Best pre-race meal.

[ryan_comeaux]

Best pre race meal? Go.

[Jake Rosenfeld]

black bean, brown rice, sweet potato, jicama burrito with salsa.

There is more go in this meal than you could ever imagine. you need to experience it to believe it.

next.

[TandemRider]

For me it depends on the race, 45 minute crit is usually a small ham or turkey sandwich with some cheese on white bread, nothing vinegary like pickle or mustard, 2-3 hours in advance. I think this is more to settle my stomach than anything. I don't need it as fuel, if I can't race 45 minutes on stored glycogen I'm not going to be competitive anyway.

Long RR is another ball game, nutrition matters more here, bonking sucks. Long chain carbs with a bunch of protien and some cheese, usually in burrito form. Lots of potatos, brown rice, chicken, maybe some scrambled egg, whole wheat tortilla in the burrito. Again, I have to watch the vinegar and heat. I eat this about 1.5 - 2 hours before the start. No sugar for the whole day before the race (I don't eat it anyway) watch the glycemic index.

I try to not get too absorbed into the "only suitable pre-race meal" because when I travel to races it's not always available, and I love doing the bigger races.

[liv2bike]

Something you are used to eating that you know you can digest and it won't upset your stomach. No time to experiment. Just eat what you know. I typically do rice and eggs and some sort of fresh fruit.

[jmgorman]

Eggs and rice did it for me today. Was perfect.

[lukasz]

For the usual crit/cross race it is whatever I can get down that morning and not notice in my stomach later. The blander the better. I'm a fan of oatmeal. And coffee. Always coffee. I know it ain't good for you but it's good for me.

[Shinomaster]

You mean the night before or a few hours before?

[TMB]

black bean, brown rice, sweet potato, jicama burrito with salsa.

There is more go in this meal than you could ever imagine. you need to experience it to believe it.

next.

Honestly, that would be my fear.

[false_aesthetic]

fruitloops: cuz racing should be fun
bananas: cuz beta-blockers make racing more funner
pop-tarts: cuz your first hand-up happens when most of your friends are waking up.

[ryan_comeaux]

Either/or

You mean the night before or a few hours before?

[ryan_comeaux]

You gotta get on the juice game too. Carrots, apples, ginger, kale, beets, and lemon all jammed into a juicer, morning of. The best

[MarkC]

1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 tblsp chopped walnuts and coffee.

If I'm not feeling the oatmeal, perhaps an almond butter and jam sandwich.

[caleb]

Early morning, out of town: instant oatmeal hydrated with coffee in a hotel coffeemaker.

[lukasz]

You gotta get on the juice game too. Carrots, apples, ginger, kale, beets, and lemon all jammed into a juicer, morning of. The best

Oh man that sounds good. A vitamix is arriving here soon. Things are going to get crazy.

[Octave]

The best pre-race meal has to follow a few basic rules;

1. Consumed no closer than 2hr prior to the race
2. Contains a mix of carbohydrates, fats and protein (the ratios differ depending on what research you are reading)
3. The carbohydrates have a low insulin response (i.e. slow carbs)
4. There is fiber to slow digestion
5. Comprised of something your body is already comfortable with

For me: pancakes with teff flour, oats (I like rye oats), topped with some toasted nuts. If I'm riding to a race, I'll make a few pancakes, smear them with nut butter, and wrap them in Abeego or martha-wrap and stick them in my jersey to eat on the way. Glycogen synthase (the enzyme that allows you to turn carbohydrates into glycogen stores) is most active during and within 90min following exercise, so ideally I like to ride to the race about 2hr before my race and eat on the way or right when I get there.

I will say however, sometimes a really fatty, salty meal can be a winner. I got my first podium after staying out too late, riding around the city and drinking a bit too much, then waking up early and eating a big, very greasy breakfast sandwich with oily hash browns. I didn't feel great after the race, but I was flying.


or as Bob Roll would suggest,

Every day for 2 weeks, wake up and eat 1 bowl of cereal, ride 100 miles, drink a shot of whiskey and a pint of Guinness, nap until 8pm, eat a cheeseburger, sleep all night. Then, a day before the event, take the day off and eat everything in the house. At the race, “you will be flying” but will have to take a month off afterwards to recover.

[Nate@Scarab]

Take a yam or sweet potato, microwave it until it's done. Chop in half. Slather in peanut butter, salt, and honey. Devour.

[Shinomaster]

My best race performance ever was after I drank a huge, disgusting can of Monster. I probably also at a clif bar and a banana.

[Brandon White]

You gotta get on the juice game too. Carrots, apples, ginger, kale, beets, and lemon all jammed into a juicer, morning of. The best

Man - I've done a fair amount of juicing over the last 2 years. That before a race ... no way. I might feel energized, but my stomach feels like its eating itself - and of course the other side effects.

[Shinomaster]

Man - I've done a fair amount of juicing over the last 2 years. That before a race ... no way. I might feel energized, but my stomach feels like its eating itself - and of course the other side effects.

I believe carrot juice, while tasty and awesome, is a diuretic.

[Brandon White]

I believe carrot juice, while tasty and awesome, is a diuretic.

That - when I learned about juicing - I kept reading/hearing that because you are getting rid of the fiber, you supposedly absorb the nutrients. There was plenty that wasn't absorbed. And if you overdose on beet juice (too much or mixing beets + beet leaves), you'll get the spike in body temperature and dizziness. Happens every time with me if I use a full small beet.