# What’s a good pre-ride meal?



## benjiak47 (Sep 2, 2012)

Can anyone recommend a good pre-ride meal? Thanks!


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

30 minute ride or 24 hour ride or something in between? Immediately before the ride, or night before? What are your fueling plans during the ride? What does your normal diet look like?

I don't eat special meals before a ride, but rather make sure that I eat pretty well most of the time. If I am going to be out all day or if I'm racing 50+ miles, I may take in some more fuel at breakfast or the night before. I prefer fats and proteins because carbs burn away too quickly for me, but that is how I eat most of the time anyway. I'll carry some carbs and proteins on longer rides, too.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Not a huge piece of leftover lasagna. Ask me how I know...


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## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

My favorite pre-ride meal is Black beans, sweet potatoes and sauteed spinach. Eat about 45 minutes to an hour before a ride. Lots of energy and no gut bombs!


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Complex carb/proteins. A precooked mixture of different beans, rices and pees tat can be heated in the micro. Add peanut butter, butter and whatever other spice or flavoring you like. 2 tablespoons or more for aup to a 4 hour ride. The complex stuff slowly adds fuel to your system. No sore muscles after for me.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Steak and eggs.


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

I usually don’t give away secrets like this but, oatmeal and a banana


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Train Wreck said:


> I usually don't give away secrets like this but, oatmeal and a banana


I love me some oatmeal and banana. Sprinkle some cinnamon in!


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

Black/Mate tea combo, toast with a pile of almond butter and honey/jelly. Some fat, some simple carbs, some complex carbs, and some caffeine to wake up. I live on coffee, but prefer the black tea/mate mix before rides or activity (like skiing). Seems to be less dehydrating with less aggressive g.i. results. 

We eat more towards the keto end of the food spectrum for the majority of meals, but have come to find that heavy fat/protein intake for pre-ride bogs us down.


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## MyDadSucks (Sep 6, 2017)

i eat a clif bar or rx bar, something dense but small. feelsgoodman.jpeg


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## Alparac42 (Feb 4, 2021)

benjiak47 said:


> Can anyone recommend a good pre-ride meal? Thanks!


The most generic answer: oatmeal and a banana. If it's a long ride i like to get some protein as well, but you don't want to be too full


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## natas1321 (Nov 4, 2017)

I don't like to eat anything heavy before a ride so I usually do a smoothie or just a pbj sandwich.


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## bdreynolds7 (Dec 13, 2019)

Coffee, banana, oatmeal. If you really want to turbo a ride, pasta for dinner the night before. At least that's what works for me


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Takes about 2 hours to digest complex carbs, so best to try and time so your riding is starting around that time, as blood is necessary for digestion. Good to eat complex carbs for a base. Simple carbs can be taken a lot closer to the start time and are what you need to keep up during the ride every 30-45 minutes. Some protein can be helpful, but is the most beneficial immediately after for recovery. Balance of salts is also important, so stuff high in Mg, Na, etc.


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## b rock (Jan 5, 2017)

Naan & Nuun: I usually only have half an hour to an hour to start eating before my early rides, so just white bread and a no sugar hydration drink. I tried adding honey but I felt hyper and my heart rate was all over the place; everyone metabolizes stuff a bit differently. I also skip the caffeine before rides, even though I am a regular tea drinker. I was doing a half a Clif Bar for a while instead of the naan, but I felt kinda gross... I like to keep it simple.

If I had close to three hours to digest, I would probably have a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread, although I used to eat a lot of oatmeal.

Lots of good info here that I use to dial it in: Nutrition for Endurance Athletes 101


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## offroadcmpr (Apr 21, 2012)

Oatmeal, bananas, or anything else that digests easily. I try to avoid dairy. I tried waffles once, I figured it had lots of carbs. However it really did not work out out all. My stomach hurt the whole time.

Generally regardless of what I eat, if I eat within 2 hours of riding it wants to come back up. So what I eat isn't as important as when.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

If it's a long ride...I'll eat a lot the night before. Then in the morning...a bowl of oatmeal or a bagel and some cream cheese...or both.


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