The emotional stages of an early morning ride
Waking up at the crack of dawn to ride has its advantages but you'll inevitably go through a series of emotions
Many cyclists take advantage of the early morning hours at the crack of dawn to get in a ride when it’s cool during the summer and the traffic is light. Getting in a ride before your day gets underway and the fatigue of a full workday sets in can be extremely satisfying. In the summer when the temperature rises into nearly unbearable territory, early morning rides help you beat the heat. Here are the emotional stages of an early morning ride:
Sets alarms the night before
The struggle to drag yourself out of bed and onto your bike in the morning is going to be real. In anticipation, you develop a complex strategy that will ensure your sleep is completely disrupted at an ungodly hour leaving you no choice but to get out of bed.
Do I really need to do this?
The alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. and you wonder how you can possibly get a bit more sleep. It’s going to be a hot day and the ride is going to leave without you if you don’t haul yourself out of bed. You rise with the sun and slip into the kit you layed out in a pile on the floor last night.
Drinks a gallon of water
It’s been a hot week. Being hydrated is important. So before heading out, you pound a gallon of cold water then quickly wolf down a banana. Nutrition for the morning, all taken care of.
Espresso shots for days
When you roll up to the coffee shop where you meet everyone for the ride, you B-line to the espresso bar and down one before hopping back into the saddle. Caffeine will help slowly wake you up so you can at least hold a casual conversation.
Heavy legs
You know that the first pedal strokes on a morning ride are going to feel horrible, but it remains kind of surprising every time. You have barely moved in (hopefully) eight hours, so going from sleeping to running is jarring for your body. After a bit of time, you find your groove and begin to feel a little stronger again, finally.
This isn’t so bad
As the ride progresses and your mind and body wake up, you begin to feel human. You’re congratulating yourself for getting up to ride in the morning, imagining how great it’ll feel to have it out of the way before most people are even out of bed.
Oh crap, I’m running late
As you reach the end of your ride, you realize you need to get home ASAP so you can get to work on time. You need time to shower, make another coffee and eat before your morning commute.
Realizing your ride is done and you have a full day ahead of you
Despite the slight rush to get back. Once you are showered and the world around you is buzzing with activity as your neighbours wake up, you can appreciate that you’ve got the entire day ahead of you and you’ve already gotten a great ride into the legs.
