the pains of performance
Hello
Ive recently been taking part in some australian pursuits...what a fantastic experience it is and Im loving it. Towards the latter end of the race though I get a few odd aches and pains which Ive never had before.
Firstly I get numb toes which from looking through various articles and forums seems to be pressure on the nerve in the foot which makes sense however, what Im not sure of is why it only happens in a pursuit?
Secondly I got a sharp shooting pain up the front of my leg again after a good hrs worth of racing, I suspect this could be to do with position as I had a new seatpost and set it a tad high prior to the race, Ive not raced since so cant say yay or nay to that one..anyone got any thoughts ??
Ive recently been taking part in some australian pursuits...what a fantastic experience it is and Im loving it. Towards the latter end of the race though I get a few odd aches and pains which Ive never had before.
Firstly I get numb toes which from looking through various articles and forums seems to be pressure on the nerve in the foot which makes sense however, what Im not sure of is why it only happens in a pursuit?
Secondly I got a sharp shooting pain up the front of my leg again after a good hrs worth of racing, I suspect this could be to do with position as I had a new seatpost and set it a tad high prior to the race, Ive not raced since so cant say yay or nay to that one..anyone got any thoughts ??
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Im no expert, but youve hiked your seat height up and not eased yourself into getting used to the position before chucking yourself round on the bike. It might not be the reason for your pain, but it could be. Youve stretched your muscles out longer than theyre used to, and now youre bashing round at full tilt, putting a lot of strain on them, which, with hard racing, might already be pushing the recovery limit.
I thought I saw your name on a loaf of bread this morning, but when I looked again it said thick cut
Jam butties, officially endorsed by the Diddymen Olympic Squad0 -
could try getting some Spesh BG insoles, apparently these have a metatarsal button which spreads the metatarsal bones and prevents the nerves being trapped.0
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Hi Bernie
Where abouts are you doing the Aussies?
They're great fun, but I don't think many clubs do them?
The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
Fab's TCR10 -
Its run under the banner of TLI up in Northumberland One every week from late april onwards to End Aug, some superb courses too!
I hope theres a pub at the top of this hill0 -
What's an Aussie pursuit? Does it involve commiting a crime and being sent to a beautiful warm island for the rest of your days?0
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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by chrisw</i>
What's an Aussie pursuit? Does it involve commiting a crime and being sent to a beautiful warm island for the rest of your days?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
It's a handicapped ride where small groups of riders of equal ability race around a course, (ours is 2 laps of an 11 mile circuit). The slowest groups go-off and other intermediate groups go at certain time intervals with the fastest setting off last.
If the handicap system works well as it often does then you can get quite a peleton in the last mile and a sprint for the line.
Each group then uses the "through and off" to keep the speed high.
Faster groups often catch slower group and this gives the opportunity to grab the wheel of a faster group and hang-on for grim death...if you fall-off the back you just wait for your group to catch-up.
Groups also fragment.
It's great-fun, the thrill of a race at a pace everybody can deal with.
I have a mild heart problem and need to get-up to speed gently, my club gives me 2 mins head-start on the slow group to get-up to my max pace in my own time and they shout as they come-up behind me so I can grab their wheels, on a good day I'll be there 'till the end. (I don't contest the sprints though...that would be unfair).
Our club gives points for the first 6 places or so and a trophy at the end of the year.
The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
Fab's TCR10 -
Back to your question...
Just summising.... IF your saddle is too high, you might be compensating by pedalling a bit more toe-down than normal squeezing your toes in the ends of your shoes? This might also have some bearing on the pain at the front of your leg.
Also when going full-tilt you are not only putting max-effort throgh your system, but you may also change position slightly on the bike, being more forward on the saddle, this might also affect the way you pedal and hence the discomfort you feel.
The pessimists of this world are rarely disappointed....
Fab's TCR10
