Since school started just last week, I can already feel myself getting out of shape. I used to go for 20-50 mile rides every other morning or so and now I'm only riding 2 miles to and from school. I thought of getting up earlier (4 am, leaving at 5 cuz of curfew) to take a longer ride around town and get in some miles before the bell rings at 7:25. Do you guys take a stroll before work or school and what would you suggest for doing so? Should I treat it like a normal ride?

A ride before class could be a good idea. It can get your heart and brain in better shape for learning.

I've decided to walk at least a mile after any ride, to prevent getting too stiff. But I'm 52 years old, and stiffness is a bigger concern for me than for a college student.

I used to get up and ride twenty-five or so miles, come home and cool off, shower-up and then head for work. It was a great way to start the day. Now, though, I am in the office at 5:00 AM, so, I am up at 2:00 AM and write a bit, check out this and another forum briefly, and work on my publishing business, blog, e-mails, before heading upstairs to take a shower and get ready to leave. I am home at about 2:00 PM and not long afterward, I am cruising through the local farmland. ~~ oVo

My commute is also about 2 miles to work generally (some days I have to go to another building 5 miles away). But for the last month I have been getting up early 2 days a week and doing a 20 ride before work. Luckily I live and work near a big park that has dedicated bike lanes and much less traffic than the rest of L.A. so it's a stress free and enjoyable 20 miles to start my day. And even though I get up 90 minutes early those days , it really gets the blood pumping and wakes me up and those days I actually have more energy even though I had less sleep

My commute is 20 miles a day sometimes 25 or so with stops, so I just ride to work mostly. But coming home from work sometimes I take the long way home. At times it can be 20 to 25 miles one way.

No, I don't do mornings.

I do that all the time on my commute to work.. However, it depends on how early I leave. Getting to work on time it paramount. Most of the time I plan the ride the night before. Getting everything ready to make the "early start".. The "early start" is the key.. Since I use the subway in my commute, I get off about 4 to 5 stops ahead of my regular stop. That way, I have super scenic ride through old neighborhoods and parks..Also, according to the time, I have time to stop and eat breakfast too..

Yes, the extra ride with the commute is "all good"...

My direct commute is 4.5 miles, or 9 miles a day.

In good weather, I ride between 23 and 33 miles a day commuting, depending on route choice. You do the math.

Sounds like you are talking about high school, and I am also assuming there are showers available. If that's the case, go for it. Be well lit if it's dark when you take off.

my ride to work/school is my ride before work/school

8-11 miles, 30-45 mins

if i dont i never wake up, driving to work or school in the morning is the worst

Good advice about the lights! Please see if you can spend $150 on lights. It will save money in the long run. You won't have to buy cheap lights, discover they're junk, replace them with mediocre, then replace those with good lights. That's the path I took, as typical for me, and it was expensive.

See my article at thedimbicycle.blogspot.com.

Same here.
I ride every day AFTERWARD though, sometimes 15 or 35 miles, and up to 60 miles on the weekend.

I used to get up early and hit the singletrack or knock down and extra 25 km on my way to work which was a 10km commute which, by itself, was really just a warm up.

Would often do the same thing after work since I had so many great options on my route.

Now that my commute is 32 steps I often take an early ride or take a break during the day to put in some miles.

+1 for extending the commute - mine is only 12 kilometres, and not very scenic. But the 24 kilometre route to work is very scenic, and has half the traffic!

I don't either, which is why I have a job that starts after lunch.

I do something very similar. Take the long way. Use your imagination.

Commute is now 4 miles exactly. I ride 10 miles in and 10 back, will be adding more on the way back only on certain days.
Its nice to have the option of going straight there if I'm running late or need to get home.

I unfortunately do not. I need to be to work at 7:30 to to ride I'd really need to get up at 4:30, that's just not going to happen.

I ride directly to work because I like to get there early. It's also much more of a downhill ride to work than home - Among other terrain, I have two hills where I just hold on and descend as fast as the bike will roll. One is a gravel trail and one is a concrete and blacktop trail.

In the afternoon, I'm more likely to take the long way around a those hills and meander a bit. Consider a capital letter D. Let's say the steep gravel trail that's so fun in the morning is the straight vertical line of the D. The longer, curved part of the letter is a paved neighborhood street with a much more gradual and incline. I'll go that way instead.

There are several "decision points" like this along my five-mile route and I rarely ride home the same way twice in a row.

That's my move..Getting up at 4:30 can do the shower, stretch, out the door at 5am. If I make it out at 5am, I got a full half hour to 45 minutes of fun riding time..Pitch dark, but I am well lite up. The key to getting that fun ride in before work, is getting out early.. No early, no extra ride, I go straight to work.

I do the morning thing, very reluctantly just my basic 11 mile into the office. Morning isn't my thing for exercise. On the way home, I have a choice of 11 miles back home or 30 miles in another direction. So, I either get 22 or 40 home. As long as nothing is pressing in the home life, I'll do the 30 home.

T