Breakfast?

ETreeson

Hello all,

I've just started (today!) to commute by road bike to my place of work. 16 miles each way.

Not wanting to get up super early, I ate a cereal bar before my ride and then some belvita breakfast biscuit things when I got into the office. The problem is I feel like crap. The cereal bar before the ride almost made me puke when I got to work and then I stood up and almost fell over from light headedness (low bloodsugar?). Sigh.

How do you all do it? Any recommendations? Am I going to have to get up at least 30 mins before I go just to eat? Would a carb drink keep me going instead? (since my stomach certainly didn't like the cereal bar immediately before riding).

bails87

Are you pushing a bit too hard? I have a small bowl of oaty/fruity cereal before I set off. I carry a banana with me that I sometimes eat while riding along and then top up my breakfast when I get to work.

graeme_s-2

I don't eat breakfast until I get to work as I find it can make me a bit nauseous if I eat before I ride in. My commute is only 5 miles each way. Last year I did 20 miles each way for a few months, and generally ate a couple of slices of malt loaf or a banana and had a small glass of orange juice before I left the house. I found that was enough to get me to work ok and I could just about stomach it without feeling too queasy.

I also kept a couple of gels in my work bag for emergencies, but I think I only ever used these on the way home. Maybe only had 5 of them in 3 months.

ETreeson

bails87 wrote:

Are you pushing a bit too hard? I have a small bowl of oaty/fruity cereal before I set off. I carry a banana with me that I sometimes eat while riding along and then top up my breakfast when I get to work.

I don't think I was going too hard... certainly slower than when I did the test run yesterday, but I was adequately fueled then. I'm not sure, maybe I'll learn to pace myself better as I commute more. Appreciate the breakfast advice though all, keep it coming.

rrobbo

I have a 25km each way commute so similar. I always have a breakfast, either a bowl of porridge or bread/jam (no butter) with a bowl of warm milk to wash it down. or half porridge/half bread. Same summer or winter, although prob more likely to have porridge in winter. oh and always a mug of hot water after getting up and before breakfast. Set off straightaway after eating, no probs up to now (been doing it for years). At first I used to have a snack sort of 2nd breakfast on getting to work, after a while I found it wasn't necessary so cut it out. Same drill before longer rides and sportives.

arthur_scrimshaw

My commute is about 8 miles flat normally but often 12 miles with a couple of stiff hills on the way. I have a cup of tea at home and then a bowl of porridge at work. I also don't take a full water bottle, just fill it up at work to keep me hydrated during the day. I quite often give it some beans on the way in but not silly levels of exertion. Never felt like you describe. Before the trip home I may carb up a bit if I'm doing an extended journey.

walkingbootweather

porridge (takes about 3mins in the microwave) or wheatabix with sliced banana on top. A cup of tea.

bails87

ETreeson wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Are you pushing a bit too hard? I have a small bowl of oaty/fruity cereal before I set off. I carry a banana with me that I sometimes eat while riding along and then top up my breakfast when I get to work.

I don't think I was going too hard... certainly slower than when I did the test run yesterday, but I was adequately fueled then. I'm not sure, maybe I'll learn to pace myself better as I commute more. Appreciate the breakfast advice though all, keep it coming.

You nearly threw up and then you nearly collapsed.....and you don't think you're going to hard? :shock: Maybe I'm just lazy

If it was a huge fry up then I could understand it, but one cereal bar shouldn't be doing that to you.

colonelkurtz

I'm with bails87 on this - long distance to get used to - took me 6 weeks to get into my 17 mile e/w trip. fwiw I made flapjacks - porridge oats, honey and sugar - nice mix of fast and slow carbs. After a while you'll get fitter and used to the journey - I only need a banana now which is more convenient.

wouldn't suggest a carb drink - you'll burn thru it in minutes and bonk. Oh and take some snacks for the journey!

godders1

Same distance as me.

I have a bowl of porridge with a bit of honey and a cup of coffee about 15-20 minutes before I set off. I usually need a mid morning snack (e.g. banana) but can get away with nothing else until lunchtime and not feel too bad. Porridge is good stuff.

bruto

i do the same but don't have breakfast but i do have a black coffee when i get to work and thats it until about 10am when i have a chicken breast and bacon with grated cheese with another black coffee and then for lunch i have 200g of minced beef with half an onion and 75g of mushrooms and more grated cheese and another black coffee, then at home time it's 17miles and then dinner.

OneForTheRoad

Doing 14 miles each way and seem to be averaging approx 15/16mpg. Bowl of cereal in the morning unless I fancy an extra 10 mins in bed and a couple of cups of black coffee to wake myself up. If I skip the cereal I don't notice the difference.

When I get to work I eat a couple of home made flapjacks and I'm set until lunch.

I'm not a diet expert but if your commute lasts an hour or so wouldn't you be at work by the time you start absorbing any energy from breakfast?

Are you sure your head isn't feeling light as I have your scalp sat on my desk...........

Best of luck with the commute.

Captain_Tentacle

Fruit smoothies for breakfast!

If you pack them with bananas, raspberries, mangoes, oatmeal / bran and milk you'll have a pretty decent breakfast that lasts and is easily digestible (or digestible enough to not spew after 5 mins).

If you have tea or coffee alongside this you'll get a decent kickstart so the first 20 minutes arn't just a blur! Be warned though, if you're like me the diuretic properties of caffeine will kick in somewhere around the 30-45 minute mark :?

Personally, i'd advocate electrolyte drinks on the ride - if you're doing less than 1 hour each way, maybe dilute it by 50%. I found this really helps with the muscle stiffness and ability to repeat the journey day after day.

If you're blowing up like that, are you nailing it from the beginning or taking maybe 1-2km's as a bit of a warmup?

godders1

OneForTheRoad wrote:

I'm not a diet expert but if your commute lasts an hour or so wouldn't you be at work by the time you start absorbing any energy from breakfast?

Depends what you eat. Some foods release enrgy quickly (sugar, fruit etc) and some things more gradually (oats, nuts, pasta etc).

That's why I like porridge with honey. The honey gives me a boost of immediate energy to get me going and the porridge is much slower release.

passout

I second porridge - cheap too. Although four slices of toast & marmalade always works for me! Many cereals (eg cornflakes, weetabix) don't have much nutritional value.

crossborderreiver

Whether you eat before or after your morning commute doesn't really matter in terms of providing energy for your morning commute. It's what you eat the night before that counts. Breakfast is however important for replacing lost energy and keeping you sustained through the morning until lunchtime. I usually eat when I get to work but find that if I push myself hard on my commute I'm not particularly hungry and it's best to wait half an hour or so before eating anything. I reckon the stomach shrinks under intense exercise and needs a bit of time to get back to coping with food.
If you are doing 16 miles each way every day, this is quite a lot on top of a full day of work. Try just one day a week to begin with then build it up according to how your body is coping with it.

SickAsAParrot

Bowl of fruity porridge and a cup of tea, but I have it a good 3/4 of an hour before I set off so it doesn't lie heavy, I find I don't even notice that I've eaten something but have plenty of energy.

I fill in the rest of that 3/4 hour playing X-box with nobody around yay!

Crouching Peeky

I've recently started a 25km each way commute. Same routine everyday. I try and get up an hour before I have to leave, get a coffee down my neck as soon as I can without third degree burns of the throat. A goodsized bowl of porridge, with a smidge of syrup on top a) to flavour b) to give me a quick energy boost in advance of the porridge being digested. I base this on nothing scientific but it works for me.

gsvbagpuss

Never eat breakfast before my 16 mile ride and no ill effects. I don't rag it though. I think eating properly the night befror makes a difference

CJ Bill

I'll second (or is it third?) eating properly the night before. I generally do 19 to 30 miles on the way in, depending on weather, and will vary what I consume according to the distance. If it's 19 miles I'll just have a coffee with two sugars knowing there is enough glycogen (sugar) in my liver and muscles to sustain me for the ride: hence the importance of eating well the night before. If I know it's going to be a 30 miler then I'll have wholemeal toast or a bagel before setting off although I've never ended up feeling sick from it. In both cases I have a bowl of porridge or muesli when I get in to work.

So you could try saving breakfast till you get in if that's practical or if you want to eat before you go experiment with what works for you... as I say, coffee and toast or bagels work for me, as does porridge in the winter (only takes couple of minutes in the microwave). You may find a smoothie does the job or some fruit. Be aware you will adapt and change. I've been doing 20 mile plus commutes since the 1990s so I'm used to it and have a good idea how my body works.

MichaelW

You can get used to just about any routine in couple of weeks. Breakfast 20mins before a ride is a good routine and porridge /museli type stuff is better and cheaper than breakfast bars. No need to stuff yourself silly, eat well the night before, take some wholemeal sandwiches/malt loaf/ banana for the post ride munchies.
I dont think there is any call for electrolyte drinks on a commute like yours. Have a nice mug of tea when you get to work.

signs

I just have a cup of tea when i get up, then have a cereal bar and a couple of glasses of milk when i get to work, but i eat well the night before. I do a 10 mile commute each way.

voodooman

12 miles each way (tues, thurs and fri). Bowl of porridge with sultanas in, black coffee and some orange juice about 20 mins before leaving. Keep a cereal bar handy for the journey home.

But my kids wake me up every day at 630, so it's no hardship anymore - tho can't wait 'til they're teenagers.

Pep

caffelatte
two slices of bread with jam
fruit (1-3 pieces)
yogurt
coffee (strong, short)

OR

fruit
cereal with milk
strong short coffee

Cycling to work is 17.5km.
Pre-breakfast I do either 45min easy running run or swimming.

pitch black smell

only started cycling to work in July.
48 mile round trip and doing it twice a week.
breakfast is normally a bowl of cereal, orange juice, and a banana for eating on the way.

my problem is on the way home.....after doing 24 miles on the way in, doing a full shift, and having eaten lunch about 4 hours previously, I find I'm pretty empty before I even sit in the saddle to do the 24 miles home.
normally a Mars bar and a bottle of Lucozade is enough to get me home though, and by then I'm well and truly ready for my dinner !

prawny

When I was full time commuting I'd normally have either 2 scrambled eggs on toast or porridge (although it turned out the porridge made me feel shit if I ate before riding). But as a test (to try and shed a bit or lard) I went without breakfast until an hour after I'd got to work then just had either toast or home made flapjack with no ill effects.

I blame the belvitas, girls food.

CJ Bill

prawny wrote:

When I was full time commuting I'd normally have either 2 scrambled eggs on toast or porridge (although it turned out the porridge made me feel shoot if I ate before riding).

Odd WRT porridge... I'm fine on it myself but if I have a banana before cycling I end up almost bonking pretty quickly.

prawny

I thought so too. Don't know what it was, it also makes me feel hungry about an hour after eating it. Don't bother with the stuff now, unless it's for a treat.

lee170

I commute 15 miles each way daily and I always have a bowl of porridge with a glass of water,I start riding about 5 mins after breakfast! Everyone is different though, some can eat before exercise and some can't The only way is to try different things for breakfast and see what works for you.