My Preconceived Cycling Notions Debunked
I feel like I know a little about nutrition and fitness, so along with that I have my thoughts and beliefs on certain things. Well, I recently had some of these preconceived notions debunked as I discover what I thought is not necessarily reality.
Eating Before a Ride: I’ve always felt that a meal should never be eaten less than one hour before exercise. I’m quite obsessive-compulsive about things and have always been very meticulous about what goes into my body before and after a ride.
But now that I’m leaving home on my bike early in the morning, I’m pretty much eating right before I take off. It’s a light and nutritious power oatmeal breakfast, but definitely something that I never would have eaten immediately before a ride in the past.
But, guess what? It hasn’t affected me at all. In fact, I feel super strong and fast on those early morning post-meal rides.
Time of Day for Ride: Although I’m a morning person, I’ve generally strayed away from very early morning rides. I do love riding in the morning, but have always waited until my body has a chance to fully wake up.
Well, now that I’m leaving the house before 6:00AM…..all of that is totally thrown out the window.
But just like eating doesn’t seem to affect my ride, the early morning doesn’t either. There are days that I wake up groggy and tired, but once I get on my bike it’s a different story. I instantly wake up and feel alive…..and my body feels as powerful as ever.
Do you have any preconceived notions about your cycling performance? Well, a couple of mine have been totally blown out of the water…..and I never would have known if my cycling conditions didn’t change.
What are your preconceived cycling notions?
Until about a year ago, I always ate big before longer rides (often carb loading). I am now convinced that a protein rich meal the night before is the biggest factor in staying strong through the ride. For morning rides, I usually just eat a variety of fresh fruit.
It’s all about experimenting and getting to know your body, right? But even when you think you know your body, you might find out something different.
I LOVE to ride in the morning, LOVE the quiet and just the whirr of my bike and the sound of birds. Not sure if I have tossed out any preconceived notions of consequence, but I do know that no matter how bad I am feeling and no matter how much I believe that I do not have a decent ride in me, once I get out there, and have had 20 or 30 minutes in the saddle, it ALWAYS changes, not sure where “it” comes from but there is always just a little more in the well then you might think.
ps I am caught up! WHOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO
You are pretty darn amazing, Eric. You must have spent all of your free time yesterday reading Loving the Bike posts. That means a great deal to me and I really appreciate your support.
Thanks, Eric.
That picture is fantastic motivation for getting up early to
ride. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
I am most certainly not a morning person but forced myself to get up for a 6.00am ride every other morning this summer. Absolutely the best time to ride – no traffic, crystal clear air, birds singing. Amazing.
Sadly September in the UK means it’s dark until at least 7am so now very agitated at missing my morning fix!
Nice to see you getting out there for the magical morning ride. Yeah, it might not be easy to get started at that time of day but it sure is worth it.