aki

What's your pre-ride routine? Eat, drink, stretch, warmup?

Typical routine for my pre-work morning rides (which are the majority of my rides of between 30 and 50 kms):

Wake at 6:00. Drink a cup or 2 of coffee. Eat a bowl of oatmeal or cereal with various fruits/berries. Glass of OJ, glass of water. Chill for a bit and get stuff ready. Leave by 7:00.

Brightwork

Change clothes, check tire psi. Go ride.

roccobike

Depends on the time of the ride. A Saturday ride begins the night before when I start hydrating with water and electrolyte solution. I always prepare the bike the night before regardless if its a morning ride or an after work ride. One hour before a day or night ride I eat a high protein bar.

Blackdays

Pee a dozen times.

Homebrew01

Works for me. Drink a bit first if it's hot.

thesmoothdome

Riding with my club on the weekends goes something like this:

Wake up 6:00am-6:30. Stumble downstairs, savor the first cup of coffee. Stuff something from the fridge into my mouth as I drink my second cup of coffee. Prep bike, get dressed, curse about how late I'm running and dart out the door with just enough time to get to our meeting spot.

kleinboogie

Prep bike night before.
If it's early morning I hydrate at night, wake and immediately eat something usually oatmeal, get dressed, fill waters, grab some gels and go.
After work is hydrate through the day, couple cups of coffee, rice and chicken for lunch, no afternoon munching unless it's a powerbar/clifbar, hydrate on the way to the MUP.
During the ride is basically, sips of water on regular days, GU brew on hot days and call my PM a liar.

jsmonet

mine's pretty much Brightwork's, and then the moment I open the door it switches, without fail, to Blackdays'.

mistertwo

+1 My morning rides are almost always done on an empty stomach.

dstrong 

Similar to others, I have some prep the night before so I don't disturb the late sleepers in my house. Take cycling clothes, contacts down to laundry room where I'll change in the morning. Put water bottles out on the counter so I don't forget them. Get up the next morning and immediately drink 16 oz of water, make coffee, eat cereal/oatmeal, drink coffee, take Sports Legs, fill and load bottles on bike, check tires, put in contacts, put on sunscreen, dress, put ID/money/phone in baggie/jersey pocket and go.

eat hills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SiQKxja79M

Phil85207

**********????

vw addict

yupppers

lymansmtt

for sure check tire psi and make sure your saddle bag is packed with the necessary items (co2 pump, spare tube, patch kit, etc.) I have done quite a bit of research about warming up and have concluded that a 5-10 minute ride in very low gear (target heart rate around 90-110 bpm). Then follow this with stretching mostly legs and then maybe lower back. By doing a quick warm up ride before hand, you will get the blood following and warm muscles allow for much better results from stretching.

After stretching get on the bike and ride the wheels off it!!

oroy38

Night Before:
Load up Jersey with the usual suspects (food, tools, phone, wallet, keys)
Fill bottles and throw in fridge

1. Hit snooze on alarm.
2. Hit snooze on alarm.
3. Hit snooze on alarm.
4. Stumble out of bed
5. Bathroom
6. Caffeine/Food
7. Air in tires
8. Ride
9. Go back because I forgot my sunglasses and bottles
10. Ride to meeting spot (serves as my warmup)

Somewhere between steps 4 and 8 I throw on my kit

Velodad

This

ptle

I try to eat at least an hour and a half before the ride. That's when I start drinking lots of water. 15mins before I head out I use the restroom then gather my gear. I'll air up my tires then too. 15mins before the start of the ride, I'll take a swig of gel from my flask and some water.

Nachoman

EVERYTHING is done the night before. I set out all the appropriate cloths, prep the bike, etc. I even set up the coffee maker so all I have to do is push the button. The cup is already set out right next to a bowl of cereal. All I do is add milk. I don't want to think about anything that early in the morning.

Velo Vol 

Are you afraid you're going to forget the cereal and just have a bowl of milk?

Kneez

Ditto.

cwk132

helmet, shoes, bazooka, road i.d.

mathwheels

Get up late, choke down some oatmeal and coffee while friend pulls up and yells lets go. two toe touches, ok all stretched. explain on our way out the driveway how i was up late and he needs to take it easy on me......

EDIT: oh yeah always put air in tires, usually 10lbs over to get any rolling resistance advantage and keep up, cornering slowly of course.

umd

wut

Howzit

Im gonna go out on a limb here (pun intended) and assume that people put their shorts on one leg at a time.
I fail to see the point of this thread.
Well, maybe somebody is gonna prove to us that they have a radically different approach to this.....

cpk0

fill bottles, fill tires, sync ipod, change clothes, ride.