RIDING EARLY IS FOR THE BIRDS

( PARTICULARLY LARKS)

Five years ago, I was a guinea pig in a research study conducted by the Sports Science Institute, looking at the training perceptions of ‘ larks’ – morning-type cyclists. The study found that when larks (as opposed to owls) cycle in the morning, their perception of effort is lower. In other words, when they did the same workload at the same intensity in the morning and later in the day, they believed the effort in the evening was more difficult.

Dr Dale Rae, who supervised the research, says that from a biological perspective it’s not surprising that South African cyclists are riding earlier. She says that at about 75%, cycling in South Africa has an overrepresentation of people with morning-type genes. That’s because cycling is well suited to genetically-predisposed morning types. Morning types tend to choose sports that are better suited to their body clocks.

Cycling in South Africa is more of a morning sport – races start early, cycling groups have early starts to beat the traffic, the sun and the wind; and because it’s a time-intensive commitment, people cycle early to accommodate work and family. For larks, morning training can improve their morning performance – they feel better in the morning, and maximise their training. From a performance perspective, owls are at a disadvantage. That’s not to say owls can’t compete in the morning. “By repeatedly getting up early, an owl can be conditioned, and become a moderate morning type; but owls will always perform better at the end of the day,” says Dale. She advises people who ride early to make sure they get enough sleep. “Increasing your training load is only an advantage if you get sufficient sleep for your body to recover.”