I’ve been noticing a marked lack of performance at the beginning of early morning rides and wondered if anyone has any similar problems or solutions.

A bit of background, I’m halfway through an 11-week program (Charmichael’s Time Crunched) so I’ve been getting plenty of road and turbo miles in.

Most of my training is in the evening, but I do a big base-miles or group ride at the weekend, early morning start.

My day job is fairly sedentary, I tend to eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, light lunch and don’t struggle with a 2-3hr ride or interval session in the evening.

But, I just can’t seem to get going for early morning rides. I’m fine after about 30 miles, but my legs feel sluggish and heavy until I’ve really opened them up. Structured warm-ups like I do on the turbo don’t seem to help either.

I tend to fuel up for the big weekend ride with porridge. Could it be that I’m not used to eating so much carbs early in the morning? Can anyone suggest a different approach that won’t have me bonking on 4-5 hour rides?

Thanks in advance…

Perhaps, if your doing loads more exersize ( part way through your programme) you’re just more tired, and either you need to go to bed earlier to get more rest, or your body is telling you to take a rest!!

Emsz, I’m feeling better than ever, faster on all climbs, sleeping like a baby, far more energy throughout the day… It’s just those early rides, legs feel like lead for the first 20 or 30 miles.

Once they’ve opened up, I’m absolutely fine… And no problems at all riding at night…

I take it you’re not doing an interval session the evening before? Anyway I’d just try and eat your normal eggs on toast breakfast and see how you feel…

Interval sessions tend to be followed by a rest day. The most I would do the day before a big ride would be an easy “endurance miles” spin or recovery session…

I am similar. I just ride a bit longer and build up slowly.

With me it is usually a lack of refuelling the day before, breakfast takes a while to work its way into the system. I find that under doing the carbs a bit helps make me bulletproof in the long run when I a doing base stuff. I do not do hard intervals in the same period though.

You could try eating a bit more the night before a big ride. Also a complete day off the day before always leaves legs a bit dead. A short hard efforts (nothing too taxing) will mean you get going quicker the next day. Its not something I do apart from the day before a race

I’m wondering whether dumping a massive amount of carbs (that I’m not used to) first thing in the morning is overloading and making me feel lethargic… Similar to that sluggish feeling you get after a stodgy lunch!

I agree that a gentle spin with some ramped efforts the night before might help… Going to try that…

You could try eating a bit more the night before a big ride. Also a complete day off the day before always leaves legs a bit dead. A short hard efforts (nothing too taxing) will mean you get going quicker the next day. Its not something I do apart from the day before a race

This. I’m on the Race weight diet and suffered the same as you, despite a big bowl of granola and 2 slices wholemeal toast for breakfast.

Previous day carbs works for me also.

Coffee, strong coffe is the answer, and eating well the night before

Its worth a try. Maybe a smaller breakfast and then little and often during the ride.
It depends on the intensity and your physiology, how much you will actually need. If it is a typical clubrun then you wont need that much fuel at all. Have a lighter breakfast and sling a few bananas in your pockets and see how you feel. If its a bit more brutal full strength high5 or similar, and plenty of eating the day before will keep you going.

+1 on the coffee it is a lifesaver. A 6 cup moka pot and you will be good to go.

I always start the day with a double-shot espresso… I’m going to start experimenting with big carbs the night before and a lighter breakfast, see how that goes… And maybe more coffee!!

Before long early morning sessions, running and cycling, I’ll eat two slices of brown bread with honey and a banana, plus coffee.

Provided you’re eating well normally, (and I guess you are if you’re halfway through CC TCC programme), then you should be OK. Porridge is fine but generally gives a slow release of energy which is maybe why you feel OK after an hour or so.

I’m going to start experimenting with big carbs the night before

Its an old technique that I’ve heard called carb-loading.
Not sure how many people do that these days though.

AFAIK, lots of carbs the eve before, will go to replenishing glycogen stores or adipose tissue stores. Obviously, topped up glycogen stores is a good thing, adding to body fat stores may not be.
But experimenting is the sure way for you to find out what works best for you.

EDIT:
FWIW, I exercise, fasted and get use to the feeling so that it doesn’t feel bad at all, just normal.

Bowl of porridge a couple of hours before bed.

Solo, I tend to do my evening rides on empty but if I think it would be suicide to set off on a 90mile winter ride on empty! do you eat during your rides?

I can’t eat before a big ride really early. In December I did an 85 miler setting off at 6:45 so I could be back for Lunch and afternoon family duty.

My solution was to eat a sorren loaf after about 20 miles on the bike to about 50 miles into the ride, then eat jelly babies

It worked a treat to be honest but was a bit of a faff eating so much early in a ride on a cold morning

I think it would be suicide to set off on a 90mile winter ride on empty! do you eat during your rides?

I agree, I must have missed the post where you mentioned 90 milers.
Obviously on a such a ride, feeding should occur. But equally so, I doubt you could carb-load sufficiently, the eve before for a 90 miler.
Again, hence while riding those kind of distances, feeding will be pretty essential.
🙂

I don’t ride 90 miles just for exercise. Thats an actual event for me. I’ve done a few.
BTW, I’m using the phrase exercise as I’m not a competetive or higher level rider and so think that for me to claim that I’m training is probably a bit OTT. Its just exercise.
🙂

I can’t eat before a big ride really early. In December I did an 85 miler setting off at 6:45 so I could be back for Lunch and afternoon family duty.

My solution was to eat a sorren loaf after about 20 miles on the bike to about 50 miles into the ride, then eat jelly babies

It worked a treat to be honest but was a bit of a faff eating so much early in a ride on a cold morning

This is more my kinda style. I’ll set off empty and if its a lot more than 50 miles, then a 50% juice and water bottle will be brought along.

My Sunday rides in summer consist of my riding out to meet the group who either live local to the rendezvous or drive there. I then tow them round the loop after which I ride home. Thats about 54 miles, I set out on empty with a bottle of water and a 50/50 mix. I’ll eat something when I get home.

I agree, I must have missed the post where you mentioned 90 milers.

Sorry, I mentioned 5hr rides on the first post… I wouldn’t feel the need to fuel specifically for a shorter ride – I treat them the same as you do anything around the 40-60 mile mark, using PSP22 and gels.

To be honest, having enough fuel to see the ride through is kinda secondary to the problem of being sluggish in the first hour. But I’m starting to think that by fueling so heavily on carbs, I’m actually causing the lethargy/heavy legs.

I was hoping others might have experienced similar things and could offer solutions.

In the back of my mind there’s also this niggling feeling that it might be due to my sedentary work Monday-Friday meaning my metabolism just doesn’t want to do any hard work during the day!!

Sorry, I mentioned 5hr rides on the first post
No, I remember now, my fault.
🙂

In the back of my mind there’s also this niggling feeling that it might be due to my sedentary work Monday-Friday meaning my metabolism just doesn’t want to do any hard work during the day!!

Could be. I’m sedentary, desk jockey, so I know the feeling. During the winter I’ve been on rollers and if I’ve been using them a lot, then the first ride in the morning, before work, can feel difficult for the first 10 mins, but by 30 mins I’m cruising well. I’ll put an hour in before work most mornings Mon – Fri.
I do some resistance exercises on Mon and Wed evenings and spin the rollers Tues and Thurs evening too. I add some other stuff too, varying. But thats ^^ an outline of a typical week for me.
But its just for me, I’m not racing or competing.
🙂

Got a 2hr turbo sesh tonight that I’m not looking forward to… 3 x 10min over/under intervals… Pain AND boredom all rolled into one!

If I do my turbo sessions in the morning, I’m same as you – I feel sick and heavy for 10 mins but that’s my warmup. I get off after 40-60 mins feeling fresh as a daisy. These are done on empty before breakfast…

This is why I think the heavy carb load at weekends might be crippling me…

Interesting thread,
I m just back on the iDave/ 4hb diet again and contemplating a 24mile each way commute.
I`m not great in the mornings anyway, and just wondering what to do that is diet freindly and will allow me to do the commute without having to get up at stupid o’clock for a decent breakfast ?

Funny that, or more likely I’m just a bit sad. But I actually enjoy my rollers. Recently I have started watching DVDs too, while using them.

The first 10 mins aren’t too bad, the legs just resist a bit, but after 10 mins or so, the cadence jumps up and I’m away.

I just see taking on more carbs as possibly counter productive, unless they are going to be used straight away. Basic, faster carbs are just going to either get used immediately, or sent off to the liver for glycogen conversion, etc, etc.

cr500dom.
I’d ride to work fasted (was doing this last summer), especially if I was trying to lose some tub.
However, although I don’t really need to lose any weight, I’d probably ride to work on empty for reasons of comfort, anyway.

If you must have breakfast, then perhaps prep your breaky the night before and eat either before or after your ride.

Also consider the speed you want to ride at, if you’re a road rocket, like some folk, always pushing their P/B for the commute. Then being correctly and adequately fuelled will make that ride more enjoyable.

There still seems to be many contradictions when it comes to Nutrition advice. Is there a definitive guide out there?

Large Carb portions are a NO NO as far as I know, in basic terms you are putting too many logs on the fire.

Carb portions should be small but regular (drip feeding your system with what it needs). Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean you should be eating too much of it in one sitting

Low impact good quality carbs help to keep your levels at their optimum balance.

Caffeine hits do not go hand in hand with optimum nutrition. 😀
Everytime I read a new nutrition book or speak to a nutritionist it/they seem to contradict the last one..

Are you used to going the longer rides in a group, if so it may be that they are going just a little faster than you would on your own so you feel sluggish but are putting more effort in? I would worry if they start coming back to you on hills and later on in the rides. That was always my experience when I was fit. I could climb at the front and finish strong but early on the pace was a bit high on the flat so I had to tuck in.

I probably ride my big weekend rides every 2-3 weeks with a group and I ride with a mountain bike club once a week in the evenings.

On the evening rides I’m always pushing the pace but on the early morning rides, I’m always hanging for the first hour!

However, I’m always on the front towing the group back when we’ve got the hills out of the way. I seem to be able to maintain power at threshold when I’ve got a lot of miles in my legs.

I could just do to work out how I can make my engine frap up a bit first thing!!

Shib – rather than nutritional, could it be that you’re just not that great in the mornings? Other than rowing at Uni I’ve never really exercised much in the (early) mornings until I started doing triathlon a few years ago. Start times were always pretty early and I would feel awful for the first hour.

I read something about olympic athletes getting up at 2am and what not to train and get their body clocks accustomed to the timezone where they were competing next, so I started to get up early and train. I’d run to the pool at 05:30, swim for an hour, run home, then ride to work. After 2/3 weeks of that I felt so much better in the mornings. On race morning come 8am I was positively bursting to do something.

This is my niggling worry Tony… The thought of 5.30am starts fills me with a nameless dread! 🙁

I’m never on great form in the mornings either, usually my legs feel rubbish for the Sat chaingang, then averaging 23+mph for a few hours = legs feel great when i finish. Nothing worse than my legs feeling great on the ride back into town!
I don’t think its my diet, I’m just not great at exercising in the morning but playing around with the amount and type of training i do has some impact for morning rides – ie complete rest = horrible feeling legs/ages to warm up, recovery ride = better, ride with some efforts = best legs.
Like you, my evening sessions are good.

My highly non-scientific weekend warrior advice is get up a bit earlier and possibly have a shower too to get going. All else the same for food.

Like you, my evening sessions are good.

I rode my carbon racebike last night as my winter bike was injured – absolutely smashed all the Strava segments on a regular ride, so the Time Crunched plan is definitely yielding good results!

I felt strong straight out of the traps, the only limiting factor was that I ran out of lung in the first 15 mins, but that’s pretty normal when I start straight onto hills.

I’ve got a big ride planned on Saturday so I might just try doing some gentle pyramids on the turbo on Friday evening, see if that helps. I think I just need to rethink everything now I’ve gone from riding 2-3 times a week to riding 5-6…

make my engine frap up a bit first thing

In colder weather its more noticeable. But the first 5-10 miles I’m just snotting and spitting, while the body gets into its swing. Always been that way, probably always will be that way.

rather than nutritional, could it be that you’re just not that great in the mornings?

This, see my comment above. First few miles I’m at less than optimal. The rest of the ride is fine.

Can’t wait to get onto my race bike, my winter bike weighs over 3kg more than my race one.
I used to only ride 2-3 times a week, then last May started 6-7 days a week. The difference is amazing – at the start of my training plan, i used to feel better for complete rest, now my legs feel better with a recovery ride and pretty rubbish after total rest. If i really struggle in the morning, i eat a couple of energy chews on the ride out of town – its enough to give me a bit of a kick start and when the chaingang gets going, i’m usually fine (but then i’m only talking about a short fast ride compared to your 5hours so it might affect how you ride/eat later in your ride)

I like riding my winter bike for some reason, I think because it’s built with old kit, there’s something familiar about it, like an old friend! But yep, with mudguards it weighs well over 10kg.
The difference I felt going back to my Giant racebike was phenomenal… Floating up climbs I normally grind up. Can’t wait til I can try the new Cervélo – less than 7 kilos!! Need to wait for them to stop flinging salt all over the place – I got gritted twice last night!

I’m cutting out carbs at the moment and training too. It’s a silly technique to pursue I know, but shifting excess fat is the only way it works for me.
I’d suggest more protein in your diet the night before, if you are not resting and combining protein supplements I think you’ll struggle.
And this is only from my experience you understand.

I tend to suffer in the morning but tend to put that down to an early morning start. Only run early on eating porridge/weetabix etc where as later on I’m running on breakfast and lunch and snacks etc.