Best Time to go Cycling: How to Get it Right!

When is the best time to go cycling?

I’ve cycled in every single time frame you can think of, from those early rides when the whole world is still sleeping to those mega late nights.

And that’s why in this article I am gonna show you all the pros and cons of cycling in the morning, afternoon and night.

The most common times to go on a bike ride: Early morning (6-8 am), afternoon (3-5 pm), and evening (7-9 pm).

Time Of Cycling	Pros	Cons
Early Morning	– Low Traffic – Perfect way to start the day – Good for burning fat	– Low energy levels – Can be hard to get out of bad – Cold Weather
Afternoon	– Your performance is 100% – Best for muscle building -Good for intense training	– Lots of traffic – You are usually busy at that time frame – High temperature in summer
Evening	– A good way to clear your mind – Low traffic – Low risk of injury	– Not safe – Might struggle to sleep – Might be tired

What is the Best Time to go Cycling?

Sometimes we are forced to squeeze in our rides in between our daily tasks. So we cannot always choose when to cycle.

But when we have the ability to choose, there are some common benefits to cycling at different times throughout the day.

So let’s start out with my favorite one.

Morning Cycling

If you had asked me a few years ago what is the best time to go cycling I would definitely say anytime except in the morning.

But nowadays I actually think the mornings are the best time to go on a bike ride.

Cycling in the morning is an excellent start to the day. When the whole world is asleep you are there on the road enjoying your ride. It gives you that happiness boost because you’ve done the hard part first thing in the morning.

Apart from psychological benefits, there are also a bunch of others related specifically to your cycling experience. 

The first one is low traffic. This means you can ride freely on the road without thinking if some car is going to hit you.

But of course, there will be some downsides to morning rides such as cold weather and low energy levels. 

Colder weather might actually be a good thing if it’s summer but if it’s not you must prepare some extra layers for your ride.

If you have problems with your energy levels in the morning, here is the one thing that helped me a lot (link to the magic drink).

I drink this every morning before my ride, and wow boyy, I’m literary flying on the road.

Scientific studies show that endurance performance is better in the morning.

Let me explain.

Let’s say you must climb up a big hill. The first time you try to climb in the morning, the second time in the afternoon. Everything is the same except the time at which you are cycling.

The afternoon ride will give you better results.

But if you try the same experiment but instead of riding one hill, you have to ride 6 hills.

Then the morning ride will show better results in performance.

Afternoon Cycling

Afternoon cycling is best for people who want to do intense training sessions.

Your core temperature and breathing capacity are at their maximum which means you will be able to do high intension exercises.

Also, your muscle strength and energy levels are at their peak during the afternoon so you are going to fly through the air like a bullet.

But there are also a lot of downsides.

The first one is traffic. Cycling on the streets may be a problem since there are a lot of cars cruising around, so you need to stay aware.

The second downside is the heat, especially in the summertime. In the afternoon the sun is at its peak so it burns so bad. Make sure you are using SPF every time you are cycling between 1-3 pm otherwise you will burn like cancer.

Also in the middle of the day, you may have some other things scheduled out so it will be hard to fit both your work and your cycling.

Evening Cycling

Many people prefer going on bike rides at night after working all day because they can relax and watch the sunset on their bikes.

Also, the temperature is a little bit better and there are fewer cars on the streets. This means you will not sweat as much as you do on the midday ride.

During your whole day, you’ve built up your epinephrine and norepinephrine levels which means you have less chance to pick up some injury.

If you decide to go on a ride in the evening make sure to bring both front and rear lights with you because you need to be visible to other traffic passengers.

Although evening rides have their pros, there is one con: night rides can wake you up too much and ruin your entire sleep.

So make sure you chill out at least one hour before going straight to the bad.

Summary

You want to schedule your rides according to your individual goals.

Every time of day has both advantages and disadvantages. Keep in mind what your goal is: Do you just want to lose fat, reduce anxiety, enjoy cycling, or you are training for a race?

• If you want to get a good start to a day and enjoy cycling you should start your rides in the morning
• If you want to do high-intensity training you should start in the afternoon.
• And If you want to rest and enjoy yourself you should cycle in the evening.

These are not exact rules you need to follow, it doesn’t mean if you go on a morning ride you won’t do good training, these are just general rules that work for most people.

You should try it out yourself and see what time is a winner for you.

I hope this article was helpful!