I watch riders roll up to a race, clip in, and go straight into a full-gas effort within five minutes. Then they wonder why the first lap feels like they are breathing through a straw. The warm-up is the most overlooked free performance gain in cycling, and the pros take it seriously for good reason.
At WorldTour level, riders will spend 20 to 30 minutes on the turbo before a time trial or a race with a hard start. The protocol usually follows a ramp — start at 50 per cent of FTP, build through tempo, then hit two or three short blows above threshold. Not to accumulate fatigue, but to crack open the aerobic engine so it is running at full capacity when the effort starts for real.
For age-group riders and weekend racers, you do not need to replicate a pro's exact protocol. But the principles transfer perfectly. Spend 10 to 15 minutes gradually increasing intensity. Get your heart rate climbing through zones. Then include a couple of 20- to 30-second efforts at or above threshold intensity. These prime your oxygen delivery system, raise muscle temperature, and recruit motor units across the full spectrum.
Adding a few off-bike activation exercises can help too — especially if you drove to the event and have been sitting in a car for an hour. Bodyweight squats, glute bridges, and leg swings take two minutes and make the first pedal strokes feel connected rather than clunky.
The key is finishing the warm-up close to the start. If you warm up and then sit around for 15 minutes, you lose most of the benefit. Time it so you are rolling to the line with your engine ticking over, not cooling down.
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