sean000

I used to stretch all the time when most of my rides were fast road or mountain rides. In recent years more of my rides have been commuting and casual touring. Some rides are as long and as hard as those I used to do, but I got out of the habit of stretching. I still stretch before, during, and after long rides; but in the mornings I often wake up late and hop on the bike with barely enough time to get to work. Even though it's only a four mile commute, it would be a good idea to stretch before trying to sprint that four miles to get there on time. Now that the weather is warming up I will probably try to get up earlier so I can take an extended ride on my way to work (rather than on my way home), so I'm going to try and get into the habit of stretching in the morning.

I do often stretch on the bike, but there are only so many stretches you can do effectively on the bike. I can stretch my calves and hamstrings very well on the bike, and also my arms and back to some extent. I used to spend 15 minutes doing real stretches, and also doing crunches, push-ups, and other standard exercises a couple of times a day. It always really helped, and it shortened the period of time it would take before I felt warmed up on the bike. Now that I'm just a few years shy of 40, it's probably more important than ever that I revisit those old but good habits... especially since I'd like to ride a lot more for fitness and recreation this year than I was able to last year.

Sean