Cycling :: Question :: -> What to eat before Cycle??

Timmehhh

Hello,

Would anyone here know any quick food items to eat before going on a Cycle?, I use to cycle all the time, but stopped for years and now back at it again, so would you please know any good food items to eat before going on a Cycle?....

Example:
- Are some fruits high in sugar, or glucose or something, and if so should you eat certain fruits or whatever for energy?????
???

Thank you....

Blowfish

That depends on what type of cycling you are doing really. If you are heading off for a 3+ hour spin, then slow release carbs would make sense, but if you are heading out for interval training then quicker release sugary stuff would be better.

Zen0

Porridge. Or if going on a long run, porridge with honey and then some toast.

Paul Kimmage has a great piece in his book about getting up before dawn to stuff large quantities of pasta and steak down his gullet.

No Pants

Zen0 wrote: »

Porridge. Or if going on a long run, porridge with honey and then some toast.

I can generally get about fifty miles out of a large bowl of porridge with honey.

Darkglasses

Toast with jam and banana is my favourite. Or porridge if it's serious business.

Timmehhh

Zen0 wrote: »

Porridge. Or if going on a long run, porridge with honey and then some toast.

Paul Kimmage has a great piece in his book about getting up before dawn to stuff large quantities of pasta and steak down his gullet.

aah ok thank you very much.

I also find that when I eat a bowl of Porridge with honey I feel great.
does the honey have gluscose or something,etc???
???

thank you.

Timmehhh

May I ask please, do you guys notice any difference in the quality of Porridge (i.e: different brands),etc..

Thank you.

Darkglasses

Quaker oats is nice. Made with water, not milk.

martin.mcevoy

Flahavan's with milk and sugar, followed by an espresso.

Daroxtar

A bag of Cashew nuts does the trick for me. I don't have any scientific back-up for it but I find them great.

biomed32

I use Aldi organic oats I find the texture more palatable

thesimpsons

ok so I can't stand porridge even though I know its probably the best food in the world for me - what else you guys recommend for the longer spins

Zyzz

wholemeal toastie with some fruit

RonanP77

I tend to eat Flahavans porridge made on milk and mix in Flax seeds, walnuts and blueberries. I'm only a beginner though so you probably shouldn't pay much attention to what I do.

Timmehhh

RonanP77 wrote: »

I tend to eat Flahavans porridge made on milk and mix in Flax seeds, walnuts and blueberries. I'm only a beginner though so you probably shouldn't pay much attention to what I do.

aaahhh, thank you !!!!

sounds great, thanks .. ...

ZiabR

Darkglasses wrote: »

Toast with jam and banana is my favourite. Or porridge if it's serious business.

Would second this, was only out for about 45km today in the sun and had some toast and jam before leaving and two bananas on the move. Dont forget to drink plenty of fluids in this heat!

Brian?

Steak, eggs and fried potatoes.

eeeee

I head out on an egg (with loads of butter), some natural yogurt, a piece of fruit and honey and lemon in hot water (That's actually my everyday breakfast) and it keeps me going a good few hours.
I find it takes me aaaaages to eat a whole bowl of porridge. I throw in a bit of dried fruit to entertain me until I finally finish it. Does fill me up, but the egg fills me up more.

Alek

1 egg? This would take me maybe as far as taking my bike outside.

Maybe.

;D


I am a carb man, large bowl of porridge / muesli with milk, followed by espresso, fuels me for the first 40km. Then I need to snack every 25-30km. No problem with this though, I love eating!

Cee-Jay-Cee

I have the same breakfast every morning regardless of whether I'm going to work or going for a cycle. I have 1/3 bowl Aldi's version of ready break called hot oats or something like that, 1/3 bowl of Aldi's oat/nut granola and 1/3 bowl of Aldi's fruit/nut muesli and throw in an Aldi apple yoghurt (and milk) it's extremely filling and keeps me going till 5pm when I get dinner.

I time all my spins and I generally do the same routes and my morning spins straight after breakfast are always faster than the evening spins 1-2hrs after my dinner, even though I always feel I have more energy in the evenings.

biomed32

Banana sandwich all the way!

BailMeOut

Banana on mccambridges bread and a cup of tea. That's all I need.

Thargor

Is a banana sandwich with peanut butter, 2 white slices, a waste of time and should I just bite the bullet and switch to porridge?

fixie fox

Timmehhh wrote: »

aah ok thank you very much.

I also find that when I eat a bowl of Porridge with honey I feel great.
does the honey have gluscose or something,etc???
???

thank you.

Honey is basically sugar - not much nutritional value but good for flavouring porridge etc.
My rule of thumb is nothing beyond normal diet for up to two hours easy/steady spin. Beyond that I set a bit on ride. The energy us already in the muscles.
But you also have to train your body a little to burn fat rather than be dependent on sugars that are available handy. That's my simplistic understanding of it - it's obviously a lot more complicated. In my view most eat away too much and have trouble keeping weight down

Paul Kiernan

fixie fox wrote: »

The energy us already in the muscles.
But you also have to train your body a little to burn fat rather than be dependent on sugars that are available handy

That's an interesting point. Eating sugar in the morning causes an insulin spike which dramatically inhibits fat burning. There may be an argument for consuming no sugar at all before a morning spin and only slowly adding it as required during the spin. What I don't know, but would like to, is whether you still get an insulin spike when you consume sugar after, say, an hour of hard cycling, or does it go straight to your muscles in glycogen replacement, leaving your body still able to burn fat.

ford2600

Paul Kiernan wrote: »

That's an interesting point. Eating sugar in the morning causes an insulin spike which dramatically inhibits fat burning. There may be an argument for consuming no sugar at all before a morning spin and only slowly adding it as required during the spin. What I don't know, but would like to, is whether you still get an insulin spike when you consume sugar after, say, an hour of hard cycling, or does it go straight to your muscles in glycogen replacement, leaving your body still able to burn fat.

Check out Peter Attia on that. @niceonetom had a race report or two in @Astra Monti@s training log thread, Ryan Sherlock has also posted there about the very question.

Given your the gentleman who brings beginners on introductory audax spins can I take it audax is your own choice of cycling or do you race? I can tell you what works for me for audax riding any even fast 160km sportives

Paul Kiernan

ford2600 wrote: »

Check out Peter Attia on that. @niceonetom had a race report or two in @Astra Monti@s training log thread, Ryan Sherlock has also posted there about the very question.

Yes, but that thread relates to being in ketosis and getting all your energy from fat, while this involves getting most of the energy from carbs with as much as possible extra from fat. I was on the LCHF diet for 4 months but it didn't work for me so I'm now back on carbs.

ford2600 wrote: »

Given your the gentleman who brings beginners on introductory audax spins can I take it audax is your own choice of cycling or do you race? I can tell you what works for me for audax riding any even fast 160km sportives

Not me! Must be another Paul Kiernan? I'm just a recreational road/sportive rider (no racing, except the last km home when I'm bursting for a pee).

Allabaah

For a long spin porridge is your only man and I have found the Flahavans organic Jumbo oats to be the best (personal taste).

http://www.flahavans.ie/index.php/site-structure/main-menu/our-products/porridge-oats/organic/flahavans-irish-organic-porridge-oats-1kg/160

I soak them the night before in almond milk so it cooks faster in the morning. Add in some dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas, apple rings, cranberries etc. This will all release slowly over time and give a bid of stamina. I tend to eat it about an hour before setting off. If you can add in any seeds (flax, sunflower, linseed etc) then all the better!

No Pants

Allabaah wrote: »

I soak them the night before in almond milk so it cooks faster in the morning.

Try a set of these. I've never had a saucepan so good for cooking porridge.

Pinch Flat

Porridge, honey, raisins and a dash of cinnamon. And some strong coffee!

jimm

Plain old Flahavan's Progress Oatlets in a bowl with water, no soaking required, 3 mins. in microwave on high, drop of milk and a big squeeze of honey, followed by a mug of tea.

Keeps me going for 75-80km.

For longer rides I stick a banana and a cereal bar in the pocket.

Shedite27

Granola + Yoghurt for me.

bambergbike

Porridge is good, but if I've got a stupidly early start to a long ride I'd just have a banana with honey and peanut butter and a coffee before leaving and then a second breakfast on the bike (flapjacks, or bread and jam).

Allabaah

bambergbike wrote: »

Porridge is good, but if I've got a stupidly early start to a long ride I'd just have a banana with honey and peanut butter and a coffee before leaving and then a second breakfast on the bike (flapjacks, or bread and jam).

Porridge great but you have sussed the limitations of it if you have an early set off time.