Spend a few minutes behind the start line at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, a major gravel race or even your local marathon, and you’ll notice something interesting. The fastest riders aren’t sitting around trying to conserve energy. They’re already pedalling.
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Some are spinning on rollers, but increasingly they’re warming up on smart trainers. It has become standard practice across every discipline of competitive cycling, from cross-country mountain biking and gravel racing to the WorldTour, where riders like Tadej Pogačar routinely prepare for races on Elite smart trainers.
It’s not about looking professional. It’s about arriving at the start line ready to perform from the first pedal stroke.
For many amateur riders, a warm-up consists of a gentle spin around the parking area before joining the start chute. But when the gun goes, mountain bike and gravel races rarely ease you into the action. The pace is usually relentless from the outset, with riders fighting for position before the first piece of singletrack or attacking the opening climb at full gas.
If your body isn’t ready, you’re immediately playing catch-up.
YOUR RACE STARTS BEFORE THE START
A proper warm-up does far more than loosen stiff muscles. As your body temperature rises, blood flow to the working muscles increases, oxygen is delivered more efficiently and the body’s energy systems are primed for hard efforts. Instead of waiting for your heart rate and muscles to catch up during the opening kilometres, they’re already operating close to race readiness.
Research has consistently shown that an appropriate warm-up can improve power output, sprint performance and high-intensity exercise capacity while reducing the perceived effort of those early race efforts.
For cross-country racers, that can mean reaching the first technical section in a better position. For marathon and gravel riders, it can make the difference between staying with the lead group over the opening climbs or watching it disappear up the trail.
PRIMING THE ENGINE
Professional cyclists don’t simply spin their legs before racing. Most follow carefully structured warm-up routines that gradually increase intensity before including several short efforts at or above race pace.
These efforts prepare both the muscles and nervous system to produce high power almost immediately once the race begins. Sports scientists now commonly refer to this effect as Post-Activation Performance Enhancement (PAPE), where carefully timed high-intensity efforts temporarily improve subsequent muscle performance.
That’s why you’ll often see riders complete one final hard effort just a few minutes before heading to the call-up zone. They’re not trying to tire themselves out. They’re making sure the engine is already running when the flag drops.
WHY SMART TRAINERS HAVE BECOME THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE
Years ago, riders would often warm up on nearby roads. Today that’s becoming increasingly difficult. Mountain bike venues are crowded with spectators and competitors. Road races often have busy roads around the start area, while gravel events may offer few safe places to complete structured efforts.
A smart trainer solves every one of those problems. It allows riders to follow a precise warm-up wherever they’re parked, hitting exact power targets without traffic, interruptions or unnecessary fatigue. Better still, they can finish their final effort just minutes before rolling to the start line.
That’s why you’ll see smart trainers lined up behind team vehicles at WorldTour races, UCI Mountain Bike World Cups and major gravel events around the world.
RECOVERY DOESN’T FINISH AT THE FINISH LINE
The best riders don’t stop thinking about performance when they cross the finish line. Many climb straight back onto a trainer for 10 to 20 minutes of easy spinning.
While active recovery isn’t a magic cure for muscle soreness, research suggests it can help maintain blood flow, gradually reduce heart rate and promote a smoother transition back to resting physiology. Riders also consistently report feeling fresher later in the day, particularly during stage races or when racing on consecutive days.
For marathon mountain bikers tackling a weekend race or stage race – or anyone who wants to recover better before returning to work on Monday – that recovery spin can become just as valuable as the warm-up itself.
WHY SO MANY PROFESSIONALS CHOOSE ELITE
Elite has earned its reputation as one of professional cycling’s most trusted indoor training brands by working closely with many of the world’s leading teams and athletes. Today its smart trainers are used by multiple WorldTour teams, as well as elite mountain bikers, gravel racers and cyclo-cross specialists.
Elite’s credentials extend well beyond the indoor pain cave. The Italian brand is the official indoor training partner to more WorldTour teams than any other smart trainer manufacturer, including UAE Team Emirates XRG, Alpecin–Premier Tech, INEOS Grenadiers and Team Jayco AlUla. Elite trainers are equally at home in the mountain bike paddock, where teams like Alpecin–Premier Tech MTB and Wilier–Vittoria MTB Factory Team rely on them for race-day warm-ups and post-race recovery.
That close relationship with professional racing has helped shape trainers that deliver exceptional accuracy, realistic ride feel and rock-solid reliability – qualities that matter whether you’re preparing for the Tour de France or your local marathon.
An Elite smart trainer isn’t only for indoor training sessions during the week. It’s the perfect race-day companion.
Whether you’re lining up for a marathon, a gravel race, an XCO event or a multi-day stage race, it gives you the ability to warm up like the professionals, cool down more effectively afterwards and get the most from every race you enter.
Sometimes the biggest gains don’t come from riding harder. They come from arriving at the start line ready to perform.
See the Elite range of smart trainers available in South Africa here.
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