating pretty much all carbs of some sort. If it's a long ride (4-6 hours), I'll eat a few hours before hand and it really helps delay when I start needing the first GU packs. Anything that's easily digestible. If it's a shorter ride, I might just eat a bowl of cereal and head out.

I avoid fat like the plague before a ride (and most of the time anyway). Those fatty meals will just there in your stomach making you feel miserable.

 

[Boeing]

I am no example now. after my second crash this last winter left ne 10 weeks off the bike on relaxers and pain meds I just said f things and back on bagels and beers. I am just under XC clyde in sick fitness and starvation anyway so an extra 10 lbs doesnt make or break things.

but that said oatmeal, bagel some sort of carb works best for me pre big ride.

However a lot of the guys in our club team are cross fit junkies and even founder types. I see their menus on facebook and their chatter in group or at coffee shop. A lot of them dont eat any wheat or bread carbs it seems. Pre ride diet of 2 eggs and a quarter avocado. no rice with dinner etc. Dinner is chicken breast and broccoli type. I get that to lean out but to push the big ring at the front like they do I just never got it

I just dont see how that works. i bonk with out some sort of carb night before and in am

 

[DirtyWorks]

.... A lot of them dont eat any wheat or bread carbs it seems. Pre ride diet of 2 eggs and a quarter avocado. no rice with dinner etc. Dinner is chicken breast and broccoli type. I get that to lean out but to push the big ring at the front like they do I just never got it

I just dont see how that works. i bonk with out some sort of carb night before and in am

I need a little bit of everything a couple of hours before a ride. Every body is different, so experimenting with this is important to do.

I'm going to go somewhat off topic here and suggest that cycling attracts people with body issues who put tons of mental energy into weight and body image. Cycling leans them out, then when that's not enough, it's onto diet schemes. All this supposedly for local crit glory.

With that said, every body is different. So some dietary discovery and practice for improved well being on an individual basis is a good thing.

 

[usedtobefast]

my preride is dinner the night before really. if the ride is going to be 3hours plus
then i have to eat on the bike also. cliff bars,fig bars. also chewable vitamin C tabs give you a quick lift on the road. but the night before the bigger rides should be the fuel up for that ride. you need to digest that stuff, and that takes a while.