Eating before a race

Im racing this Sunday for the first time, not 100% sure as to what too eat and when.

I know I. Don’t want carbs first thing in the morning. And as odd as it may sound would chicken be a good idea about an hour and a half before, for the protein?

scrambled eggs & bacon roll if you fancy it

Not really from what I’ve read as you won’t be able to do anything with the protein. There is a carb calc for night before which is g per kg body weight and the amount of water required to use it. It was in the mag a few years back. But sure you can Google for it.

Boss a load of food the night before if you dont like eating in the morning.

Porridge with shed loads of honey or syrup and fresh coffee.

A whole chicken.! Are you mad.? You will be digesting that until the cows come home. A whole chicken after to repair the muscles but not before.

Boss a load of food the night before if you dont like eating in the morning.

And this. I don’t race but the night before a big ride I eat well then fuel the engine as and when I need it the next day.

Do not eat lots close to race start time, nerves plus the time it takes to digest means you will probably want to be sick if your lucky, throwing up i a race isn’t the ideal situation to be in.

Boss a load of food the night before if you dont like eating in the morning.

Yes to this BUT

There is a carb calc for night before which is g per kg body weight and the amount of water required to use it.

There is a max carb your body can convert so no point in carrying extra that you wont/cant use

I ate before tonight’s ride – 90 mins or so

felt grim all the way round

don’t do that

I’d have a normal breakfast (porage – or porridge ;O))with a few slices of honey on toast. Rely on what’s stored inside along with energy drink and gels leading up to and during the race.

If I had bacon and scrambled eggs I’d be wanting to make myself sick riding at race pace in the past. I remember trying similar and it doesn’t agree with me. Don’t go stuffing yourself with heaps of pasta the night before and scoff more of it a few hours before the race – you’ll end up missing the race due to frequent visits to the toilet or performing poorly with all the change that you’re not used to! If you can ride hard for 2-3 hours on a normal breakfast then you should be fine with a quality mix of energy drink and a gel here and there.

By that I mean – Not putting an extra 2-3 scoops of the powder into a 750ml bottle in hope of you performing better. It will make things worse.

My suggestion is eat a decent breakfast about 3 hours before your start time, I like porridge and wholemeal toast with a bit of jam but you might have different tastes. Your looking for slow release carbs really, forget about the protein until after the race. Also try and make sure you drink enough that you’re properly hydrated.

In the hour before the start sip a carbohydrate energy drink to top up your energy levels.

I also find having an energy gel 10 minutes or so before the start helps.

If the race is less than 60 minutes you shouldn’t need to worry about eating during the race, if it’s much longer then try and make sure you take on some more carbs mid race, gels or energy drinks are good for this.

If the race is less than 60 mins and he finds time to eat.. then he ain’t racing ;O)

How longs the race?
Things like CX XC or short road races don’t require any special attention other than stopping you getting hungry during the race.
Simply don’t eat too soon or you’ll feel sick.
Eat too early and you might get hungry just before the race.

If it’s an enduro, just eat the same way you have during all your training.
Really what and how you eat should have been practiced in your race prep?

What oldgit said plus I would add that if you carbo load the night before a race eating a massive pile of rice or pasta it will take around 24 hours to pass through your body so might hinder performance. Carbo loading should start earlier and not be massive quantities. It doesn’t take much to increase your stored glycogen levels.

Summary: do nothing different.

Cheers for all the responses.

I have been following a routine of having a carb loaded breakfast about two hours prior to riding coupled with gels according to how much I’m drinking whilst riding.

So I will maintain this routine, as it’s what I’m used to and it has worked.

Thanks again.