mike868y

milk before a ride sounds like a bad time

globecanvas

Even a year later, I can't help but laugh out loud at the thought of somebody waking up before dawn every day, eating a bunch of crabs, getting on the bike, and wondering why it's not going well.

topflightpro

You are not the only one. In fact, it has worried my doctor how dehydrated I am in the morning. He was shocked to find that I generally down a 32oz cup of water and a large cup of coffee before 9 am.

carpediemracing 

haha and the first post seemed so enthusiastic and earnest, which makes it even better.

I for sure am not a morning person. Tried it for a while, just didn't work for me. I'd much rather stay up late and ride, although after 11 PM is also usually not good for me. Typical wake up time is 5:30-6 AM nowadays, when Junior comes to the bed to wake me up.

dz_nuzz

On the flip side I am a morning person. If I try to do a workout in the afternoon I feel lethargic and RPE goes through the roof. In the morning it is coffee, a banana if I am hungry and then on the bike. Interestingly I always need about 45 minutes from waking up to riding, that is probably cemented by the fact that the coffee also helps move other things along.

But really to each their own is what I have taken out of it. My significant other can just wake up and be riding in 20 minutes. I have another teammate who does the same only he apparently does it at 4:30am every damn day, even on the weekends and I think he just uses perpeteum in his bottles for food. Also have another teammate whose work schedule lets him ride at like 2pm every day for 4 hours

miyata man

Early morning rides outdoors can be really peaceful. At least for me, my HR and body rhythms are usually slower. I tend to ride a lot looser and more efficient with a nearly blank mind. Stretching out on the bike seems to go especially well. Normally at the end of an hour ride I get back feeling like I could eat a couple good breakfasts and do some big miles.

There is a 5 AM group ride a mile from my house. I'm afraid it's off the charts aggro office worker territory with a bunch of guys on tweaker levels of uppers and special diets slaughtering each other from the word go. Different worlds, still going to check it out now that the heat and humidity are getting unbearable.

ZippyThePinhead

I take a blood pressure med which includes a diuretic component, and I have water by my bedside that I drink as needed (snoring can make you thirsty), but yes, 32oz of water in the morning, plus coffee, seems about right. I have a pint glass from a brewery which I like, and two of them full of water or iced tea or whatever is pretty typical.

Thankfully my kids are now past that stage and get up later than me. But regarding the night riding, one man's meat is another man's poison. I can't do it-- late exercise, bad for sleep-- but I have a coworker who routinely does 10-20 miles after 11 pm year in and year out. He tells me it's great, but I can't fathom how he makes it work, or when he sleeps.

carpediemracing 

Before Junior's early wake up calls, my favorite time to ride was 10pm to 1am or so. I loved to ride at night in the summer, it was cooler, most people were off the roads, etc.

Nowadays I still get on the bike pretty late, 9 PM would be somewhat early (home at 8-8:30, eat some dinner, get on bike). I think I got on the bike around 11 PM the other night, that was getting a bit late.

If I did an early morning ride or race I'd be absolutely useless for the rest of the day. Fatigued, hungry, etc. It was less so after 3-4 months of riding at 5:00-5:15 but it was never ideal. I was always a bit edgy, living on adrenaline.

79pmooney

I used to get up around 5am and be out the door on the bike by 5:30. No breakfast, no caffeine. (I didn't consume caffeine at all in my racing days except to get home bonked. Then it worked like speed.)

I'd ride 45 miles, come home for breakfast, then go to work. Worked well for me. I can't imagine doing those rides with food in my stomach or getting up early enough to be able to spend an hour digesting it before I left. Now I never did track my heart rate, either on those rides or any other. (In 1977, who did?)

Ben

Ygduf

my performance is impaired on training rides regardless of the time of day.

caloso

If I'm doing tempo or sweet spot work, I usually just go out on a big mug of black coffee. I'll eat when I get to the office.

nemeseri

Hahaha. Nice job resurrecting the thread! Still bunch of good advice here, so I'm quite happy it's live again.