The foods we choose to eat each morning play an important role in our performance, both on and off the bike. No one knows this better than EF Education-EasyPost head nutritionist, Will Girling, who advises our team on how best to fuel riders during training, racing and in the off season. Here’s what Will has to say about solving the morning meal puzzle.

There are three key variables to consider when planning your morning pre-ride meal: Time before riding, intensity and length of ride.

1. TIME: When will you be riding?

   1. NOW (I’m in a hurry, 90 minutes or less before ride)

   2. LATER (I’ve got time, 2-4 hours before ride)

   INTENSITY: What kind of ride is this? How hard will you be riding?

   1. EASY (Recovery day, coffee shop ride, weekend exploration ride)

   2. HARD (Training, racing, mountains)

   LENGTH: How long will you be out on the bike?

   1. SHORT ride (90 minutes or less)

   2. LONG ride (2 hours or more)

Note that your answers to these questions always lie on a spectrum. Maybe you’ll be leaving the house in an hour and 45 minutes for a two hour ride at moderate intensity. Apply the below suggestions to find a good balance and, as always, listen to your body. It’s the very best guide you’ve got in determining what works for you.

Feeling strong and healthy, making the most of training sessions and avoiding gastrointestinal distress are top goals when it comes to making morning meal choices for athletes. So with that in mind, let’s use the answers to the above questions to solve our morning fueling equation.

NOW + EASY + SHORT or LONG* 
*length of ride is not a key factor here

If you’re working out within the next 90 minutes at a low intensity, regardless of the length of your ride, you do not need to eat before this ride. Yes, it’s just fine from a health and performance standpoint to do this ride on an empty stomach. If you’d like to eat something, do so at least 20-30 minutes before riding, keep it light and avoid foods with much fat or fiber. There is an important caveat here, however: If you’re undergoing a high level of stress, have slept poorly or are fighting off illness, you should make sure to consume carbohydrates before doing any exercise. Doing any kind of fasted or carbohydrate-restricted training increases your stress response to the session and in turn can suppress your immune system further.

NOW + HARD + SHORT or LONG*
*length of ride is not a key factor here

If you’re riding within 90 minutes at a high intensity, regardless of the length of your ride, carbohydrates are the name of the game. Choose a meal with a high glycemic index (GI) rating. These are what we think of as “simple carbs;” foods that are broken down quickly by your body, resulting in a rapid increase in blood glucose. How much of these simple carbohydrates? Will suggests around 0.8 to 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight as a moderate recommendation appropriate for the average cyclist. Toast with jam or honey, or a banana, for example, are good options. Steer clear of high fiber options like a date nut bar or oatmeal.

LATER + HARD + SHORT

In our next scenario, you’re not clipping in for at least another two hours, and you’re planning on a relatively short ride (about 90 minutes or less). It’s going to be a high intensity training session, however. In this case, your focus should be on getting adequate carbohydrates in your meal. As with the short, high intensity ride in the above example, 0.8 to 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of bodyweight is a good range for most people, though up to 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight may be appropriate. The big differentiator between this and the above scenario is the fact that your body is going to have more time to process your meal before riding, giving you some more flexibility in your meal choices. Rather than going for high glycemic index carbohydrates, you could go for more moderate carbohydrate choices like oatmeal. And while added fat and fiber aren’t things you need to purposely add, you can incorporate them if you’d like. Eggs on sourdough toast with jam, for example, or a bowl of overnight oats, would both be great options.

LATER + EASY + SHORT

If you’ve got two hours or more until you ride and it’s going to be short (about 90 minutes or less) and easy, you can sit down to a breakfast of whatever you like; whatever makes you feel good. This meal simply won’t have much of an impact on your ride because on a short ride like this (90 minutes or less) you should have sufficient glycogen stores in you already to fuel that workout. There are, however, two caveats here: First, if you had a very physically demanding day yesterday (a race or hard training block), you should make sure to include some protein (try an egg or some nut butter) in your morning meal to aid in recovery. Second, as mentioned above, if you are under a high degree of stress or fighting off illness, be sure to include some carbohydrates (a piece of toast, for example) in your pre-ride meal.

LATER + EASY or HARD* + LONG
*intensity of ride is not a key factor here

Finally, if you have two to four hours before your ride, and it’s going to be a long one (anything around two hours or longer), ride intensity is not a key factor. Regardless of how hard you’ll be turning the pedals, there will be a good amount of caloric expenditure and you will, therefore, require carbohydrates beforehand. How much carbohydrate to shoot for? Will says that this can range anywhere from about 1 to 2.5 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of bodyweight, depending on just how long this ride will be. For rides of around 2 hours, err on the side of 1 gram per kilogram of bodyweight. For rides of more like four hours, move up to 1.5 to 2 grams. And for a very long day in the saddle (rides of a hundred miles or more) move the dial up to 2 to 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Consider an option like a large bowl of oatmeal with bananas, maple syrup and oat milk with a glass of fruit juice on the side.

Will explains that when we wake up in the morning, our glycogen stores—in this case, we're concerned specifically with carbohydrates stored in the liver—are somewhat depleted. This is because that carbohydrate store has been used to maintain blood glucose levels while we're asleep. Those stores, of course, are directly related to maintaining blood glucose during the exercise you are about to do. For this reason, if you know that you are planning on a high intensity session or a long ride, it is important to have some carbohydrate beforehand to replenish those all-important stores.

Will points out that no matter what kind of ride you’re doing, or when you’re doing it, it’s important to hydrate before your session. Drink a glass of water when you wake, and then if you have time, aim to drink 400-600ml of water in the two hours prior to riding.

So how about that short intense 7:30 Monday morning session? We’ll take a quick slice of toast topped with sliced banana and honey, thank you. Hold the bacon and eggs.