Waking up at first light (usually around 5:30 in the Summer) I find myself up before everyone else. I feel like I have the whole world to myself. Everything is visible but quiet, traffic is extremely low, camp and city noise is at a minimum, wind and rain are the least likely, and temparatures are the lowest of the day. This makes the very early morning the absolute best time to ride and, for that matter, take care of nature’s call like any other animal.
Biking four hours a day in the morning at 13 miles per hour hits my minimum 40 miles per day. If I pack and leave by 6:00 that means I arrive at my daily destination by about 10:00. This is perfect to eat something substantial, top off my batteries, clean-up a little, and check-in to wherever I might be staying at 11:00, which seems to be the earliest check-in time for most places.
If I have a morning meeting as early as 8:00 California time (11:00 where my team is located), or if I am in an area where traffic picks up for rush hour, then I can split the four-hour ride into two two-hour rides (or just ride a lot faster, if possible).
Occasionally, something drastic will happen during my ride. Perhaps I woahfully underestimated the difficulty, or have a mechanical, or spot something so amazing it demands immediate attention rather than just passing it by. Leaving shortly after first-light ensures I will always have daylight for these unexpected situations. Depending on the situation, this simply delays my arrival at the destination without putting a reservation in jeapordy–or worse–forcing me to bike in the dark.
One mental advantage of getting the day’s bike riding work done for the day first–before the real work begins–is the sense of peace and accomplishment and makes my work day so much better. My body is full of dophomine and endorphins. I feel rejuvinated. I am ready to conquer the world much like when (in my 30s) I used to rise at 5:30 and train for triathlons, or do Ashtanga, before the work day. The sunrise just adds to the euphoria. When it is time to open the laptop and get to work I don’t feel panicked because I have already reached where I need to be and know that all that goodness will be waiting for me again tomorrow morning.