Breakfast for Biking to Work

mistlechild
mistlechild Posts: 9 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I've tried searching for this topic and have looked online but am curious to hear what your favourite foods are to fuel a bike ride to work. My office is about 10k away from home and I love the ride but wonder if it would be better if I changed up the type of food that I eat before heading out. Right now I'm usually eating a bowl of granola mixed with plain yogurt and a spoonful of jam for some sweetness, or eggs.

Replies

  • cowbellsandcoffee
    cowbellsandcoffee Posts: 2,975 Member
    I usually eat when I get to work. Just a sandwich or a bagel & cream cheese. Something light.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
    edited May 2017
    I'll have a daiya yogurt before and a cup of coffee, then a protein shake when I get to work.

    My job is also a bit over 10k away. This holds me over well until lunch and dinner, but then I'm very small at 5'3 and 125lb.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I always ate when I got to work when I was bike commuting, usually a bagel or two and coffee.

    Awesome that you're using your bike to get to and from work!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    A good friend who has commuted for years fuels on steel cut oats.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2017
    Personal preference.

    My ride to work is about 11 miles and I never eat before I go. If I were to eat, I'd try to get a fair balance of fat/carbs, plus a little protein... probably something like an english muffin with peanut butter and a glass of OJ or milk. That would be my ideal. Realistically, I'd probably pop a handful of peanut M&Ms and take a couple swigs from the milk jug.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,619 Member
    For several years, I cycled 6.7 km to work. I didn't eat anything before getting on the bicycle and going to work ... and I didn't eat until my 10 am snack. 6.7 km doesn't burn enough calories for me to need to eat anything.

    Then I moved and I would occasionally cycle to work at my new job ... a somewhat hilly 35 km away. That ride took me about an hour and 20 minutes.

    I would drink a small glass of orange or apple juice before I set off, and I had a bottle of water on the bicycle. When I arrived at work, I would have a slice or two of toast.
  • mistlechild
    mistlechild Posts: 9 Member
    Wow! Interesting breakfasts! Looks like I'm not too far off from everyone else, although I definitely can't say that I would be able to ride without something in my belly before I go. I also alternatively eat porridge with egg whites or a single egg mixed in with yogurt and some fruit. But those are days I take my time getting to the office. I work for myself so I have a flexible schedule. The office is a place I can separate from my home and get work done.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    edited May 2017
    10k bike ride - probably normal breakfast (1 piece toast with jam) and then coffee or a yogurt
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    There's absolutely no need to eat before a short ride - you may want or like to but you certainly don't need to fuel the ride from what you've just eaten.

    So it comes down to personal preference and what you can eat without it upsetting your stomach.
    If that's your regular breakfast then have your regular breakfast.

    Before a longish or hard ride then I would typically have a bowl of granola or muesli with milk and perhaps some whey protein in it. So mostly carbs with some protein and not a lot of fat works best for me.
    Over 3hrs then I'm also fuelling during the ride - mostly carbs.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    10K ride I wouldn't do anything other than my normal breakfast. I occasionally bike commute to one of my offices and it's about 16K...I eat the same breakfast as I would had I driven to work...I usually have eggs pretty much everyday and I swap between oats and beans throughout the week.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    I eat the same thing I do any other day ;) . I always eat at home.

    The only difference is I don't make myself a bottle of tea. Hot tea in a water bottle is a no go for me :D
  • DiannaOnMaui
    DiannaOnMaui Posts: 27 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    There's absolutely no need to eat before a short ride - you may want or like to but you certainly don't need to fuel the ride from what you've just eaten.
    This^^^

    Eat your normal breakfast when you like. A short ride should not produce any digestive issues and you should have plenty of "fuel" on board from dinner the night before.



  • JennyThompson180
    JennyThompson180 Posts: 17 Member
    I bike commute, only 2.5 miles. But I then workout at my gym at my workplace. I am cutting fairly aggressively, with a planned weekly one pound loss a week, BMI 23 (normal range). I live in Florida, so heat can play a factor. I rise from bed and am on the road within 35 minutes.
    I had to play around with breakfast a lot. I don't have much hunger or even thirst immediately upon waking but waiting until later left me with underfuelled. Also, quickly downing 12 ounces of water, plus a very fast meal then the exercise made me nauseous.
    I am doing protein shakes now, made with almond milk and two raw eggs. That gives 42 grams of protein. I have recently started adding some frozen strawberries, which is super tasty, but was my effort to add some good carbs. Going to start adding a cup of spinach too. This mostly hits my hydration needs for my short ride.
    I will typically have the exact same breakfast for every workday, so I pay more attention to this meal.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    mistlechild wrote: »
    I've tried searching for this topic and have looked online but am curious to hear what your favourite foods are to fuel a bike ride to work. My office is about 10k away from home and I love the ride but wonder if it would be better if I changed up the type of food that I eat before heading out. Right now I'm usually eating a bowl of granola mixed with plain yogurt and a spoonful of jam for some sweetness, or eggs.

    For 10K personally I'd veer towards eating afterwards, but it really doesn't matter.

    I ride my commute fairly hard so tend to avoid having anything in my stomach though.
  • mistlechild
    mistlechild Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks for all your input, folks. I know it's not a far distance but this is my first time riding that far on a daily basis and was curious to know how other bikers eat prior to a commuting distance ride as opposed to a long distance ride.
  • Heatherthecyclist
    Heatherthecyclist Posts: 41 Member
    I ride 40k to work and just eat breakfast when I get there. A 10k cycle really shouldn't need any fuel.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    mistlechild wrote: »
    Thanks for all your input, folks. I know it's not a far distance but this is my first time riding that far on a daily basis and was curious to know how other bikers eat prior to a commuting distance ride as opposed to a long distance ride.

    If you're properly accounting for your activities, you really shouldn't have to do anything different...your normal diet should take care of things.

    The only time I really concern myself with recovery food and whatnot is if I'm out for 30+ miles or I'm doing a 1/2 century or something. In those cases, I'm doing more than I normally would so I would need to account for it differently.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    mistlechild wrote: »
    Thanks for all your input, folks. I know it's not a far distance but this is my first time riding that far on a daily basis and was curious to know how other bikers eat prior to a commuting distance ride as opposed to a long distance ride.

    You could always start M/W/F and then add in days as you go.
  • mistlechild
    mistlechild Posts: 9 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    You could always start M/W/F and then add in days as you go.

    I've been riding most sunny days. There's been a lot of rain this spring so the first three weeks I was averaging about 2-3 days. This week was 4. I feel like I'm hitting a groove, which is pretty cool. :)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    @mistlechild

    Off topic, but if you drive a car, you should tell your insurance company that you're commuting to and from work by bike. They may reclassify your policy and charge less.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    10k isn't enough worry about fueling.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    mistlechild wrote: »
    Thanks for all your input, folks. I know it's not a far distance but this is my first time riding that far on a daily basis and was curious to know how other bikers eat prior to a commuting distance ride as opposed to a long distance ride.

    yeah; i don't feel like i 'need' to eat either. so long as i've had enough coffee and i pack my breakfast shake, i'm good.

    i did find the bike commute getting much harder when i added weightlifting to my life a few years ago, though. creatine probably helps me more than food when it comes to levelling out those heavy-legs mornings right after a gym day.

  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    edited June 2017
    I think it is a case of personal reference. I walk to work currently (4,5 km) , but on occasion have to commute to another office 11 km away that I bike to. There is no change in my breakfast between the two. In part because I like my breakfast too much.
    It consists of fruit (most often kiwifruit and red grapes), a little simple grain muesli (nothing else but the grains) and turkish yoghurt.
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