Early morning warm up advice....

bristolpete

Funny one this but late last year I moved house. I now commute 30 miles a day on my single speed but in two 15 mile hits. Paradoxically, I am far stronger at the end of the day than in the morning which I can only put down to a cold start i.e getting out of bed and riding within an hour or so of getting up. I cant put a turbo up, so any ideas on a warm up off the bike. Trying to stretch etc.

Thought about running up and down the stairs Rocky like as a starter...!

Thanks.

imposter2.0

Did I read that right - you want to do a warm up before riding to work??

sloppyschleckonds

Lol

danlikesbikes

Could it be that you are more tired & less awake in the morning than in the afternoon. Plus your body will have had food/drink all day whereas in the morning you might not have had breakfast (before your ride) of if you do your body will not have digested. On the subject of fluids in the morning you will be much more dehydrated than on your return ride & whether you believe the maths or not you will suffer to some extend for this.

If your serious & want to compare your times over the 2 distances then simple add a little loop onto your morning commute and use that to warm up. But taking what I said above into account it may not make as much difference.

bristolpete

Imposter wrote:

Did I read that right - you want to do a warm up before riding to work??

Yes. However, you seem to have got it wrong. Again.

I am saying that despite thinking I would be fresher in the mornings, I am finding it harder. So I wondered if any of the Radar glitterati have any simple solutions to kick starting the legs in the morning such as drinking large amounts of red bull.

Not much to ask on a friendly forum but sometimes, you come across as bombastic and opinionated which is a shame as I expect you are a decent fellow.

chrisaonabike

bristolpete wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Did I read that right - you want to do a warm up before riding to work??

....you come across as bombastic and opinionated which is a shame as I expect you are a decent fellow.

Think you're being a bit oversensitive.

imposter2.0

bristolpete wrote:

Yes. However, you seem to have got it wrong. Again.

I am saying that despite thinking I would be fresher in the mornings, I am finding it harder. So I wondered if any of the Radar glitterati have any simple solutions to kick starting the legs in the morning such as drinking large amounts of red bull.

Not much to ask on a friendly forum but sometimes, you come across as bombastic and opinionated which is a shame as I expect you are a decent fellow.

Thanks for the kind words. However, I still don't really understand what the problem is. Do you a) want to get to work, or b) want to use the ride to work as a productive training ride ?

If a) just get on the bike and ride to work.
If b) get up earlier, ride a longer route which gets you warmed up before you get going.

Nobody can tell you to drink a bucket of RedBull or four double espressos before riding - you have to find out for yourself what works and what doesn't.

ut_och_cykla

Could simply be you are low on blood sugar in the morning. Riding everyday might deplete glycogen stores and anything you eat in the morning will take a while to get to blood - at least half an hour if not longer. Eating during the day means you're well set up for ride home. So... eat a more quickly absorbed breakfast - white bread jam porridge - skip fats & protein which will slow down absorbtion. If you need these - top up at work /other meals?
Just an idea.

bristolpete

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Could simply be you are low on blood sugar in the morning. Riding everyday might deplete glycogen stores and anything you eat in the morning will take a while to get to blood - at least half an hour if not longer. Eating during the day means you're well set up for ride home. So... eat a more quickly absorbed breakfast - white bread jam porridge - skip fats & protein which will slow down absorbtion. If you need these - top up at work /other meals?
Just an idea.

Ok thanks nice advice.

campagman

I do some dynamic stretching before cycling to work. As you get older you need longer to warm up.

Wrath Rob

Which direction do you commute? If east/west then the wind will make a big difference to how easy or not the ride is. FWIW, I normally commute better in the mornings than evenings (thanks to the prevailing westerly wind) but if I try and do a training ride within 30 mins of getting up I find I can't put out the same power as later in the day. Like a 20w difference for the same workout. Weird.

robertsims

Silly question, but is it uphill on way to work and downhill coming home? Otherwise wind direction has big effect as well.

displacedaussie

Ride in via Wrington Hill.