I’ve decided that warming up on a BIKE for a time trial is somewhat over-rated. Instead, I recommend the following technique which I had the chance to test out today:

Roll up to the starting officials about 12 minutes before your start.

Casually pass your bike to the officials for the formality of bike weight check and position check.

Receive the frightening news that your bike’s handlebars are 1cm too long.

It’s important to bear in mind:
a) At 6′3″ I’m tall for a cyclist. Rules are generally bent to accomodate non-Pro-Tour-cyclist-who-aren’t-5-foot-nothin’. (SIX FOOT THREE! I’m all man, baby!)
b) My bike hasn’t changed it’s position in years. This bike has passed the bike check at Tour of GA and Tour of CA x 2, among other races. Suddenly it’s way off.
c) Additionally, at this point, there are four team directors giving the officials an earful, because their riders are breaking the same rule.

So now there’s about 9 minutes until my start. From then until 2.5 minutes to go, the friendly folks at MAVIC swapped my stem for one 1cm shorter that they fortuitously had on hand. My heart rate is skipping along around 165bpm, and thankfully got to slow a bit in the hundred twenty seconds until my start. Yikes.