So I’m realising that with work and family, I’m left with the antisocial hours for riding!!

Having seen a few mates’ strava feeds starting at 0400ish, I’m wondering if this is what’s in store for me!

I’m contemplating a 5am ride tomorrow, and just wondered if this is something that many here ‘subject’ themselves to, and if you do…what do you do RE food pre ride?

Not sure I’ll be able to stomach much at that time, and not planning on perusing the web for 40 minutes whilst I casually eat my muesli if I do…Do you eat ‘normally’ before the ride, or a tiny ‘starter’ and then snack as you ride?

DrP

(TBH, I can imagine the alarm going off, me looking at the hooning rain, then just rolling over back to sleep 😉 )

If im going out that early it’s generally only for an hour or so, so I’ll just have some breakfast when I get back.

I sometimes go out that time of day on the weekend to get in a longer road ride and then I’ll just eat on the go.

Early ride = strong coffee with a peanut butter and jam toast sandwich.

Food as normal for me.

You have 40 mins to eat breakfast?

I love early rides. Nobody about.

I’ve started 5am rides for the same reason. Its not so bad for me as I often commute and start at 6 anyway, I find it a great time of day for cycling, empty roads and the sun coming up. No food as the rides are generally under 2hrs,I try to eat as soon as I get back though. FWIW I’ve cycled more this year so far than I have in the last three years individually and I’m biking as well as I have done since the kids came along. Its been all about finding time and making the most of that time too, Strava has helped make those one/two hour rides a bit more worthy.

You have 40 mins to eat breakfast?

On a normal weekend, sure..

Not tomorrow though..

DrP

Really enjoy early rides. Bolt some fruit and fibre down and take something with me for the longer jaunts. The alarm goes at 5.40 during the week and it’s quite nice to set it earlier at the weekends – sometimes… /odd

Less people around, best part of the day, opportunity to go for a relatively long one without taking too much of the day. Think I’ll get to bed now so I can start early tomorrow 🙂

I’m heading out at 3:00am tomorrow* to ride up to York racecourse for the Tour depart thing. As the hour gets closer, I’m looking forward to it less and less.

*Unless I ‘forget’ to set the alarm.

I do loads of 4am rides, I sometimes have smoked haddock and poached eggs pre ride or nothing at all. I can do a 2 hour plus ride on nothing or if I have had my breakfast much longer. I do have a bottle of high five xtreme (with caffeine) with me and an emergency gel in my pack in case I get caught out.

I love my early rides, no one about, no hassle, no traffic and you see some awesome things.

5 is my earliest. If for 1-2 hrs no breakfast, but if longer a bowl of muesli and coffee as normal.

^^^ Smoked haddock for early breakfast 😯

Regularly do a 5hr+ ride at the weekend starting at 5am. I eat cornflakes and banana plus a bagel and coffee. Start eating immediately on the ride.

Always been an early bird.

^^^ Smoked haddock for early breakfast

It’s only a 15 min job en papillote with 3 mins for the poached eggs. I use it as my waking up time.
I can’t eat bread or cereal due to coeliac issues so I’m somewhat limited.

En papillote???

I like the sound of your breakfast – much interesting er than corn flakes

Critical issue for me is getting a cup of tea – I can’t do anything until I’ve had a cup of tea – and then an espresso to start things moving. Otherwise I spend the whole ride needing a poo.

Occasional 5.30 am rides for me. Pre-ride I have some fruit juice and a banana.

En papillote???

Steamed in paper. It’s an amazing breakfast and one I never tire of.

Mix that with some curried rice, if you can, and you have the breakfast of Queens…. Kedgeree… om nom nom

I got campylobacter from rice once and haven’t touched it since. Kedgeree is bloody tasty though.

Well… Seeing as I haven’t gone to bed yet due to a vomiting toddler, I think I can put this early morning ride idea on the back burner for now….

Oh wells!

DrP

I’ve started commuting at 07:30 and I thought that was an ungodly hour of the day. Some of you lot are crackers going out in the middle of the night.

I’ve started commuting at 07:30 and I thought that was an ungodly hour of the day. Some of you lot are crackers going out in the middle of the night.

I do the majority of my riding early doors.If I’m going to be out for more than a couple of hours -coffee & 20 minute muesli (force yourself) , if it’s less, coffee & toast.

I haven’t gone to bed yet due to a vomiting toddler

EVERY single time I’ve planned a big ride since my boy was born,the night before he’ll be up performing .grrrr. 😀

Was up at 5, same as most mornings, however this was due to 20 month old son who always wakes at this time, so need to get up at 2am to get a 2 hour ride in ( not happening )
Not got the bike with child seat on this weekend either ( laps of cwmcarn road with him on the back is rather good )

Just done a 40k loop on my road bike without any breakfast and fair to say I was well off the pace. Not really wrapped up as well, so don’t forget how nippy it is in the mornings. I will be well wrapped and some brekkie next week, but it’s great when there’s no one else on the road apart from some miserable roadies.
Costs nought to acknowledge a fellow rider.

Morning..!

Bless my little angel- tag teamed his mum in for sick duties at about 3am so I could get some sleep at least!

Senior j -I have very strong recall bias that tells me every time his mum is on night shifts, my little one pukes his gizards up.. How it’s not going to be similar for early morning rides!

All my clothes and pocket food, just sat there lonely and unused…

But bikes are just plastic and rare metals… My vomtastic toddler needs his daddy now!!

DrP

Family always come first, just watching a rewind of the Buttertub pass climb yesterday, superb images

Strap toddler into rear facing seat so vomit is out of air flow & take him with you

No vomit last night but woke up 1am ish for a couple of hours to play, wife awake now and off to workshop to build and frankenbike for Monday

Was looking for an early one this morning hoping to get hilltop by sunrise, but OH was held on at work, infact it’s 0851 and she’s still not finished, even though shift finished at 0300, then she’s back on at 1600 today, I’ll be mainly out the house letting her sleep.

I make porridge the night before and leave my kit out and ready. Gear on porridge in the microwave and then get out.

I struggle with early mornings but love it when I get out.

Ditto Larrydavid, it’s all about prepping porridge the night before so it’s super quick and easy…

I did it. It was alright once I got going but christonabike it was hard work getting out the door. Never again. You lot are nutters!
Hope the youngster(s) is/are feeling better.

My aim is always to get home by 7.30am or go out after 7pm when riding on the road. Drivers tend to be more relaxed at either end of the day.

Also love a dawn ride on the mtb in the Surry Hills, then coffee and a pie at Peaslake stores as soon as they open. Love watching the first of the ‘early starters’ tearing up in their cars already in a rush trying to avoid the crowds.

Do any of the early starters make plans to meet someone else?
I have great intentions of getting up at the crack of dawn and being back early but reality kicks in and I just stay indoors. And feel grumpy all day. I find if I have a pre arranged meet its enough to get me out bed. Not that it happens often cause most of the guys I can ride with meet 9ish as families are older or no kids yet.

Dawn raids are great.

normally weekday riding is started before 6am for me. try to get out two or three times a week, generally up at 5:30, half a bowl of muesli, any more and I barf within the first half hour, but going without and I fear the bonk. I have regular loops (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 hours) so I don’t have to think too hard when getting out the door, just how long I want to be out for.

seems to work, though I have a reluctance to get out normal times at the weekends now as I don’t like how busy it seems. :-/

Normal breakfast (cereal) and a cup of coffee then out the door. On a road ride I’ll try and work in a cafe stop as they open so on a weekend if I can be out at 5.30am I can stop for second breakfast by 8am.

I used to do dawn MTB rides in the Lakes when I lived in Lancaster – leave mine at 4am, drive to Ambleside or similar, out riding by 5.30, back by 10am and straight into Wilf’s. 🙂 That was when I worked shifts and had a lot of time free during the week. Midweek dawn ride = empty trails.

Early is about a 5am start.

For a short 1-2hr mtb ride, then a quick espresso, banana then out. Proper breakfast when I get back.
For a longer road ride up to 4hrs, then a proper breakfast- cereal,toast,espresso, and a poo, then out.

Have managed 2 so far – give MiniS #2 his bottle at 5 out by 5.30, round the lake and back before 7. Cracking both times, really enjoyed it but at 5.30 this morning the duvet just looked too warm and cosy.

Dose of MTFU required. Try again tomorrow.

been meaning to try an early morning ride for a few weeks, so far haven’t managed it. Can manage an hours commute with no brekky not sure how much longer I could go tho, better stuff my pockets with fig rolls I guess.