Tips for Getting Up Early To Cycle

[Pat "5mph"]

The alarm goes off at number 5 for us everyday, we are normally awake before that, I should add we do go to bed at about number 10.30.

Each to his own: sometimes I can get only this amount of sleep due to my work shifts, if it carries on for more than 3 days in a row I get as grumpy as anything.

What are these days with unlimited times, and an extra hour with the kids as the OP mentioned is very important to some, for me it is an extra hour with my wife. I take it you may not have them.

What if the family are all night owls?
I feel a wee day off afternoon snooze coming on ...

 

[screenman]

I used to get up later, mainly when SAD kicked in Amytrippilin for 7 years did not help, then I realised I was missing out on too many hours of very precious life. I feel I have conditioned or trained myself to the hours I do now.

 

[User16625]

I see getting up as just a numbers game, we are or some are conditioned to think anything before 8am is early, I am not one of them. 5am or 8am just a number as long as you have had enough sleep.

Like most I only have so many days in my life and I want to see as much of them as I can, sleeping is for a restore of the batteries.

I really like to comparison with a bar of chocolate line.

The alarm goes off at number 5 for us everyday, we are normally awake before that, I should add we do go to bed at about number 10.30.

For me I would need a reason for getting up before 11am. Even when im not hungover, I just hate mornings. Despite this I often get up an hour earlier on work days so I can cycle in. I have even used the money I saved by cycling to buy a better bicycle. When its raining I will have an extra hour and go on my bastard motorbike (I have lost interest in motoring lately).

I agree with what you say about being conditioned. I like my late nights and my body is very sluggish upon awakening, even after a night of long deep sleep. This is why I hate mornings.

 

[RichardB]

I work odd hours - 3 x 12-hour night shifts, one short night ending at 2 am, then three days off. My body clock is totally scrambled, and regular bed and waking times are a distant memory. I tend to set an alarm only when absolutely necessary, and otherwise let my body get the sleep it needs. Having said that, I love early mornings, and some days this summer I woke at 5 am, the sun was shining, and I was out on the bike and back before my wife woke up. Those were very good days. An excellent ride on quiet roads in good weather, home for coffee and a fry-up, and still most of the day to enjoy.

Talking of weird and wacky alarm systems ... I used to share a house with a guy who had terrible trouble getting up for lectures. His solution was a visit to a junk shop, from where he returned with an old-fashioned metal bathroom medicine cabinet (with lock and key), a bucket and a proper alarm clock with bells on the side. He set the alarm, put it in the cabinet next to his bed, locked it and dropped the key in the bucket, which he had filled with water. The clock made such a horrendous noise inside the metal cabinet that he had no choice but to plunge his arm in the bucket of water to silence it. I am OK with a normal alarm clock, but I never use the snooze function. I know myself too well.

 

[Dogtrousers]

For a weekend ride I like to get out early so I have some day left afterwards. My routine is a bit like that of @martint235 but rather slower over 60 miles.

A couple of suggestions. If you are leaving a loved one still asleep, maybe make them a flask of tea or coffee for when they do get up.

If you like porridge then put the ingredients for real porridge in a pan and bring to boil then switch off the night before. All it needs is warming up in the morning (and not even that if you like cold porridge).

 

[Cubist]

All good advice and a decent healthy debate so far. Another tip I read was that if you have the choice to take the car instead of the bike, and you find yourself wavering because of the weather, then put your basic cycling kit on BEFORE you open the curtains to check the weather........... You can always add an outer layer, and in any case, remember that the thought of cycling in the wind and rain is worse than the reality.

 

[hondated]

Another one here that likes to get out early on my bike. Once my eyes are open 5.30 - 6am ish its clothes on bike ready and out. During the week end I just love the fact that there are very few others about and I have the roads to myself.
A couple of times during this Summer I saw several people asleep on separate occasions asleep on grass verges. At least I think they were asleep !
Unbelievably one morning I met another cyclist and we rode along together for a while and it turned out he had ridden 10,000 miles across Australia and the subsequent book he had written is sitting on my bookshelf.
Now Winter has arrived there will be even less people about, great.

 

[tatr]

I also like leaving early - 3 or 4am in the summer, 5 or 6 in the winter. The only advice I can give is to have a mother who always started your holidays by getting you up at 3am and loading you into the car. An early start still feels like an adventure in the making 30+ years later. (This weekend I'm going to cycle from London to Wales. Can't ask for a better adventure/motivation than that. One day I'll get up and cycle to Italy. Or maybe around the world - probably need to start at 2am for that one.)

Packing the bike the night before is good advice, too. As is owning a selection of good warm bike clothes so that the cold isn't an issue. My goal is 15 min bed to bike but that's rarely achieved in reality.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Great tips in the OP, thanks for taking the trouble to post @TheAmateurCyclist

 

[Ben Reeve]

Great tips in the OP, thanks for taking the trouble to post @TheAmateurCyclist

Thanks for the positive feedback. Took me around 4 hours to put together, so glad it's getting some attention

 

[simongt]

My own strategy for mornings is to get up early enough so I'm pretty much ready to leave BEFORE the glw gets downstairs to begin her morning routine - !
My own problem with the pint of water first thing is that if I did that, I'd be stopping every couple of miles on my commute for a widdle - ! A mug of good strong tea ( sergeant-major's brew ) with my breakfast is my early morning liquid fix.

 

[cyberknight]

Today was a typical day shift for me atm
Alarm 5.20 am , out the door 5.45am after a quick brekkie , 10 miles to work .
Cuppa when i get there, start at 6.45 am .
Finished today 6 pm
Cycle back
Shower , tea ,spend time with kids , get stuff ready for next day ,bit of cycle chat , bed at 10 pm

 

[screenman]

Mine was up at 5am, in the office by 5.20 eating breakfast whilst answering emails. 6.55 out of the door for a 10 mile drive to the pool, 90 minute swim then off around the garages fixing dents. Back home for 4.30 to spend some time on the other business, dinner at 5.30 on the turbo at 7pm for 40minutes.

Shower and sit down with kindle on my lap along with a book.

I expect to be in bed by 11pm.

Boring though it may seem, roughly the same will happen for the next 3days. Weekends do vary.

 

[martinclive]

All seems very complicated..................I get up half an hour before I leave - quick wash and shave, put on my clothes that are lying there from the ride home the night before, grab packed lunch, water bottle and leave..............maybe I'm making it too simple!

Bfast once in the office

I do agree with motivation of meeting people though............