iab

I am back in the saddle after 20 years as of July '05. I do two different loops, one is 25 miles the other is 35. The first and last two miles of both loops are the same rolling flats. I stretch for 10-15 minutes before I start and I think I am warmed up. I tend to average in the upper 17s for the short loop and the lower 17s for the longer loop. There isn't a wind advantage and it there is no elevation gain either way. At the start I am doing between 16 and 18 mph. At the end of either of the loops I am doing 18 to 20 mph. I am also more comfortable with a higher cadence at the end of the ride. Is this normal? Do I need to warm-up more before I get on the bike? Any insight will be appreciated.

Hawkear

Not necessarily - you just have to realize it takes a while for you to get warmed up, and stretching alone isn't going to do it.

CardiacKid

It always takes me at least 10 minutes to reach my optimum speed. I think this is pretty typical. My nonscientific explanation is you have to get the heart pumping good, the muscles fully engorged and the endorphins flowing. Stretching won't do this. When I swam in college, we typically warmed up 5 or 600 yards before our races. You have seen Lance on the trainer, working up a sweat before a 100 mile race.

grahny

I typically don't warm up until I've been riding for about 15 miles at about 18-21mph or so... meaning that during that time I'm noticing the fact that my legs and lungs are working... then everything starts working better (ie. lungs/breathing are more stable and in a rythym, and I can't feel my legs anymore ).. I can go an easy 25 miles after that full speed without feeling burned out at all. I end with a mile climb up a 8% grade and only then do I start feeling fatigued again... of course, I worked up to this, and plan on working further... but either way, I still don't get truely "warmed up" until about 15 miles. I think it's different for everyone and how their body works in getting into a rythym, being able to handle the overall physicall stress, muscle strenth, overall conditioning, ability to get oxygen to your muscles and shed lactic acid and all that good stuff.....

EventServices

The older I get, the longer it takes to warm up. Some days, it takes several miles to reach optimum.

So on race days, I can never allow myself to get caught behind schedule. That's the kiss of death.

Jakey

I find once in awhile that once I hit my max hr once...and recover, than I feel great the rest of the ride...but I almost have to blow up once at the beginning to get there... its weird. Of course.. I hardly warm up..and I rarely stretch....maybe I should.

MichaelW

The evidence on stretching I have seen is that it it is better done warm at the end of a session. If you were doing a high impact/stretchy excercise such as judo then it may be better at the begining.
The warmup you need for cycling is to get your heart/lungs and legs spinning up to speed. Use the first 5-10 mins of your ride as a warmup, riding in a lower gear, high revs, little force. You can also do some leg stretches on the bike.

masi61

I have found that if you think of the first FIFTY (50) minutes of your ride as your warmup, and the next phase as the regular ride, you'll not only log more miles, but you will prevent injury and ramp up your average speed in fewer weeks of training.

Baetis

The latest evidence is you do more harm than good if you stretch before you are warmed up. Also, if you can hit your max HR after you do and easy 10 min warm up on the bike you will produce some lactic acid which will serve as a buffering agent when you really need to go hard.

fmw

I'm an almost-senior-citizen. I need about 4 or 5 miles to get the pain out of my muscles and 10 to be at peak. I'm sure the youngsters can get warmed up a lot faster.

jjmolyet

what if my ride is only 45 Minutes?

CapeRoadie

Yes, it is normal, but you are confused about what a warm-up is, and you are confused about the purpose of stretching. You are likely over 40, since your generation (also mine) was taught incorrectly to stretch as a warm-up. BAD ADVICE!

Stretching is not a warm-up. Please explain to me how LOWERING your heart rate by sitting or standing still and doing relaxed stretches "warms" anything up. No. You cannot. No serious athlete would do it that way, and you shouldn't, either. You need to raise your heart rate gradually in order to warm up. Simply ride at a very easy pace for 15-30 minutes, gradually increasing your speed. It's funny because you're doing that without knowing it anyway, since the first half of your ride is easier than the last. But I would definitely SKIP the pre-ride stretching and do what I recommend.

Think about what stretching is. It is a way to lengthen, not "warm up", muscle. Since rides of any distance (and work of any type, really) SHORTEN muscles, it makes more sense to stretch AFTER your ride. But one time isn't enough. No, indeed, it is the stretching you do EVERY DAY that makes you more flexible over time. Stretching will NEVER warm you up.

You should also do a cool down ride at the end of your ride for 15 minutes to clear acids from your muscles. Lactic acid is a mild acid which acts as a buffer for the stronger acids that cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in your muscles, in the hours to days after more difficult rides. By doing a 15-minutes cool-down ride, you will allow the body's muscles to clear those acids and help prevent DOMS. You should also drink a recovery drink like Endurox R4 or skim chocolate milk 15 minutes after your ride (right after the cool-down is best).

If you don't have time or energy to do all of this, then simply suffer the consequences!

Good luck!

sunofsand

I have that warm-up period. It takes about 10 miles or so and then you get in the zone. Same thing with any type of endurance activity ..and especially running. Towards the end I think we all want that "race to the finish"

iab

Thanks for the input. I will take into mind all of your comments. I do stretch after the ride but its nice to hear I shouldn't at the start. I can use that time to add onto the ride. Thanks again.