I ride in the mornings, usually before 6am. I had been dropping weight moving through awesome training plans by sufferfest and then I started struggling to complete workouts. Then I came upon this:
https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/training-resources/eating-to-suffer-using-nutrition-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-training
I feel fortunate to have discovered this about 3 weeks before this year’s ToS.
Key Question - What is your go to pre ride fuel?
(For me - a spoonful of honey and a banana)
Sadly just end up using empty calories the night before so they’re ready to go in the morning …
For me: a banana and some oatmeal in warm milk with honey and cinnamon. Oh and a coffee. It it’s a longer effort I might throw in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
a black coffee with a spoon of mct oil
Typically it is Oatmeal with almond milk and usually a couple pieces of fruit like a banana and apple. Also Coffee is a must for attitude and the mental side of things.
Strangely, I have also done like avocado toast with some scrambled eggs on the side for a late morning ride and this has taken me amazingly far as well.
Depends on the nature and intensity of the ride and how much time I have before starting. If I’m getting started in an hour or less, I’ll have a coffee or espresso with a bowl of cereal & almond milk or a stroopwaffel. If it’s longer, I’ll probably still have a little cereal for the immediate energy, but also add a Generation UCAN workout drink for sustained energy as the workout progresses in duration.
Similar here. My early morning rides are generally limited to 90 mins max during the week, but if I’m planning some V02 intervals I’ll have some Huel with my coffee before getting out.
If it’s some zone 2 endurance then generally I can get away with doing them fasted.
I try and make sunday’s a long day in the saddle, and depending on how long is long (i.e. last sunday was a 150km with 2000m climbing) I’ll use that as an excuse to go extra large on calories / carbs the day before. I’ve read some things suggesting 10g carbs per kg bodyweight the day before 5 hours+ events / rides, but seems a lot to me!
Yeah, 10g/kg of carbs the day before is a lot, because if your glycogen stores fill up on less than that, you’re going to store the rest as fat. I generally eat normally and then on a big ride, have a healthy dose of carbs for breakfast, AND start eating & drinking early and often during the ride so you never get to the point of depletion. Starting to eat before you’re hungry or before you think you need to is hard, but definitely key to maintaining energy throughout the ride.
Yeah very good point, and something i’m not great at. Not consciously eating means I have a real drop off at around 3 hours or so where my heart rate goes through the roof for a relatively low power (and usually RPE) level.
Usually it’s 2 servings of oatmeal, applesauce, and two handfuls of trail mix (I usually buy different kinds of premade trail mix, nuts, and dried fruits and throw them all into a big container and mix them together). From there, I might add a banana, or OJ, or maybe a bottle of Skratch - all depends on how I’m feeling that morning. I try to keep it as consistent as possible so when race mornings come back around, I have one less thing to worry about. Yes, it may get old one day, but keeping the trail mix varied up some, I have yet to grow tired of this morning staple (going on 3 years every morning come December 
).
I tend to do poorly with this and end up slamming a gel before a hard SUF session. I really need to do a better job of ensuring I’m eating well on days that I have hard sessions.
8oz legion pulse with caffeine. For a solid a half of a protein bar or something like that. The race days I just get up earlier to do an oatmeal or something. Amateur as it can be, if I can fit it in my hand (pre-made) it is consumed.
Suszie thank you for the science. I probably will eed to change my method. Lol
During the week I ride for approx an hour from 5:30-6:30 am in a fasted state. Afterwards breakfast is one banana, a scoop of plant based protein powder, 12 ounces of Cold Brew Coffee, 4-6 ounces almond milk and a couple tablespoons of honey. Blend in my Ninja and good to go. Total is 24 ounces and approx 350 calories. On the weekend I drink this about an hour before the usual 80km ride. You need an hour before as it cleans the system out.
Coffee and swearing.
Peanut butter bagels 20 mins before the workout are my hard session superpower
Ride that wave of sugar! 
I’m loving these at the moment: https://www.efprocycling.com/team-recipe-the-chewy-vanilla-nut-bar/
Do you prefer organic swearing over conventional swearing?
organic un-fair trade
“Swear Jar” would be a great name for a SUF video.
Normal people put money in the jar when they say a swear word.
What do Sufferlandrians put in the jar?
Do this all the time now. Or at least after the FF 5
United ir after Hammer 2