Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you're planning on riding or racing then breakfast is even more important.
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Your body needs fuel to keep going and the right breakfast forms the foundation upon which races are won, epic rides are completed, or simply rides to work are made without keeling over from lack of energy.
These tasty and quick breakfast recipes will keep your power levels up and your stomach full, so you're ready to go.
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We've partnered with Olive magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty, hearty post-ride meals.
1. Overnight bircher muesli with cherries, peach and coconut
This is the perfect breakfast for a busy morning — make it up the night before so all you have to do when the alarm clock sounds is find a spoon and eat it! It's also dairy free and vegan. The coconut water and desiccated coconut give a tropical freshness to the dish plus plenty of natural sugar for energy, there's also pumpkin and chia seeds for protein.
2. Home-made granola
Crunchy granola is a classic breakfast dish, but shop-bought versions can be horrifically high in sugar. It's actually surprisingly easy to make your own version and this tasty recipe combines sesame seeds, walnuts and bran with oats for bite and crunch, and the natural sweetness of maple syrup adds both flavour and energy.
3. Banana breakfast muffins
Whip up a batch of these and you'll be set for breakfast on the go for days. Muffins are usually a luxury, and can be packed full with hidden calories. However, these ones come in at under 200 calories per muffin, and you can make them in only 40 minutes for a batch of 12. Yum!
4. Honey granola
Did we mention that we're partial to a bowl of crispy, crunchy granola in the morning? And this tasty home-made version is incredibly quick and easy to make by simply combining three ingredients and toasting it all up in the oven. We like to use this as a base to make different versions of granola, adding things like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, dried fruit and coconut.
5. Banana breakfast loaf
A slice of this delicious and moist loaf toasted makes the perfect companion to your morning cup of tea or coffee. It's also got plenty of natural sugars and carbohydrates courtesy of the ripe bananas that go into it, plus zesty lemon and crunchy pecan nuts to finish things off. It's so tasty, we might stretch the definition of breakfast time to include mid-afternoon.
6. Blueberry breakfast muffins
Another tasty and comparatively low-calorie muffin for when you want a break from banana. Swapping out regular flour for milled flax seed helps keep the calorie count below 200, and the natural sugars contained in the dried apricot and blueberries add sweetness and energy.
7. Strawberry and almond breakfast smoothie
Need a tasty breakfast that's good to grab and go? We can't get enough of this delicious breakfast smoothie, particularly on hot sunny days when you want something cool and refreshing to start your day. There's plenty of protein in the almond milk and almond butter (or ground almonds), plus natural sugars and carbohydrates in the strawberries, bananas and honey.
8. Smoked salmon omelette
It may look luxurious, but this omelette is actually quick to make. We like to whip this up at the weekend before long training rides and when we've got a bit more time to enjoy it.
Eggs and salmon pack a serious protein punch and mascarpone cheese gives a delicious creamy twist, which is cut through with a slight kick of cayenne pepper. Delicious!
9. Breakfast smoothie bowl
Want a tasty breakfast that's Instagram ready? This dish isn't just packed full of energy-giving fruits and seeds, it also looks beautiful and gives you the chance to get a little creative, if that's your thing.
The base has tonnes of natural sugars and fresh flavours with red berries, bananas and dates mixed with almond milk. For the topping, go wild! Oats, coconut, bee pollen, chia seeds, blueberries — pop on whatever you fancy, then eat and enjoy.
Check out our other tasty recipes, and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:
