Warm up before cycling

[Lee_M]

That is true, but there is a bit of a problem when the route takes you straight up a steep hill! Some of my favourite rides round here have me climbing 15+% in less than 2 miles. Several of them are less than a mile away from home.

I spit on your two miles, I have a 15% after 400 yards, quite takes the wind out of you! :- D

 

[ColinJ]

I spit on your two miles, I have a 15% after 400 yards, quite takes the wind out of you! :- D

They DO!

I did say 'less than 2 miles'. One is just short of 2 miles. Another is about 1 mile away and two of them are like yours, a few hundred yards away.

I used to be able to just about cope with cold hill-starts when I was younger, but these days (especially since my lungs got damaged in 2012/13) I struggle without that warm-up.

 

[Saluki]

The easiest warm-up is to sit yourself comfortably on the bike and pedal gently for a few miles.

This is what I do. Don't forget though, the first mile lies! just pedal on a bit afterwards and it all gets much better.

 

[nickyboy]

Never bother with any sort of a warm up / soft pedalling

Straight out of the door and full gas

 

[gbb]

As an example, albeit an unscientific one, I used to ride the same route, say 50 miles, and always complete it within a few minutes of the previous....more or less always the same time taken.
I experimented a few times going out steadily for the first 5 miles. It made no discernable difference to my regular times, I found I'd have more vim in the last miles. Lose at the beginning, gain at the end. Same was probably true in reverse.

 

[huggy]

No, just take it easy for the first 19 miles.

This is too long for a warmup. Warm up for 15 leaving 5 miles for a cool down.

 

[Alan O]

I do some stretches first (legs obviously, but also arms and back), but that's only because of my ageing body and my easy tendency these days to pull a muscle.

Then, as others say, just take it easy for the first 15 minutes or so (though I admit it's not always easy to tell the difference between me taking it easy and going flat out).

 

[mjr]

I spit on your two miles, I have a 15% after 400 yards, quite takes the wind out of you! :- D

400 yards! How I wished I had 400 yards when I lived near the foot of a 25%! Unsurprisingly, I either started downhill or took one of the first two exit roads, from the sub-10% section before it reached its steepest gradient (32%!) and never actually rode straight to the top.

 

[HLaB]

The only time I'd do a dedicated warm up first is for a short sharp time trial but for a general ride/ sportive, no. I do a warm up for a training ride but thats not dedicated its just a calmer ride to the start.

 

[froze]

I've never done any proper warm up exercises. As long as you don't start belting around the place as soon as you leave the house, but go at a warm-up pace for the first few miles you should be fine.

A BIG PLUS. Unless you're racing you don't need to anything special to warm up, just ride for a few miles and you will be fine, stretch first of course.

 

[HLaB]

A BIG PLUS. Unless you're racing you don't need to anything special to warm up, just ride for a few miles and you will be fine, stretch first of course.

I avoid stretching first, as your stretching cold muscles

 

[Mugshot]

I'll generally do around 2 hrs of Burpees, star jumps and step aerobics, followed by half an hour of free weights before my morning commute.
Either that or I fall out of bed, stagger to the bike and do my best to have woken up before I get to work.

 

[johnnyb47]

I tend to just ride gently for around a mile to warm up before putting down the hard work. If I start off from home and cycle hard i usually pay for it after a couple miles and feel drained. This will last far around a mile or so before I get into a steady pace.