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I ve been aware of this for ages now, but wondered if it was just me ?
I ride more often than not with two of three other guys ( bigger overall group, but regularly only thre or four out on a given day ) . Many rides are after work, often a 10 or 12 mile ride ,on our local patch , good mixed riding , steep climbing , fun descents, mixed fire road and Singletrack climbs. As always the case , first two or three miles will be more up than down to gain some height in anticipation of something flows later. We usually finish with a faitly big climb too.
My concern is this: For the first couple of miles or 15 mins or so, if the lead riders (s) head off at a fast pace, I'm often knackered for the rest of the ride and have to work hard to stay with them. If we start at a slower pace for a mile or two, then later Im fine and can ride for what seems like ages beyond what my mates seem comfy with and can certainly sustain the later climb with legs to spare when the fast starters are lagging.
I'm averagely, at 54 , 12 or more years older than most of the others. I ride maybe 40 miles a week over two or three rides all off-road. Are they just showing off or am I for the knackers yard.
The first hour or so of any ride has me questioning my very being, esp if it starts with a reasonable climb, after that I seem to get a second wind. I'm 29
Same here at 44. First 1/2 hour or so of any reasonably exertive ride I tend to feel weak and like I'm having to work overly hard just to keep up. Once that passes I'm usually all good regardless of the length of the ride.
Maybe I should learn to warm up properly, but that always sounds a bit 'serious'.
Yep, same here. If I push it in the first 30 mins I am hosed for the day. 32 in November.
Couple that with the fact that I can barely ride a bike for the first 30 mins as well. My timing and balance just doesn't reach its best for a while.
The somewhat 'technical' climb that starts the Innerleithen Red XC route has literally nearly had me in tears before. If I come back for a second lap I can normally ride up without a dab!?! What's that all about???
Same here. Often ride with folks who whizz off like the clappers seemingly.. 😐
Feel a little better about this now then ! Thanks guys. Two or three miles steady, stop, take a layer off perhaps and good to go !
Warm up? Takes me 10 mins into a ride/gym/run.
If I blast straight away I feel iffy. Plus you'll use up your energy/ATP.
Ride more short hard sprints and check your diet.
(37 btw.)
Me and my riding mate are the same. He likes to break the ride in gently and I like to go at it balls out from the start. I'll often be waiting for him after the first couple if hills but after half way through we're about equal and he can spank along at the same speed.
this is music to my ears!
I've always struggled from a slow start, I can honestly say that for the majority of rides I actually dislike the first part until I get my second wind.
Sounds pathetic but in the past I've bailed on a ride 30 minutes in and waited for my mates in the pub instead.
Most people I ride with are about 10-15 years younger(I'm 46) ...... I just get the feeling they're all out to kill me tbh....
1st 20 minutes of a ride are mostly spent getting my knees to stop hurting. After that I'm as good as I'm going to get
same here. On a long ride I'm at the back the first hour, then get going, and by 3-4 hrs I'm the one at the front. I suspect this has got more extreme with age (40). It's not that I'm unfit but I've lost my turn of speed and become more of an endurance rider. Mind you, @theonlywayisup off here is older than me and he's one of the people who make me suffer at the start of a ride.
I've found, as I get older, it takes me longer to warm up. Takes a while to get into it now.
First 2 miles I quite often have an argument with myself about why I'm bothering and how hard it all seems and threaten to throw my bike in the hedge. Then something clicks, I'm warmed up and no longer feel like I'll faint in a pool of vomit and it's all fun again. 38 if age makes any difference.
Same here, plus I drive to where we meet to start riding whereas others ride there and so are warmed up. If I rarely get there early I go for a 15 minute spin round the block which helps massively.
[quote=uselesshippy ]I've found, as I get older, it takes me longer to warm up. Takes a while to get into it now.
Yes, yes, yes. It's like an old engine. You need to run it a while to get the parts well lubricated but it'll then run on for ages. At age 55, I don't bother chasing folk (as with most of us oldies, my riding partners all seem to be 15+ years my junior).
You just need to warm up. It's no different whether off road, on road or racing. If I start a race cold and fast, I know the first third will be dreadful, the next third suffering and the last OK.
A steady 10 minutes, remove a layer and nail it! It's not an age thing. A ride around the car park in a spinny gear is a good start.
43 years old here, and feel so much better after reading this thread.
61 here and I've known for years the older I get the longer I take to warm up. So I ride half an hour to get to the start. Then I can ride for ages. Right now at 10 to 11 its last orders at the Clifford arms after a nice evening ride so I'm starting to put on a couple more layers and ride the 90 minutes back home over Cannock chase solo.
44 and now an official member of the slow to warm up club. 😀
I've been the same right from when I started riding bikes regularly at 19. It's nothing to do with fitness as I've been the same from those early years when I was really fit to now when I'm not.
I find that a deliberate hard effort early on (which feels horrible) followed by a couple of minutes easy sorts out my legs/lungs after which everything works as I'd expect. It's getting that recovery in there though that's critical. If I start hard and then keep on (eg chasing other people) then I'll likely struggle for most of the ride.
10 or 12 miles isn't a proper ride (unless you're in the Lakes).
Go out 50 mins before, get fully warmed up and then blow them away on the first climb.
Two problems solved!
And again the same here. First half hour feels like torture, after that I feel better with a good sweat on. Ride with some younger and fitter lads, they can smash me on the climbs but I get my own back on techy/downhill stuff.