bt

set your alarm?

vtdougie

stop drinking instant coffee! Life is too short to drink crappy coffee. . . . and beer!

nwmshp

Late to the discussion here, sorry. I prefer to ride early when daylight allows, though I won't ride in the dark so it's difficult this time of year. As I ride everyday, whenever I get back I set up for the next ride - set out fresh kit (including extra weather gear, I don't have to take it if it's not needed), safety check on bike, gear and myself (am I sore after stretching, if so what do I need to do?), rinse water bottles (I always take 2 - better to have too much fluid with you than not enough) and prepare 2 fresh ones that are left in fridge and prepping anything else for the next day's ride including having a vague idea of route though that's been known to change at a moments notice and on whim.

The next morning: not so patiently wait until it's light enough to get ready and leave (it can be a really long time between 3 AM and 6 AM when you're anxious to ride and I always am) coffee, shower (yes, BEFORE the ride - it wakes me up), banana or rice cake with peanut butter, grab water bottles and snacks. From there its gear up, deep breath thanking the universe that I'm able to ride, pedal out - always allowing the first mile to simply relish my feet on the pedals, the tires underneath me, the wind in my face, and the feeling of my entire body wanting more.

krobinson103

I usually just don't sleep. After work Friday I ride out all night, get home around 5am. Grab a few hours sleep, and then get to bed early the next day. Compared to sleeping a few hours then riding I find that works better.

Numbskull

Stretch a lot before you go out

Looigi

^^^ -1. You don't stretch cold and it's best not to stretch before physical activity. Stretch afterward, if you must. For the ride, start of at a good pace that allows you to warm up before all any really hard exertions.

FLvector

+1 I try to do at least a 15 minute warm up, longer is better, at a higher cadence to spin the legs before harder efforts.

lolguy

During the work week, I generally ride 3-4 mornings and am in the saddle by 5:30 a.m. 5:00 if I have an 8 a..m. meeting. Usually 20-22 miles and the first five are the worst. Usually 35 minutes from butt up to out the door. No food before the ride but 20 oz. of water. Greek yogurt immediately following. I don't like eating before the ride at that time.

Last thing I do before laying doen to sleep is checking the morning weather - weather.com's hourly forecast.

BillClinton

One small tip if you don't want to drink a large amount of coffee pre-ride is caffeine pills. Easy to bring with also if you need a little get up!

Phloom

Coffee? That's for wimps. I start the day with one of these.

Like drinking 4 cups of strong coffee and it tastes pretty good.

deacon mark

Love riding early in am getting out anywhere from 5 to 6 am depending. Use a good light till sunrise and usually there is less wind and traffic. My routine in Summer's is up at 4:10, morning prayer with coffee, then out the door. I never eat before riding or running even if I am going long. If am going to do a fast century then I take food. For anything less than 60 miles only water is needed. Get in at 8:30 am on weekends with still 3 hours in the saddle. Then of course eat huge breakfast.

Bugstomper2000

When I do early morning rides, I wake up 30 minutes before I plan to leave, make oatmeal and an omelette with fried rice inside. Then I drink some water, grab my water bottle, check my lights, start Strava, and ride away.

Flatbroke

How far did you ride

10 Wheels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNL1...eature=related

rms13

Substitute play with dog with feed baby and cats and that sounds like my morning.

B. Carfree

If I'm not going to get back from a ride until 9:30 AM, then I must have ridden somewhere between a century and 200 km. Pre-dawn riding is the best. No traffic other than deer, bear and cougar and one doesn't need to carry as much water. Added bonus: a lit-up bicycle is much more visible in the dark than it is with the sun in one's eyes. Also, since one still has dinner digesting, there's no need to throw food in the gut until late in the game, sometime after 100 km, and then only a little booster (bar and caffeine).

For all the wonders of pre-dawn riding, I almost never see any other riders unless I'm rolling a double century, in which case I'll see a few on my way home. Odd lot, these cyclists.

Jim from Boston

Lots of good tips. I'm an early morning commuter or rider, always trying for a 5:00 AM start. My main hindrance to an early AM start is reading Bike Forums or turning on the TV.

RPK79

Limit your beers the night before to 4 or 5.

Sojodave

I signed up for a 28 mile "bike tour" next Saturday and it starts at 7am. Sunrise isn't until 7:40am. According to weather.com, it's supposed to be in the low 50's at the start and warm up to 75. Trying to decide how Fred I'll look with a bike jacket.

RPK79

Arm warmers would be more than enough for that temp.

caloso

Personally, I would be uncomfortably warm in a jacket. I would go with armwarmers and kneewarmers at those temperatures. YMMV, of course.

Lazyass

I know that's what everyone wants to say noways after someone came out with some study but it's wrong. You want to do some dynamic stretching before riding. Even if it's just a minute or two. That prepares the muscles to work. Afterwards you want to do some static stretching. I personally can't get on my bike and start riding with completely cold muscles like everyone is recommending today. I am formally educated in this subject, not that anyone with an opposing google link will care

Drew Eckhardt 

It depends on how much body fat you have. With up to 70 pounds extra I was fairly impervious to cold, although now below 55 degrees I like an uninsulated wind jacket especially before sunrise. Knee warmers are good too approaching 50 degrees.

hueyhoolihan

and any more than two before setting out in the morning will have consequences...

and WRT stretching? oy veh!, i'll be stretching plenty during the entire ride, so i don't need it before, nor after it.

Sy Reene

So a 2hr ride starting at 7:30am and you're used to heading out the door at 5:30am for work? This doesn't sound too complicated.