Its race day. The pits are hectic and your team is working hard to get all the final details on your machine ready for the starting line. Its 20 min to race time, what can do you do to be as ready as possible?

I have been attending many motorcycle races these days, and have noticed that under the awning of almost every pro team, you will find a stationary bike, or a bike connected to a training unit. Although not used for conditioning purposes, these stationary bikes are the essential warm-up tools for almost every racer. While you should stretch before every race, you should always make it a point to warm up on the stationary bike as well. You will find that if you get your blood flowing first, you will ride much better when you actually get out onto the track. You should get into the habit of getting on the bike for about 20 minutes before the start of the race. This gives you enough time to warm up your muscles, but not too much time to where you will start to cool down again. A good warm up will usually last about 15 minutes, but sometimes 20-30 if it feels right. Getting on the stationary before a race will also get your lungs opened up.As far as the actual pedaling goes, there really isn’t much to it, just try to find an even rhythm that will help you get warm. You definitely don’t want to wear yourself out, but breaking a small sweat will be helpful. The stationary cycle  is also a great way to clear your head before a race and begin the focus processes needed in racing. With so much going on in the pits, it’s good to kind of slow down and focus before a race. This is definitely one of the best things that any racer can do to get into race mode.