Hip adductor stretch
Aim: the hip adductors are a large group of muscles situated on the inner thigh from your knee up to the groin. Their primary role is to bring the leg towards the midline of the body. Often when riding, the adductors will shorten and over-tighten, resulting in the rider not being able to sit deep into the saddle and causing them to “grip” with the inner thigh. The idea of the stretch is to lengthen and relax these muscles — essentially switching them off to allow the rider to achieve a deeper and more stable position in the saddle. When you get on cold, this muscle will fire up a little bit more than you need it to, making you feel stiff when you eventually dismount. Opening it up before you get on will also help prevent this stiff feeling afterwards.
how to do it: lie on your back, bend one knee with your foot flat on the floor and keep the other leg straight. Gently allow the raised knee to drop outwardly away from the centre of the body. You will feel the stretch on the inside of your thigh. Hold this position for 20 seconds, repeating five times before doing the same with the other leg.