Road Cycling - Warming Up?

I was wondering if I should warm up on a trainer/stationary bike before I go out for a long ride :confused:
It take me about 10-15 mins before I'm warmed up enought for my legs & knees to stop hurting. I noticed that some people say not to strech a cold muscle :(
I have an option to get an old trainer for free and was wondering if I could use it for this :rolleyes:

Why not just take it easy for the first 5-10 miles? Going throttle down from the start is a great way to hurt yourself.

Trainers are great for maintaining fitness in the winter but that's about it in my case.

Originally posted by astonv0l
I was wondering if I should warm up on a trainer/stationary bike before I go out for a long ride

I would just warm up on the ride unless you live at the base of a hill or on extremely windy days. I have to be careful with my knees and warm up properly each time I ride, if I don't I am punished for the next day or two. When I lived in contstant windy weather I would warm up inside occasionally, but the majority of times I just go out and hit the road leisurely for the first couple miles.



I have an option to get an old trainer for free and was wondering if I could use it for this :rolleyes: [/B]

If you have the ability to get it for free you might as well do it. Free is cheap and you never know when you might find it useful. Not really sure what the weather does in South Carolina, but I am imagining days of high humidity and rain .... a trainer might allow you to ride on days that you otherwise wouldn't have.

I picked the trainer up tonight, It say's PERFORMANCE on the front and in smaller letters "made in italy".
It is a full frame, you take the front wheel off your bike and and put it in a front bar and screw it in like a wheel and then it sits on a roller at the back with a round blue disk with finns on it at each side. You can adjust the legnth of the whole frame to fit the bike.
I looked on the web but couldn't find it but its free so, I cant complain

Ba Dg Er is of the same mindset I am. Take about 3-5 miles/ or 10-15 mins of easy riding to get the blood going then hammer down at will.

You will perform better as well as save your joints.

As the other posters have said, taking it easy at the beginning of your ride is a good idea. That probably also goes for a pre-ride warm-up on a stationary trainer...

I usually stay on the 39 chainring for the first 15, 20 minutes. And I avoid powering too hard initially after corners, trafic lights, etc. Once your warmed up properly, the hammerfest can begin.

Probably we would be even better off doing pre-ride stretching exercises. Unfortunately, I lack the discipline to do so.

Actually, it's not recommended that you stretch as the very first thing. Your muscles are cold and tight and you can hurt yourself that way. If you're going to stretch at the beginning, you'll want to ride easily for the first 10-15 minutes like everyone has said and then stop and stretch. Definitely make sure you stretch after.

Teski

I do some stretches on the bike, usually on the cooldown, which is a few mins of low-geared spinning.
Hold your pedals horizontally, drop your heels, stand up and very slowly lean forward as you arch your back. You should stretch the whole of the back of your leg, and back. Repeat with pedals reversed.

I usually stretch for only a minute or so. Then, after about 5 miles, my legs finally feel that they are loose and warmed up.

After my ride I stretch again for another minute and that is it.

29

Although I'm very new to riding I have found I ride better when I spend a few minutes stretching and taking it easy for the first 10 minutes or so...just like the others mentioned. I find the right gear for warm up and keep my HR in my low range. When I'm finished I do a few more stretches to play it safe...Kinda like my old baseball days.

That's the way to do it bman. Light warm up, stretch, ride, cool down, stretch...Of course, I forget or skip sometimes myself. :-)

Teski