biking and breakfast

[Gerard]

I love me some bike riding, but I usually need to ride fairly early in the morning (to get to work or whatever). If I have anything close to my normal breakfast, I really don't feel like riding, and if I do ride, I feel like crap. If I don't eat breakfast, I feel like crap.
What do y'all do? Have a second breakfast at work (or other destination)? Get up crazy early? Eat special Not Feeling Like Crap breakfast food?

[wing117]

A cliff bar-esq snack and a small glass of milk before the ride, then a big bowl of oats, fruit and tea/coffee when I get to the office. Seems to work well so far.

[Jimbo]

I usually eat a couple of bites of something sweet at home (to wake up, increase brain activation and have a bit of energy - or just drink a glass of juice) and then eat a regular breakfast at work. But this limits the breakfast options.

Can't have it all.

[boy_bye]

usually i have some fruit on my way out the door -- an apple, or a plum, or a handful of cherries. then when i get to work i nom on some almonds and have some more tea.

how far is your commute? mine's only 6 miles / 30 minutes, so it works okay.

also, when i first started bike commuting i found i needed much more fuel to get going ... like i'd need a big green smoothie or a bagel or something. but now just a little piece of fruit holds me over. so your requirements may change over time ...

[matchewed]

I eat after the ride. Generally don't feel bad. Sometimes at the start of the biking season I feel a little crappy but by this time of year I don't at all.

Sorry that's not very helpful. I agree with what others say. Something light which tells your body there's fuel in the tank and will hold you over on your ride.

[FuckRx]

change what you eat for breakfast and you probably won't get as sick....

[TheDude]

If I get up early I tend to need 10-15miles before I feel ready to eat. If I am going out to do 20-25 miles I will eat a banana or something light.

[MissStache]

Homemade breakfast bars:

1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
1 cup honey

Put into a saucepan and GENTLY heat up while stirring until it is warm and somewhat liquid.  This takes about 45 seconds.

Mix in 3 cups of rolled oats.  Stir until oats are well-coated in mixture.

spread out into nonstick pan and chill for a few hours.  cut into bars, wrap in plastic wrap.  You can keep them in the fridge but they are fine on the counter, too. 

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.  It is AWESOME if you mix in some chocolate chips- I eat them for dessert that way.  I bet they would be good with dried fruit, too!

[pop pop!]

I eat a bowl of microwaved oatmeal at the office after I bike in.  I eat nothing before I leave home.  On days that I go to the gym before biking to work, I sip a chocolate protein shake during my workout.  You could do that (take it with you on the bike if you want) or just drink a small glass of milk (make it chocolate for added bonus!) or small glass of juice before heading out the door if protein powder is too expensive for your taste. 

[GuitarStv]

I fill a water bottle with milk for some sipping energy on the ride, eat oats when I get in to work.

[Gerard]

Thanks, all! Clearly those large frittatas have been a mistake...

[ThatGuyFromCanada]

I do either a bowl of cereal or toast before I ride and then ~2-hrs after I get to work I have a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter.

[Peanut Butter]

How far is your commute? Unlike running, I can pretty much eat anything right before going on a long ride without getting all bloated. The extra weight might slow me down on the hills, but not much. My commute is 2.5 flat miles, or about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace, so I eat whatever.

One thing I do when I need something that's easy to digest but contains both protein and carbs is make some oatmeal with an egg scrambled into it. (Use the egg+water mix instead of milk to cook the oatmeal.) I'll put raisins or berries and nuts into the resulting porridge, and I'm good to go. You could also try some protein shakes.

[wing117]

Homemade breakfast bars:

1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
1 cup honey

Put into a saucepan and GENTLY heat up while stirring until it is warm and somewhat liquid.  This takes about 45 seconds.

Mix in 3 cups of rolled oats.  Stir until oats are well-coated in mixture.

spread out into nonstick pan and chill for a few hours.  cut into bars, wrap in plastic wrap.  You can keep them in the fridge but they are fine on the counter, too. 

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.  It is AWESOME if you mix in some chocolate chips- I eat them for dessert that way.  I bet they would be good with dried fruit, too!

Now that is a recipe to my heart! Thanks for sharing! I'm making these this evening.

[onehappypanda]

I'm not really a "big breakfast" person even though I'm a big eater, ha. What I usually do is have a small breakfast when I get up (usually around 7am) and pack a morning snack for the office. It could be a piece of fruit + nuts, a granola bar, yogurt that I keep in the office fridge, whatever. Just something to hold me over until lunch. I've been doing this for ages and it seems to work the best for me, big breakfasts just make me want to nap.