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My commute is a good 16-21 miles dependent upon route and takes between 45mins to an hour. Most days I have breakfast and then leave; today, thanks to the screaming antics of my 9 month old, I was awake for a lot of the night and thus up late this morning and to make up time I skipped breakfast and rode anyway.
I'll admit that I felt more tired than usual and my average speed was lower (18 rather than 20) but this could equally have been due to lack of sleep...but otherwise no ill effects.
So, is this something that people often do, or is it, for some reason, not recommended?
No problem riding for that duration fasted. Would be beneficial to make sure you've eaten a proper meal the evening before though.
Fasted cycling is a great way to loose weight if that's a goal. Just keep the duration less then a few hours
I haven't eaten before cycling for years. I need to cycle early (usually within an hour of waking up) and never for more than about 25 miles.
It depends what you mean by good or bad.
There seems to be some research that exercising when fasted could have some health benefits.
You should also get more used to it the more you do it.
I believe there is also research (and common sense) thats suggests you will be less fatigue / faster if you consume some carbohydrates before exercise.
I sometimes used to do a 26 mile commute fasted, its definitely doable.
My times were always quicker on the way back though after a large lunch. (although this could of been to do with route profile / time day suited my body).
I don't eat before cycle commuting in the morning. No time and no stomach for it, I eat when I get to work
10 mile ride, very rarely smash it, steady pace through traffic into Central London
I don’t always have breakfast before a morning commute (20 miles and rolling) and it doesn’t do any harm, I tend to do it quite often if I’m trying to shed a bit or weight.
I don’t ride as fast as you though, especially not in the morning. I tend to do the 20 miles in about 1hr 30 then about 15 mins faster on the way home. I’m in no rush to get to work 😂
That sort of distance wouldn't bother me. Eat something before bed it it's a time thing.
I resd somewhere (?British Cycling website) that putting a protein drink in your bottle is a good idea if going for the "fasted cardio" stuff. Apparently a prob with it is that you burn muscle as well as fat, though whether protein consumption cures that or is just a hopeful guess at a way round the problem I have no idea.
ETA also being glycogen depleted can make you vulnerable to infection, so stay warm and probably avoid it in horrible weather. I have poor anecdotal evidence for this.
as with all of these things, it depends. Listen to your body I suppose. I ride to the gym then on to work 3 times a week, eat when I get to the office. Works for me.
as with all of these things, it depends
Agree - depends on the individual.. Fridays are cooked breakfast day at work and so I ride in without eating first - I hate it, I feel weak, hungry and low-blood-sugar-shakes come on sometimes when I arrive. Rest of the week I have a small amount of Shredded Wheat. Some people prefer an empty stomach.
my commute is 25 mile e/w ,though I haven't done it for two weeks!
I often do it without food as I also can't stomach it at ~5.00am.
I do take a cereal bar just in case,which is often eaten at the 20 mile marker.
When I get to work I could eat the arse off of a scabby horse!
you'll be fine
and calling riding for under an hour without breakfast 'fasted' is somewhat epicising the whole thing
Unless something has changed the reccomended time limit for ‘fasted’ rides is around an hour, any more and it’s counter productive so I don’t think it’s epicising it at all.
If if you haven’t breakfasted i.e broken the fast then it’s fasted innit.
It's way better for my day if i ride in without eating first. I tend to find it's just another meal in the day if I do anything else as i'll always eat when i get to work. It's only 11k 😀
"Unless something has changed the reccomended time limit for ‘fasted’ rides is around an hour"
i must have been reading different recommendations, anyone and any body can exercise for at least an hour without the need for food beforehand relying on what's stored inside, anything over 90 minutes would count though...
but i guess 'fasted' sounds cooler and more like you're invested in some complicated training regime than 'i had breakfast once i got to work' 🙂
My own experience of this is that it only works when:
A) I've had a few gies to get used to it and
B) I've been eating very well the rest of the time, so that I have the energy stores to fall back on (the body stores energy as glycogen in the liver, which is quicker to change to glucose than the fat in your adipose cells)
So, is this something that people often do, or is it, for some reason, not recommended?
I usually do it in spring to shift a bit of winter fat. My commute is 20 miles, hasn't done me any harm. I just have something as soon as I get to work.
21 miles in under an hour is certainly fasted in my book. I are more slowed.
In 2016 hillclimb season I was doing 50 mile fasted rides before work without bother.
Anything that gets you extra time in bed must be a winner!
My commute (fairweather roadie) is only 9miles and I find it fine to do fasted, but more the extra sleep...
“Unless something has changed the reccomended time limit for ‘fasted’ rides is around an hour”
i must have been reading different recommendations, anyone and any body can exercise for at least an hour without the need for food beforehand relying on what’s stored inside, anything over 90 minutes would count though…
but i guess ‘fasted’ sounds cooler and more like you’re invested in some complicated training regime than ‘i had breakfast once i got to work’
It's a term people use to describe a thing, get over it.
I used to do 15 miles every morning on either no breakfast or just a banana. It was fine as far as riding was concerned and didn't really alter my overall calorie intake as I started to have elevenses instead of breakfast.
A guy I knew, told me that fasted rides can have the unintended consequence of making the body more efficient at burning fat. Not good! Any views on this?
From personal experience i like the odd fasted ride, but don't do it very often (partly due to above).
Apparently a prob with it is that you burn muscle as well as fat
If you have had dinner the night before you have only been in a fasted state for approx 5-6 hours. The body is not going to start breaking down muscle until all the glycogen stored in the liver is used up which for most people is enough to last 24hrs of fasting.
I've been commuting this way for years, with routes between 17-25 miles.
A good evening meal (and not *too* late!) I find is pretty important, especially at that sort of speed. I find some dinners (pizza / fish'n'chips) provide me with no energy the following morning, while I perform far better having had a more nutritious dinner the night before.
I find it hard to eat breakfast at the time I'd need to, and hate riding just after a recent meal!
I ride 11 miles to work and then have breakfast at my desk.
Can't face riding straight after eating, already up at 6 so I'm damned if I'm getting up to have breakfast
Just do it a few times and see how you feel. Some people are fine with nothing to eat for most of the day, others, like me, need some porridge to manage the walk down the drive.
@docgeoffyjones If you have had dinner the night before you have only been in a fasted state for approx 5-6 hours. The body is not going to start breaking down muscle until all the glycogen stored in the liver is used up which for most people is enough to last 24hrs of fasting.
Shurely if you ate at 7 pm you will have been fasting for 11-12 hours? (Are you Spanish?) And what about the muscle glycogen? As for being in a "fasted state", not sure what that is. A bit of internet searching reveals many different numbers, suggesting people are talking about different things (and many of them are bodybuilders so probably not so relevant). Also, I don't know if it is necessary to be be completely depleted for some of the training benefits to arise, I imagine the body works a bit craftily and begins to modify things as reserves get low. So maybe it is not necessary to get completely empty to gain some of the benefits?.
I would have no issue with riding that without eating, but I can't say I'm fretting over my average speed on the journey in, I just see it a chore. I just eat when I get to work, and put more into the ride home which I really enjoy.
I just don't really have time to eat generally before work, and when doing a late/ early combo I might only have 4 hours in bed, so I'm not giving it the full 'Roid Landis on the way in.
Life was so much easier before kids! But having had 20 year's on that I found you just adapt. Your body will tell you what's right or wrong going forwards.
Shurely if you ate at 7 pm you will have been fasting for 11-12 hours?
your fasted state does not start until you have processed your last meal and insulin levels have dropped.
"It’s a term people use to describe a thing, get over it."
i'm more then happy for it to be a thing, and for it to be described correctly, it doesn't need to be used to grandiose the simple act of riding a bike into work 🙂
A guy I knew, told me that fasted rides can have the unintended consequence of making the body more efficient at burning fat. Not good! Any views on this?
Isn't that entirely the point?
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<div class="bbp-reply-content">In 2016 hillclimb season I was doing 50 mile fasted rides before work without bother.
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Yeah, but you're a special kind of people who think chopping the drops off yer bars and riding 19mm track tubs is a good idea!!
I do my 52km / 32mile one way commute on no food before hand and then have some at work after I've had a shower.
When I was in that London I did a 20km / 12 mile one way commute 4 days a week on the same basis.
Never had any issues.
James Morton in an advert for SiS
You can store 1600 Kcal of usable energy from the night before (plus about another 300 for absolute emergencies). You won't be burning that in an hour. I do ride my 100 km Sunday 06:30 fasted in a little over 3 hours, and it's not a big deal. But I wouldn't want to ride further.
Eat something decent the night before and relax knowing that your body is carrying all it needs. That athlete stuff is nonsense - must depend on the event, surely. Try riding for 12 hours on one meal a day and see where you get (hint - not very far, or worse).
Cool. Sounds like this might be my future. According to the Garmin and it’s HRM, I’m burning around 950-1200 calories dependent upon route and wind on the way in and around the same on the way home (hillier, but usually less wind) so.
I'm keto's since the beginning of January. My pace was abysmal at first.
However, I did six and a half hours of Coed Y Brenin on Saturday with no breakfast or snacks - just water. Didn't feel massively hungry afterwards - had a leisurely shower then headed into Dol for a big steak.
Not burning up muscle. Just my belly. Going to start doing some core and upper body work as I sorely need it but legs are going strong.
It boggles my mind a bit still. But I'mglad I ain't carbing any more. Hunger pangs, cravings and bonking? Eff that...
I've never had a problem doing a commute before breakfast.
25 miles each way, once /twice per week , porridge after a shower at work .
Alarm goes off at 0550, I leave home at 0600, and I wake up at about 0615. I find that if I try and have something to eat beforehand instead of just getting up and out immediately then then I start faffing or looking for excuses not to ride. T<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">he first five miles are on an a very dull segregated cycle track, so I'm not missing much. </span>
It's a good idea if you want to shift weight and/or be a better endurance rider. If you've trained for a big endurance ride/race ie 3-5 days plus, or 24hrs+ on the go at once, then you should be familiar with fitting in fasted rides (or riding on empty for anyone who thinks 'fasted' is too epic : ) ) into your training.
It might feel odd or slower to start with but over a few months you get used to it or adapt. Changing eating habits to avoid large insulin spikes also helps and works well with this.
>Changing eating habits to avoid large insulin spikes also helps and works well with this.
I find this also helps to keep me feeling awake during the day and not sleepy and lethargic
If I'm heading out on the bike first thing then I'll take a banana or peanut butter / marmite sandwich to bed and chomp it immediately after waking. 20 mins later I'm out the door knowing I have a good amount of carbs to keep me going without fear of bonking etc.
I’m burning around 950-1200 calories
On a 1 hour ride? That's wildly inaccurate, you're probably burning about 500 each way.
15 miles each way and like lots here can't face eating breakfast at 6am and then riding so have food when I get into the office. Much more of a plodder than the speed demons above though 🙂