Five pre-ride breakfasts for cyclists (video)

Breakfast is the nutritional foundation of your day, kick-starting your metabolism and fuelling your body for whatever you have in store. So why don’t you give breakfast the respect it deserves and eat for performance as well as convenience?

The commute to work, a long day in the saddle or even a walk to the station will all place varying demands on the body.

>>> Guide to nutrition before your event

Too much enthusiasm at the breakfast table and you’ll put on weight, too little and your muscles’ glycogen stores will be left depleted. And while many feel rushed in the morning, eating breakfast is time well spent and will result in improved performance on the bike.

The golden rule of breakfasts

The Glycemix Index is a handy tool that categorises food relative to how rapidly the sugars from that food are released into the bloodstream. A food with a high GI such as white bread releases sugar into the blood rapidly while foods with a low GI such as rolled porridge oats drip feed sugar into the bloodstream gradually, providing a steadier energy release.

>>> The golden rules of nutrition

High GI foods cause a quick spike in blood sugar followed by a sudden drop, which isn’t ideal if you’re spending several hours out on the bike. That’s why your breakfast should be made up of foods that have a low GI rating, fuelling your ride all the way up to lunch, while avoiding sugar crashes and inevitable snacking.