Time to warm up?
 

How many of you are uncomfortable at the begininng of a ride? It seems to take me 3 or 4 miles before I settle in.

Just like when I was running, it takes me about 2 miles to settle in and get the "second wind" my cross country coach told us about in high school. Body and heart get the rhythm and settle down to my regular pace and heart rate. The better conditioned you are the longer it should take for most people to get to the plateau and cruise (some wise old coach told us that one too). Just what I find when I ride.

Bill

I used to never need a warm-up; but in the last few years I've found that I do better if I do a couple of easy miles before starting to ramp up on the effort. No more than 2 or three, though.

Same for me, and it's alway been this way.

I tend to feel a bit stiff at the start of a ride, but I just warm up by riding, as was posted above. Of course, I "go easy" for the entire ride, since I'm more of a scenic gawker rider, than a cyclecomputer-toting "what were my time and speed today?" type.

On the way to the grocery store this morning, I was behind a Senior Jogger, and he jogged faster than I pedaled! :)

I'm the other way round. I feel great the first 4-5miles, then I settle down to something just shy of drudgery, but there again, I am a fat old fart.

Me too.

One thing I don't like about some group rides is the jackrabbit start many of them do. On the rare days where I take these rides seriously I try to get there early or, better yet, cycle to the start if it's fairly close.

But it definitely takes a few miles to loosen up, especially if the temp is less than 50.

I go for a leisurely "cruise" a few blocks before turning up the road for a hill climb. Sometimes I wish I took more time to warmup. Yeah, it takes me about 3mi to feel in the groove.

Yup. A lot depends on muscle tightness and whether I've allowed enough recovery time. It usually takes me anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes to warm up and feel my hamstrings and pelvis fully relax. Once I can get comfortably into a deep tuck, I'm good to go. In terms of miles, maybe seven or so.

It also depends on the saddle...

I feel best right out of the gate (unless it is cold). Then I feel OK for an hour or two. Then the suffering begins for real.

It's more like 6-7 miles for me.

I'm with you. Around here, unfortunatly, I usually don't get that before the hills start.

Like everyone else here, It takes me 15 to 20 minutes to warm up to where I feel I'm ready to go. I noticed that pros on trainers for their time trial put in about the same amount of time warming up.

OMG, it that why when I get back home after a couple of miles (I'm still doing under 5 for various reasons), by the time I get the bike put up, I'm ready to go again? Dang, I need to think this thru some more. :)

I ride about 6 mi to a meet up point for many rides. I usually start out at about 14-15 and just seem to add about 1 mph each mile. That seems to work for me. The problem is that I'm warmed up, and most of the others have driven to the ride. (I don't understand why people drive 4 or 5 mi to do a 35 mi bike ride. ) They then have to warm up.

I work on Heart rate. Resting is about 80 and riding turning the pedals I am at 100. 1/2 mile into the ride I get to 120 and rest back to 100. Then I push to 130 and get back to 120 then next up to 140 and back to the 120. When I am comfortable I go to 150 and then complete rest back to below 120. Then I can go all day at 135 to 140- push to 150 on the hills and even see my max of 165 sometime in the ride. Basically it is a warm up but that warm can take 5 miles or may take longer.

But without the monitor- I still raise the HR is stages with rest between.

Yep. It takes a few miles to find my legs. Sometimes it's just a general lethargic feeling of "ugh, I don't want to do this." I just ride through it and I feel much better.

3-4 miles for me as well. It helps if I have a couple of short hills during that time. Then I can cruize at an even pace?

On a 25 mile ride, I almost always feel better after the rest stop( with coffee and cake). It's not my legs which need warming up, it's my lungs, as I have underlying asthma. Some days I'm fine from the get-go and sustain 17-18 mph pretty easily, but 10 miles is usually the optimum.

Sometimes even a little farther for me. Usually about 8 miles I'm settling into a groove that's easier overall than I was at 2 miles.

Yup! Me too.

It depends on the ride and weather. Usually less than 1/4 mile to make the mandatory last-minute ride to the park bathroom. If it is a ride I am eager to do, the adrenaline and anticipation can substitute for a warmup. A nip of sports gel just before starting also helps with sluggishness on rides before breakfast or late in the afternoon.

I agree with the post that it is my lungs that need the "warm up" time. My muscles come along OK. Until I get that second wind, as we called it back in the basketball days, I have a problem just keeping up with a group. I am not sure how it kicks in, but once I have that second wind I am good for a long time. Unfortunately I do not seem to have a normal amount of time or distance to get the lungs going as it seems to vary from ride to ride.

Same here, or sometimes 45 minutes to an hour to start feeling better.