Brando_T.

I went on a 128 km ride on Sunday, and for the first 30-45 minutes I had aches and pains...until finally either I tuned them out or my body decided to warm up and forget about aches. If I had listened to the knee creaks, hamstring aches, butt pain in the first 30 minutes I would have turned around and gone home.

I imagine this isn't too unusual, right? I'm just turning 40.

ill.clyde

Never takes me that long ... and it depends on my effort the day before.

On Tuesday, after a long/hard ride on Sunday and a day off on Monday, it took me a little time ... but maybe 10 minutes at most?

that said, we're all different.

exile

I've never gone your distances in a single ride Brando_T., but I don't experience any discomfort on my 5 mile commute except for the occasional hand tingling. That can usually be remedied by changing hand positions or using gloves.

What you are describing sounds unusual to me. How often do you do these kind of rides and does the pain start right away?

Brando_T.

This was a couple days after a hard 45 km ride with hill repeats. AFter 30 minutes everything loosened up and I was fine, until about the 100 km mark when I was getting expected soreness.

Pamestique 

I'm 60... I think it usually takes me 30 - 45 minutes to feel good and shake out my legs.

There is a reason professionals sit on a trainer before starting a ride... a warm-up is essential.

Mr. Beanz

On anything from a 40-60 mile ride, my first 10 miles is a spinning warm up. I feel good if I stop for 4 or 5 minutes to shake out the legs after the first 10. Then the rest of the ride is comfortable at a harder effort. so usually 7-10 miles or 20-30 minutes. I'm 48.

I've done 40 mile rides the day after a big mountain climb and it's taken the entire 40 to loosen up the legs.

MattFoley

Omg I was planning on starting a thread with the exact same subject...weird. But anyway, it takes me at least ten miles to really get in the groove...sucks because that ends up being like a third of my total ride time. When I commute (48 miles round trip) it takes me less time to warm up on my way home, for some reason...even the decent uphill at the start of my evening route is easier than the tiny uphill that I have first thing in the morning.

jethro56 

I'm kinda like MattFoley. Early morning rides take longer to warm up 10-15 minutes. Evening rides 5 minutes.

c_m_shooter

It takes me 15 or 20 miles to start to feel good on the bike. After that I can ride all day.

mthayer

For me its about 5 miles or before i can get into tne grove. Sometimes it seems like i never get warmed up and i struggle the whole ride.

GeoBigJon

Usually only takes me about a mile or two to get warmed up.

Street Pedaler

This time of year when it's so hot and humid, I warm up pretty quick, 3 or 4 miles. During the colder months, it takes about 10 miles before all of the arthritis and titanium parts (in me, not the bike) decide to loosen up and get with the program. I'm 45.

RandoneeRider

I'm 57 (next month), and new to this bicycling thing. I have done nothing longer in the saddle than 26 miles, but every ride out seems to have me "warmed up" within the first 3 miles. Today was the first ride when I did a little more than simply spin with as little resistance as possible; I covered 20 miles at an average of over 13 mph, having seen my heart rate get up higher than I've seen it so far. I'm juuuuust discovering how more effort on the pedals can relieve the preasure of leaning on my handlebars......

RichardGlover

Must be hard on the trainer; no wonder that job is so hard to fill.

IAmCosmo

I'm usually not warm until the top of the first hill...

Crazydad

At 44, it only takes me about 2-3 miles to warm up in the summer. Cold weather will typically double that for me.

nkfrench 

55yo. Warmup depends on heat, humidity, sun, attire, soreness/stiffness/fatigue, caffeination, hydration, NSAIDs, barometric pressure/changes, weather, recent climbing, time of day, day's activities. Sometimes I'm good to go within a minute. Sometimes I finish a 2-hour ride and never could get my rebuilt knee to comfortably bend enough to pedal cleanly.

My usual routes are designed to start with a slow flatter section of a couple of miles with stops; then build up into hills.

contango 

I always figure, some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

I've had rides where it took me the first 10 miles or so to get into my rhythm and actually enjoy being out on the bike. I've had other rides where I'm rearing to go pretty much from the moment I got on the saddle.

A couple of months back I did a ride with a group of friends that was 150 miles in two days, one day off, then 110 miles back in one day. The first day was easy, the second day felt like a drag for the first 30 minutes or so, and the first 15-20 minutes of the ride back felt like a struggle although that could have been because it was two hours before I'm normally even awake. The last 10 miles felt like a bit of a drag as well, but then it was the first time I'd ever done 100 miles in a day.

Pamestique 

TOOK ME AWHILE TO SEE THE HUMOR! now I get it!

mwchandler21

not really, pro cyclist don't weigh much.

perspiration

It takes me a bit. I usually start and think, "This seems harder than it should" and I worry a bit but then I just forget about it for a little while...and it's gone!

Mithrandir

I feel that way as well. Was just thinking about yesterdays 15 mile hill practice, at mile 2 I was thinking "crap, I'm only at mile 2?!!". Then I don't remember thinking anything of the sort for the rest of the ride. Though to be fair it was probably because I was ascending into a heavy headwind. Ugh.

I do remember at one point going from "WHEEEEEEE" to "OH **** I'M GONNA DIE!" on a huge descent with a nasty crosswind... hit my newest max speed of 33.3mph... lol

sjvcycler

15 minutes of steady increase in speed 15 mph to about 20 mph.

contango 

I've often found that the days when it seems harder than it "should" are the days I've got a headwind and the days it seems easier than it "should" are the days I've got a tailwind.

There's a road I ride regularly because it's between my house and a friend's house. It's about a mile and it's got a gentle incline on it. It's sufficiently gentle that you wouldn't be aware you're climbing. One day on my way out I had a great ride, maintaining higher speeds than normal all the way. On the way back I realised why, when even going down the gentle hill I was struggling to maintain 15mph on a road I normally cruise at more like 20....

I'd rather have the headwind on the way out when I'm stronger against it. A headwind on the way back home from a long ride when I'm tired is just cruel.

libero

Agree. I've been careful about what I wear on rides - basically keep a little warmer. I did a ride one time where I had unusual knee pain and soreness but I worked through it and felt better later on.
But in retrospect I think when we started, it was a slight uphill grade, slightly cold, and I was only wearing one layer. Felt fine as the day warmed up though.
So now I try to be more careful - wear knee warmers a lot and plan a course with a better warmup.
Have fun.