I’ve recently noticed an issue I have getting warmed up.

Yesterday a did a couple of laps around Sherwood Pines. I cycled 2 miles to get there and then did 2 fast laps. The first lap really hurt and I felt like I had no energy. The second was about 2 mins quicker, but it didn’t hurt and I actually enjoyed it.

The same happened at a recent race,after the first lap I was ready to die, but the 2nd was good fun, the 3rd I felt ok, but like my legs had been sapped of energy, although I know I could easily cope with the distance.

Would a Heart Rate Monitor help control my effort on the first lap? However I do find in races I go backwards a t first and then make places up as the race goes on.

At nearly 40 I’m not looking to be the fastest in races etc, but this is actually really putting me off the idea of doing more races…

Ta

I’m no expert, but sounds like you need to put a few miles in before the ‘go’ to get warmed up. This would make your first lap what the second was performance wise. Were you taking on any fuel before/during the race? I wonder if you hadn’t, but should have to prevent the third lap drop in performance. How long were the laps? What training had you done for the race?

Just warm up more. Mike your training rides longer to accomodate both anticipated race distance plus warm up.

2 miles isn’t really a warm up.
Something more like 20-30 minutes with some steady and a few short sprints of a minute or two each.

Warm up of more than 30 mins as described above. But also if you have done nothing the day before it can often be hard to get going. I make sure that the day before I do at least 30 mins with some hard efforts of a few minutes, or alternatively if your race is in the afternoon you could do this first thing in the morning.

Thanks for the advice. I get out on the bike maybe twice a week as my wife works long hours and we have a 3 yr old, so by the time I go to a race I may not have ridden for 3-4 days at least. I will try the quick ride the day before/morning.

I will also try warming up for longer.

I’d suggest looking at your diet, the release of correct energy giving nutrients, I know its an old cliche but I really do find porridge gives you that oooomph !

Carbs the day before or night before

Flapjack as well, home made stylie, I went to the pines yesterday afternoon, there must have been a thousand cyclists, I went round the green and blue with my mrs and the kid which is a great warm up and saw about 3 riders on the trails ! Either they know somewhere better to ride in the pines or they ain’t riding ?

Then I cracked round the red twice ! I said this before on a seperate thread on here, it takes me ages to warm up, years ago I used to do a fair bit of riding in Scotland and by the time I’d warmed up every one else was hanging out, my breathing is erratic and concentration shot.

I rode Dalby on Friday and didn’t get warmed up till Dixons Hollow which is about a 3rd of the way round, I parked in Thornton and rode in to warm up / down.

For me in the most part it’s concentration / fueling / mindset.

If I eat sandwiches before a ride the bread kills me, eating and then perched on a bike just sits in my gut and I can feel it in my pedaling and breathing, this affects my concentration and I just wander off completely then when I’m away with the fairies I’m off the boil and cannot get back into it !

Stress, sleep, also effect me massively,

The best way to regulate my erratic breathing is the old fashioned in thro your nose out thro hour mouth routine, it really fills and expands your lungs with clean fresh air and gets me ready for heavy CV activity

If you’restuck for time because of the wifes hours of work and the little’un ,have you considered a turbo trainer ?
30 mins a night/morning keeps the legs spinning at least