my rides are limited to saturday or sunday mornings, back before 12 or grief all day. so if i want to go further or do something like Gisburn, i have to be out at 5ish. on clear day watching the sun creep up over gisburn is pretty amazing and beams of misty light in the woods – always make it worthwhile.

06:00 – 06:15 start when I’m commuting to work on the bike, I’ll normally clock in half an hour earlier than if I’m driving and that’s after a shower, I suppose I could get up at 05:00 and have a really good, extended ride to work this time of year as the Sun is out and about at that time currently, and the Roads will be even quieter… but The kids are not settling properly at night (with the heat and odd daylight hours) and I’m struggling to get any sleep as it is, I think I’d have to go to bed at about 21:00 hours, its just not going to happen TBH…

Early morning rider here although I struggle with anything before 05:30.

Food wise, I’m out for 2hr max for these morning rides so a big glass of milk before I go and a flap jack / fruit & nut bar in the pocket if I get the shakes halfway through (like this morning although that might have been too much red wine last night!)

Don’t eat just go. Take a banana if you must, but eat on your return brimming with righteousness.

Any faff at all means I don’t go – so it’s shoes on, out the door.

Then back in to put shorts and shirt on.

Then out the door 🙂

Same for running, if I let my head get involved I’ll stay in bed!

Mmm good point brassneck tomorrow I will don kit whilst preparing bottle. No way out then.

Probably best to just sleep in your riding kit, Shoes, Helmet, Gloves, Camelbak and all… The missus might get a bit funny about it mind.

I tried early morning rides for a bit, pre kids. Everything ready the night before, 6.15am alarm, few swigs of tea, few spoonfuls of oat porridge or granola. I wanted to ride hard for up to 1.5hrs and any more and my stomach can’t handle it. Back home for 8, shower and finish breakfast before work. Struggled to get moving, but had a target of being a fitter racer and knew I would begrudge missing an opportunity if I didn’t go.
Now, with kids, early mornings seem impossible – need to be supporting the wife by sorting kids, dogs etc until I go to work so, now it’s late night riding once they’ve all gone to bed at 9pm.

I think it helps to be flexible with your days and distances – if it’s gonna be pissing down tomorrow and looking good for the day after, set yourself up for the good weather. I don’t see any point in making it more difficult, it’s supposed to be for enjoyment. And if you’ve got some different length routes you can switch to the one that’s going to get you back home on time if you’re running late or manage to get out earlier.

Empty roads and sunrises do bring a great deal of smugness when sat at work amongst weary car commuters.

My normal weekend ride starts at 7am which looking at the posts on here is almost the middle of the day!
This is mainly due to the cheeky nature of some of my local trails that start to get used by opinionated dog walkers after 8ish.

My kids are up at 6am most days, so if i leave the house just before 7 at least the Mrs gets to stay in bed until then.

I have done daft early morning rides before now, 5am starts that sort of thing, but to be honest I spend the first hour or so in a daze, riding clumsily and crashing, no matter how much coffee I had. Also the wife dislikes super early alarms on the weekend as she struggles to get back to sleep.

In the past i have had brekky before going (muesli) but i have started to have a couple of breakfast biscuits washed down with a cup of dirty instant for a quick getaway.

I’ll take snacks with me for mid ride snacking if need be and then have a meal when i get back.

Ive done a few early 4am rides recently, only cos I havent been able to sleep or I have stayed up all night the gone out on bike, especially when its hot during the day its nice and cool at that time of the morning.

I dont know about all this snacking malarky! what are you all on about? cornish pasties in your back pockets? a good bowl of porridge with honey and blueberries before the off and a cup of green tea and thats it! plenty of water on ride and if Im feeling slow towards the end I’ll take a gel, they act faster than a snack!

Oh and some of the wildlife you get to see at that time of the morning too is fantastic.

I go mega early for road rides, get my kit ready the night before and munch a banana before going out. Works fine for rides 2hrs and less, usually grab a coffee mid point.

I go mega early to avoid the hoards of riders. It’s nice just returning home having done my ride as the Colnago, Pinerello Sky Riders are just stretching into bulging lycra 😮

Summer is THE perfect time for early rides.

I can be in the Peaks and back home in Manchester by 10.30am having had a great ride seeing no one, quiet roads and with the whole day ahead for other stuff.

Its not painful getting up early- do it when you cant sleep for the first time. After that you don’t need motivation, from the benefits you ping awake easily.

4am start is a little silly. 5.30am- 6am start is spot on.

alarm went off at 5 this morning, looked a bit foggy so I decided not to go out. changed my mind at 5.15 and glad I did. Was a bit chilly down in the valley but glorious up top.

7 miles up, 7 miles back, 1600ft of climbing done before breakfast.

Cheers this thread/OP…

I normally cycle to/from work on a Tuesday, but a meeting this afternoon at a client’s site has sort of scuppered that.

So late last night I decided I would get up and out for a ride early, got out at 05:30 for and hour and a quarter on my HT, and then had time to swing by the Garage on the way home and get some Flowers for the missus (today is our anniversary). So she got a Cuppa, card and Flowers in Bed, Brownie points, and I squeezed in a ride… Nice!

Very few Cars about, lovely weather, not too cold. I Might do the same tomorrow morning, could take the road bike out…

Early morning rides are the new Night rides, for now at least…

Little one slept through til 6.30 this morning…suddenly that’s a bad thing! No time for bikey shenanigans, ride out tonight then. (HOPEFULLY)

Up at 5am this morning, out riding at 5:30. got back just after 8am after clocking up a nice offroad ride of just under 30 miles. Didn’t see another person until heading back along the lanes near 8am. Did see a lot of deer, rabbits and buzzards though. 🙂

second breakfast was essential.

Weird but I’d prefer to ride at 5am than ride at 6pm if that makes sense.

Why though?

Weird but I’d prefer to ride at 5am than ride at 6pm if that makes sense.

Why though?

Work/holiday/catch a plane response. When the alarm goes at 5 I subconsciously know I did it for a reason so I’m out of the door again before I start to think too hard.. usually waiting on my drive for a taxi to T5 at that sort of hour, and want to avoid waking the whole house up.

yep, agree with the positive comments posted, early doors rides are fab, was up at 6, out the door on the cross bike by 6.15, lovely day, do the long route into work, makes it a gravel commute of about an hour and if I do the same route in the evening its full of dog walkers and cars, pah, hardly saw anybody this morning, lovely.

These are about the only rides I get at the moment as littleTi_pin_manTWINS were born 6 weeks ago. Sleep? Pah. I slap sleep in the face with a wet fish, yawn.

Weird but I’d prefer to ride at 5am than ride at 6pm if that makes sense.

Why though?

I think its because it makes you feel a bit “Virtuous” like you’re up early while the rest of the world is wasting precious daylight, Evening Rides are good, but you’re probably knackered after a day at work, My morning ride today felt quite “Energising”, I’m bolloxed now though, feels like a long day at work…

According to the Beeb weather site sunrise is 04:58 for me tomorrow, I think I might make a point of getting up in time for it…

Toodle pip, need to get home, put the kids to bed and then get some kip myself…

Watching the sun rise whilst your halfway through a decent ride is one of life’s free magical moments.

Yay finally managed it. Set my alarm for 4:45, mapped out a route, 40 miles too long for the 3 hours I had so figured I’d do some mid route editing seeing how I felt. Anyway as of 3:30 I was getting kicked in the back by our 3 year old, figured I may aswell get up, out of the house just after 4 so no need for lights. Bit misty to start, lovely views
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ofVebY]edgeworthvalley1[/url] by D0NK, on Flickr
Through edgeworth then upto Peel tower
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ofPaQi]peel tower[/url] by D0NK, on Flickr
across to edenfield and a hard climb up gin croft and I was on the rossendale way
[url=https://flic.kr/p/nYBjhL]rossendalewayahead[/url] by D0NK, on Flickr
More mist but a nice little tail wind meant I was motoring, fantastic to be out, bit of mist, steam rising off me, early morning sun everywhere looked lovely.
Not much wild life out, couple rabbits, a crow who’d caught an unlucky frog, plenty of sheep most ran but a couple just stay sat down giving me a disdainful look, dunno what they were thinking but I reckon it could have been “CX, around here? No no no mate, you want a short travel 29er with some decent tyres”
Going down rooley moor road they were right, surprised I’m not suffering from vibration white finger or carpel tunnel, I got battered. Dropped into Heywood but then I was out of my knowledge trail wise so took the road straight into manchester.

If you’re thinking about early morning riding but haven’t got around to doing it yet,

GET IT DONE!

More (not very good) pics

Still inspired and still wanting to do this… This week(and weekend) may be tough – doing a big ride saturday (day) so seems pointless waking early on Sunday to get out!
Maybe Tuesday am!

DrP

I normally ride tuesday nights (not last night tho, stuff at home and crap weather) I was hoping to do a thur/fri morning on those weeks where I can’t ride at weekends. Really enjoyed it, will definitely be doing it again, tho probably a slightly easier route 🙂

Went out running this morning. Feel good so far, but the post-lunch crash is not going to be fun.

Good thing I have a 3 course meal planned for later tonight!

Using this thread as inspiration I set the alarm for 6 and managed to get out if bed for ten past (mainly cause my wife was kicking me) it was starting to chuck it down which slowed me down a bit as I had to find wet weather gear but was still out the door long before seven. Managed 60+ miles on the road bike and came home for 10.30. Much earlier than wife expected so reckon some brownie points have been earned.

Maybe next Sunday alarm will be set for 5.30 and out for 6!

6am start at weekend means 3 hour ride and still back before kids breakfast. Can get round Dalby and beyond and only see deer and the occasional fox. Tend to have cereal and coffee on the way out and rest of breakfast on the way in in answer to OP’s original question.

second *early* start of the summer for me today, bit more reasonable 5am, road this time as I was unashamedly looking to bump up my mileage.

Anyone else been carrying on with early morning rides?
(not that 2 so far this year can really be classed as “carrying on”)