Indianapolis Motor Speedway hasn’t sprung to life as Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Kanaan and Sebastian Saavedra see the sun rise above Turn 2.

Their morning jaunts this month combine mental preparation for the day’s activities and cardio work while on a considerably slower-paced trip around the 2.5-mile oval than in their race cars.

“Taking the opportunity to go around this beautiful place no one would give that up,” said Saavedra, who acknowledges he’s let his mind wander to crossing the Yards of Bricks as the winner of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. “It’s so difficult to get in our workouts, our routine this month that we have to squish in as much as we can when we can. It’s a good time to make it happen.”

Cycling is Montoya’s primary form of physical exercise during the offseason at home in Miami and he gets in as many miles as time allows during the Verizon IndyCar Series season.

“I swim a little and some in the gym but cycling is my main thing. Miami has really good parks and trails,” he said.

“The thing about riding is not so much the exercise, it’s the fun of riding. I like riding a bike, but riding the speedway is hard because there’s no traffic lights or stop signs. Normally when you’re pedaling you have to stop for a traffic lights or something. Here, you’re like a motor; you never stop.”

He did some reconnaissance while riding the road course for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis two weeks ago, but doesn’t visualize a lap on the oval in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.   

“The ovals aren’t that hard to drive physically, but mentally they are,” he said. “There seven or eight pit stops, lots of traffic all the time. You have to be mentally prepared, try not to make mistakes. These rides are relaxing.”