Pre-ride warmup

[rwrrwr]

What is a good warm up? Are ther specific streches or routines to use to keep leg lockup at bay? It seems that I only ride a couple miles before my legs start burning.

[Nykon]

I drink some water before I ride, and stretch afterwards. Stretching before doesn't really help much as far as injury prevention and I seem to tire faster if I stretch first. Usually if my legs start to burn I either stand up and coast for a couple seconds and switch to an easier gear.

[JayhawKen]

I don't do anything to warm up and never stretch before a ride, and almost all of my rides are at 5:30AM right out of bed. However, the first 3 or 4 miles I spin VERY easy. I leave my driveway in the 39x21 and stay there for the first mile or so to give you an idea of how slow I start.

After every ride within 30 minutes I stretch legs and lower back. Whenever I try to stretch before riding (or before running when I was a runner) I felt like there was a greater risk of injury than just a slow start.

[Machka]

If your legs start burning in the first couple miles, you are riding too hard in the first couple miles ... go easy for a while first, thenmaybe after a couple miles start increasing your speed/intensity.

[donnamb]

I stretch my upper back, shoulders, & neck before and after riding. I seem to be one of those people who have problems in that area from cycling. My chiropractor has me doing "wall angels" that stretch my pec minor & exercise my middle & lower trapezius. The rest of my stretching is from yoga in the Iyengar style:

mountain poses with arms stretched up, bound hands, hands held in shape of cow's face
triangle pose
extended side angle stretch
downward dog
warrior 2 & 1 poses
cat/cow pose

I do others, but this is my pre & sometimes post riding routine.

[slowandsteady]

Stretching is great to increase your flexibility AFTER a ride, but it is NOT a warm up, but rather a good way to pop a hammy if you stretch vigorously while cold. Try riding at a an easy pace for at least 10 minutes. I find I am fully warmed up after about 20, but substantially better after 10.

[Mothra]

Yeah, don't stretch too strongly beforehand. A lot of people do that bouncing thing, very, very bad for cold muscles.