Bike Based Warm Up — what to do and common mistakes

As we are approaching spring the mountain bike season in Europe, Asia and North America is beginning. The Oceania, African and South American season is already in full swing! If you are struggling with your race day warm up then carry on reading for some advice on what to do and common mistakes which can be avoided.

Cross Country, Cyclocross and Downhill riders often choose to warm up on a stationary trainer to music. For cross country and cyclocross riders you can also warm up by finding a short loop or hill to ride. It’s not so easy for downhill! Often you will need your trainer at the top of an uplift

Riders and coaches place a huge emphasis on warming up. A ‘good warm up’ can have a huge impact on your mindset and your performance. Similarly a bad one can be detrimental. Many people talk about having not done enough, however, few people notice the point that you can also do too much. Don’t go crazy and waste energy!

At the top of the downhill uplift on race day or in the cross country race village you will see riders on turbo trainers completing what looks like a very hard training session. You’ll see other riders looking around at what the competition is doing, or pedalling aimlessly.

When you begin your warm up you should be focussing on your own effort and you should have a plan. If you don’t there is a chance that doubts will be in your mind. Your warm up should ready your body and mind to race. It should be structured and feel almost like a box ticking exercise. You should practice it at each race and know how long it takes. Here is a structured warm up plan which is the basis for a number of pro’s and Olympians race day preparation

Wake the body up and get blood flowing


Spend 5 to 10 minutes riding at a low intensity and a light gear at a comfortable cadence. If you are using a heart rate monitor then less than 60% of your maximum is a good intensity

You can see that Steve Peat is relaxed before starting his warm up at the Fort William World Cup in 2012. He was actually quite stressed to be riding with an injured hand so a friend brought him a cup of tea and some biscuits!

Gradually increase the intensity


Now you are awake and ready you should gradually build intensity over 8 minutes so that you spend the last 30 seconds of the effort at your race pace. An easy way to do this if you are warming up on steady climb, rollers or turbo trainer is to maintain a good cadence and click through the gears on the rear cassette every two minutes. If you have a heart rate monitor follow this guide:

2 minutes gradually building up to 65% of maximum heart rate

2 minutes gradually building up to 75% of maximum heart rate

2 minutes gradually building up to 80% of maximum heart rate

1 minute gradually building up to 85% of maximum heart rate

1 minute gradually building up to 90% of maximum heart rate

The last 30 seconds of the 8 minutes should be hard but manageable and you should feel focussed and calm. If you feel frantic or panicked you are over riding your warm up

Recovery then Activation


Following your 8 minutes gradual build you should then spend 3 minutes spinning a light gear in a comfortable cadence at a low intensity. You should then perform a short 6 to 10 second ‘sprint’ in a medium gear at a high cadence. The load on the gear should not be too hard and it is important to spin your legs fast. Spend another 3 minutes spinning a light gear before repeating your ‘activation sprint’ for 6 to 10 seconds.

This warm up will take less than half an hour. During your warm up you should drink around 200–300ml of water, or electrolyte or energy drink. Riders will often take an energy gel 15 to 20 minutes before their race. Make sure you drink appropriate fluids with any food or gel consumed.

Hopefully this will help those of you who needed some assistance with your bike based warm up routine for cross country, cyclocross or downhill. On your next race day write down your warm up plan and ‘tick the boxes’. This will leave you feeling relaxed and confident!

Good luck!