WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The weekend long-ride rider
You're heading out for 2+ hours and want to fuel the start properly.
The early-morning rider
You ride first thing and aren't sure what — or whether — to eat beforehand.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
The cycling internet has a romance with fasted riding — the idea that starving the engine teaches it to burn fat. Anthony's tested it and his verdict is plain: ride long fasted and you end up bonking 60k from home, hating your life, and producing rubbish training. There's a place for short, easy fasted spins, but a long or hard ride is not it.
What to actually eat is simpler than the supplement aisle suggests. Carbohydrate is the fuel that matters before a ride, and the key variables are timing and digestibility. Three or four hours out, you can eat a proper meal — porridge, eggs and toast, rice. Thirty minutes out, you want something small and fast: a banana, toast and honey, a gel. Keep fat and fibre down so your stomach isn't still working when the road tilts up.
And the meal before doesn't end your fuelling — it starts it. The pre-ride meal tops up the tank; the on-bike fuelling keeps it full. Get both right and your power is still there in the back third, which is exactly where most amateurs lose their ride.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Dr Sam ImpeySports nutritionist
Fuelling for performance starts before the wheels turn. Going into a long ride under-fuelled to 'save calories' caps the quality of the session and the adaptation you get from it — you can't out-train an empty tank.
Hear it: Sports Nutritionist "The One Food That's Slowing Us Down" - Dr Michael OrmsbeeSports nutrition researcher
What you eat around training, including before bed the night before, shapes recovery and how ready your muscles are to work. Protein and carbohydrate timing isn't just an after-thought — it sets up the next day's ride.
Hear it: Bedtime Protein for Cycling Recovery | Roadman Cycling Podcast
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Match the meal to the clock
3–4 hours out: a full carb-rich meal (porridge, eggs and toast, rice — 3–4g carbs/kg). 1–2 hours out: something lighter (toast and honey, a banana and a bagel — 1–2g/kg). 30 minutes out: a small fast carb (a banana or gel).
Keep it low fat and low fibre
Save the big high-fibre, high-fat breakfast for after the ride. Before, you want carbs that clear your stomach quickly so you're not digesting on the first climb.
Carb-load the night before
For a long or hard ride, eat a normal carb-rich dinner — pasta, rice, potatoes. You're topping up glycogen, not stuffing yourself; a sensible portion the night before beats a panic feast at breakfast.
Start on-bike fuelling early
Begin eating on the bike from 30–45 minutes in, aiming for ~60g carbs/hr on rides over 90 minutes. The pre-ride meal is the start of fuelling, not the whole of it.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKERiding long fasted to 'burn more fat'.
FIXFuel long and hard rides. Save fasted riding for short, easy spins — otherwise you bonk and the session is wasted.
MISTAKEA big fatty, high-fibre breakfast right before rolling out.
FIXKeep the pre-ride meal carb-focused and easy to digest. High fat and fibre sit heavy and cause GI trouble on the bike.
MISTAKETreating the pre-ride meal as the whole fuelling plan.
FIXIt tops up the tank; on-bike carbs keep it full. Start eating on the bike before you feel empty.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What should I eat 1 hour before cycling?
Should I eat before an early morning ride?
Is it OK to ride fasted?
What should I eat the night before a long ride?
How long before a ride should I stop eating?
What about coffee before a ride?
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