Hi, I usually start my road riding very early in the morning (between 5-6am) due to a young family commitments but never eat much before I leave as want get going.

Looking for any advice off seasoned early morning trainers and what works and perahps doesn’t. Thanks

Porridge. Or go fasted.

banana and a coffee? if you go easy at the start you can fuel on the bike.

Less than a couple of hours and I don’t bother.

How long are you riding for?

How long and how hard?

For rides shorter than 2hours I don’t bother. Over that I just suck down a gel or two. ive read that riding in the morning without eating helps train the body to metabolise fat. I’ve heard it called fatigue training.

Thanks all. I don’t usually have much for a shorter ride but I’m thinking for an 80 miler tomorrow. Just read from a Google search anything carb based is better, so thinking some wholemeal toast then fuel on route.

A decent portion of pasta or rice for your dinner the night before will help. I find I can exercise pretty soon after a bowl of porridge for breakfast too.

For 80 miles you’ll need a decent amount of food in you before you start and also en route – IIRC you run out of glycogen stores after c 2.5 hours. For an 80 miler I’dve had a pasta/rice meal the night before and porridge + toast and poss a couple of eggs for breakfast, and then malt loaf/flapjacks en route

Banana and peanut butter on toast? I saw that in a trail running article about what pros have before a race.

croissant with philly/jam and bacon in, chop into sections, tin foil it and eat en-route, couple with a couple of 750ml bottles and some malt loaf/gels whatever should see you good

(its out that feed zone cookbook, google pocket panini)

Normal muesli breakfast and coffee. On rare occasions where I’m staying away from home or starting really early then normally have something like flapjack or something bready like hot cross buns.

If you just want to get out the door and aren’t riding flat out then you could eat on the ride easily enough.

quickly digestible carbs – i start out fasted but start early with the gels on the ride

edit: what getee1972 said ! 🙂

I fairly often do similar early starting rides. Normally 3-4 weetabix with milk and a bit of honey on top, together with a couple of cups of coffee. In the winter I tend to go with porridge. Works for me.

Usually porridge for me. If I know I’m going to be up early and I want to be out quick, I’ll soak it in water overnight so it cooks quicker in the morning. Doesn’t microwave too bad either. The microwavable flavoured stuff I try to stay away from because it tends to contain a fair bit of sugar.

Either that or Weetabix if I really haven’t got time.

Readybrek with a banana smushed in and honey..

I tend to go out early mornings and just have porridge and a banana whatever I plan on doing. I can do 80 miles and some climbing on it, usually with just a slice of malt-loaf on the way round.

I’ve done a half-marathon on just a cereal bar before, I guess it’s just what you’re used to.

I love going out really early but find the one drawback is it ruins afternoon or evening rides as the volume of traffic seems colossal after the empty early morning rides!

Google ‘Renergy sandwich‘. They take a little getting used to flavor wise but they are fantastic.

Depends on the intensity of the ride. 80 miles for me is doable on 2×750 bottles, one of which is caffeinated energy, a banana before hand and a chocolate bar on route. People will say this is a bad idea but I find a handful of jelly babies just before I start means the legs wake up quicker. It generally can take me an hour or so before I feel good on the bike which is why I tend to go for longer rides. It won’t be a fast ride but I can still push the hills. Also means I need to feed as soon as I get in the door. Current fav is 2 cans of tuna, mustard Mayo in toasted granary and a pint of nesqwik. I regularly train to the point I deplete my reserves to get my body used to it, I can even feel when I get to near the empty Mark now, whereas. I used to just keep pushing and bonk badly.

if anyone has tips for sleep deprivation and training I’d like to hear….my little one is 4 days old and I’ve not slept more than 2 hrs in a go yet…..was supposed to have a quick 2 HR this morning, but just too tired.

For short rides I would just have a cup of coffee.

I have not done an early morning 80 miler for a couple of years, but when I did it was always a cup of coffee and 2 scrambled eggs on brown toast (made really quickly in a small frying pan) and then usually a quick coffee and something sweet at a cafe about half way. I found this would not only fuel the ride but make the rest of the day better after the ride, as I would not be so tired.

Must do it again, fitness improved a lot when I was doing it, but I knda fell out of love with the road bike.

if anyone has tips for sleep deprivation and training I’d like to hear….my little one is 4 days old and I’ve not slept more than 2 hrs in a go yet…..was supposed to have a quick 2 HR this morning, but just too tired.

Ugh unfortunately not. Just debating whether to do this mornings club 25 having had very little sleep for two nights now. Think it’d be a disaster 🙁

DT78 – personally with a new born I wouldn’t be doing much training. You will make yourself ill, and it’s not fair on the wife/new baby

DT78, congratulations btw, it’s really not that bad with one 🙂 I managed to keep up a decent level of training, mostly thanks to the turbo. Finding the time for longer rides can be tricker. And you do just have to be realistic about what you can do with whatever level of tiredness you’re experiencing. Sometimes ploughed on with tough sessions despite knowing I was really too tired as that’s what was on the plan, but usually find that’s rarely the right thing to do.

Thanks guys, I plan to definitley take it easy, but still plan to keep the pedals turning over. Longer rides definitely not happening for a while. Turbo is ready to go, thoug it will make me sad to do it when the weather isn’t horrendous. I have no idea how people cope with more than one….!

He shares his birthday with Cavendish 🙂

Sorry for the hijack OP

I usualy had a slice of toast anf cup of tea to take the edge off the hunger (and pint of squash to make sure Im hydrated). Then just fueled on the bike with banana, apple etc, whatever was to hand and could be crammed in a jersey pocket and head for a cafe for breakfast (cake and coffee) halfway round.

Fasted works too as long as you dont push it beyond a moderate pace, anything faster than sociable and it just invites bonking amd suffering.

DT78 – personally with a new born I wouldn’t be doing much training. You will make yourself ill, and it’s not fair on the wife/new baby

give over, about give and take, theres loads of downtime with a nipper, too easy to make excuses and become house bound,

talk to your wife, no reason you have to go out at 5am really unless you want to

The earliest I’d get up for a ride would be 4.30am’ish. Have that microwave porridge as it’s very easy to down, a good coffee and a nana whilst getting ready.
I’d eat something from my pocket during the first third of the ride, then that would be it.
A small amount of sleep doesn’t have any effect if it’s just once in a while. Keep doing it with a newborn and you’ll have the fire brigade getting your passed out body from the bathroom.

I’m a great fan of scrabbled eggs on buttered toast and a nice cup of freshly ground coffee. Just because I get up at silly o’clock doesn’t mean I have to forgo all the pleasures of a weekend breakfast. 😀
Btw over half of my training starts around 4.30-5am. The roads/trails are quiet and I have lots of energy at this time of day.

I’m not a fan of riding on an empty stomach, so if I’m heading out early I prepare a bowl of overnight oats (there may be a less american name for them) the night before.
Half cups of porridge oats, milk and yoghurt all mixed together with a splash of vanilla. Leave in fridge overnight. In the morning add some blueberries and eat cold. No prep time in morning and quick to eat.

50g of porridge, 300ml of milk and 2 and a half minutes in the microwave.

Couple of energy bars/gels in the back pocket.

We did a 70 mile early morning ride yesterday, bowl of porridge with maple syrup 1/2 before start, stopped at 35miles, short break for a gel and a protein/energy bar, had another gel on return journey just as I was flagging. Seemed to work well enough doubt I would change anything next time, I don’t normally ride much over 50 miles. Important to make sure you eat well after the ride though.

Pancakes (x2) with, currants and sliced banana – do the mixture the night before. sorted. Take an energy bar/gel and/or some jelly babies with you.

Thanks all for the suggestions, did the 80 miler this morning taking in the bwlch and rigos mountains so plenty of climbing, had porridge and a banana 15mins before I left, felt fine. Took 2 energy gels and a small snickers on the route. Will do the same next weekend. Cheers

I ride early most days and i have no issues with feeling fueled. I do eat well and eat plenty of carbs every day as i ride nearly every day. In the morning i eat some weatabix and go. if its a longer ride like on day then i eat a couple of eggs as well as ceral. Sometimes i have the food of champions toast with lots of honey and peanut butter. If that doesnot supply enough calories i dont know what will. For the first two hours though you should be relying on your stored sugars which obviously must be replenished on go. I find bannana are good for this and if i have any flapjack. For really long rides peanuts are good if i am not stopping.i am trying at present to avoid having any gels and so far i am succeding barely had one for a whole month.

For rides of 90 minutes or more I have a liquid breakfast that takes barely a minute to make and drink.

Two large scoops of complex carbohydrates and one large scoop of protein give me the ideal blend for pennies.

On a related note;
after giving up breakfast until AFTER my early morning, hour-long ride, I lost about 10kg of fat in ten weeks or so.(I also gave up alcohol completely at the same time).
I was told by an old roadie, as per geetee1972, that this would metabolise fat as fuel and also help to efficiently burn calories throughout the rest of the day.
This was pre internet days so never actually checked up on it but it certainly worked for me.
The wise old man also told me to have a strong cup of coffee before the ride as caffeine helped with the fat burning process.
Again, no proof but it can’t harm.

For the first few rides I felt as though I was going to run out of energy but simply slowed the pace for the first ten minutes or so then off I went.
Got used to it and now it feels normal.

At that hour, my main concern would be getting a dump in before I left.
If I can’t eat at least an hour earlier, I’d have a snickers and a coffee, and take loads of snacks to eat on route.