All of us office rats know that besides barbecues, picnics and vacations the best part about summer is being able to ride after work without needing lights. Since the mid-week ride's victor gets bragging rights for the whole week, these rides are as hard fought as any Tour de France stage. We put together this list of the five most important things to remember to help you be crowned mid-week champion.
1. Muscle Prep
Chances are you're not going to have the luxury of lounging around all day, staying off your legs. So, before heading off to work in the morning, pull on a pair of compression tights or leggings. These will help reduce fluid retention and swelling that naturally occurs in your legs throughout the day, which doesn’t lend itself to peak performance when the gauntlet is thrown down on the evening ride. Remember: don't stand when you can sit, and don't sit if you can lie down.
Most cycling apparel manufacturers are now making compression wear, ranging from calf high socks to full tights and everything between. Prices vary from $30.00 to $200.00.
2. Hydration
Have a water bottle with you all day, constantly sipping it to keep you hydrated. If your hydration is off, your performance could drop substantially even on a ride as short as an hour. Aim to drink five, 16-ounce bottles of water throughout the day; but avoid drinking calorie dense carbohydrate drinks when you’re not exercising, unless you don’t mind looking like the Michelin Man. Don't try to chug all your water in the last hour before the ride; proper hydration is an all day endeavor.
3. Food
Eat your normal breakfast and lunch, but add in a 300 to 400-calorie snack about two hours before the ride. Any more than that and you might be seeing it again after the first hard effort. Not having any food between lunch and the ride might leave you empty when it comes to the decisive move coming into the town sign sprint. Choose a snack that has close to a 5 to 1 Carbohydrate to Protein ratio, and is low in fat.
Making sure your muscle glycogen stores are topped off a couple of hours before the ride will keep you fueled until the end, but without leaving you full and bloated when it's throw down time.
4. Caffeine
This one is an individual choice. Some people can’t have caffeine so late in the day; but when you’re up until midnight thinking and writing about bikes, caffeine is your only friend. An espresso 30 minutes before hand is the only liquid courage I need to make that first attack, and on a ride 90 minutes or less, it shouldn’t let you down. If you're having trouble going to bed at your regular time after a ride, it might not be the caffeine; sometimes a hard workout late in the day can key you up, making it hard to fall asleep.
Pick your poison: latte, cappuccino, Americano, or espresso; whatever you pick will make a difference when the hammer goes down. FYI, if you order a cappuccino in Italy after 10 AM they will snicker at you behind your back.
5. Warm-up
Before you meet up with the group a 30-minute warm-up, with or without a caffeine buzz, will do wonders for your legs the first half of the ride. For the warm-up: ride at a conversational pace the first 10 minutes; then ramp up to a pace where you can’t get a full sentence out before having to stop talking to breathe, ride at this level for 5 minutes. Spin lightly for 5 minutes and then do one, two-minute effort at a pace that feels about 90% of maximum. Spend the rest of the time riding easy to keep your legs opened up and ready to make your buddies suffer.
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