Legs going after a rest break...
Chippy_Minton
Posts: 39
Hi Guys,
I've been riding now since July and have been putting the miles in, gradually building up to my first couple of club runs which are 47miles and inlcude 2x decent climbs.
When I'm on my own I can do 40-50 miles at a pace of about 15-16mph. This is around Richmond Park. By the last few miles I am feeling it in my legs but i can still push up hills and don't feel all bad. On my two runs out with the club we go a bit quicker than I would on my own 17mph average but I spend most of that time on someones wheel.. The problem comes that after we stop for a cuppa (on Box Hill) as soon as we meet the first small incline my legs are shot. My breathing is fine, I feel ok in myself but have nothing left to push the pedals.... Its a bit embarrassing as I then limp along at no speed at all and the guys have to nurse me home. :oops:
It's a bit frustrating as I manage to stay with the experienced guys the rest of the route, albeit it is more difficult than I'm used to. Maybe I push too hard up the 2 climbs up Ranmore and Box Hill? Some of the guys say its just a fitness thing, some mention food / energy levels.. any ideas?
I've been riding now since July and have been putting the miles in, gradually building up to my first couple of club runs which are 47miles and inlcude 2x decent climbs.
When I'm on my own I can do 40-50 miles at a pace of about 15-16mph. This is around Richmond Park. By the last few miles I am feeling it in my legs but i can still push up hills and don't feel all bad. On my two runs out with the club we go a bit quicker than I would on my own 17mph average but I spend most of that time on someones wheel.. The problem comes that after we stop for a cuppa (on Box Hill) as soon as we meet the first small incline my legs are shot. My breathing is fine, I feel ok in myself but have nothing left to push the pedals.... Its a bit embarrassing as I then limp along at no speed at all and the guys have to nurse me home. :oops:
It's a bit frustrating as I manage to stay with the experienced guys the rest of the route, albeit it is more difficult than I'm used to. Maybe I push too hard up the 2 climbs up Ranmore and Box Hill? Some of the guys say its just a fitness thing, some mention food / energy levels.. any ideas?
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Comments
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Strikes me as a bit of everything.
You're always going to suffer at the back end of rides which are much longer than you're used to.
I too find it difficult post-rest to find my legs again. Never helps either that the lot you ride with can be a lot fresher after a break.
A bit of food will help. Reining it in a bit on the club rides will help too < (think of it like Cav in a Tour stage - save as much energy as possible).
By and large though it's just fitness, and your body being used to spending more time making efforts.0 -
I usually have exactly the same problem. I can feel really strong just before the break but as soon as I get back on the bike it's like my legs did anther 50 miles while I was having a brew and a snack. I has to have something to do with your legs just stopping and maybe lactic acid or something.0
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It's well worth doing a few leg stretches both when you get off the bike for a cafe stop and before you head off again. Nothing extreme, just spend a couple of minutes doing them. I find it helps a lot and there's nothing more disheartening than setting off after a cup of tea and some cake with lead legs!
It will be a little bit of everything as Rick Chasey said. Fitness, eating etc. - nothing too dramatic that more riding won't help - before you know you'll be the one spanking your club mates on the hills!0 -
How about investing in some compression leg wear? Not tried them myself but am seriously considering it cos I suffer similarly. Never yet seen anyone say they are a waste of money and don't work0
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johnboy183 wrote:How about investing in some compression leg wear? Not tried them myself but am seriously considering it cos I suffer similarly. Never yet seen anyone say they are a waste of money and don't work
Have now :P0 -
marcusjb wrote:It's well worth doing a few leg stretches both when you get off the bike for a cafe stop and before you head off again. Nothing extreme, just spend a couple of minutes doing them. I find it helps a lot and there's nothing more disheartening than setting off after a cup of tea and some cake with lead legs!
It will be a little bit of everything as Rick Chasey said. Fitness, eating etc. - nothing too dramatic that more riding won't help - before you know you'll be the one spanking your club mates on the hills!
Unfortunately I was the only one doing stretches, they were all standing around eating cake.... It didn't seem to help much..! actually I did spank some of them on the hills, I think thats part of the problem, going too hard before I'm up to it.
Nest Sunday I'll ease off, be happy to be the last one up the hills, focus on my eating before hand more, and do more stretching when I get off the bike. I had 2x energy gels and 2 x 650mls of SIS Go whilst out on the road so maybe I'm ok there?
I don't know much about compression wear...Will they feel different to my bib longs? do you wear them over your shorts? :?: sounds like a good excuse to buy more kit!0 -
Have they made a difference? How much difference? :?:Rick Chasey wrote:johnboy183 wrote:How about investing in some compression leg wear? Not tried them myself but am seriously considering it cos I suffer similarly. Never yet seen anyone say they are a waste of money and don't work
Have now :P0 -
It's a common problem - if you have done a fairly hard ride starting off again after a stop is never nice. Chances are one or two of the others are suffering too - though seeing as it's November quite a few of them are probably riding within themselves.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
When my legs go I try to take my mind off it by concentrating on technique .. it seems to help me pick up my speed a little (I'm not sure whether it's the technique improvement that brings about the speed increase, some kind of placebo effect or it's just a way of breaking down a mental barrier that I thought was a physical one).
Also to stop the legs going in the first place I try to keep myself seriously topped up with energy drinks.
TBH though I'm guessing your just going to have to keep putting the miles in. One thing I'd check before going down this route though .. sticking with a fast club ride may not be the quickest way to improve, it may be better to go it alone and sticking to a training plan that suits you. However knowing the answer to that question is way beyond my knowledge of training :roll:0 -
I've only ever had this happen once to me, on a longish ride. We stopped for about an hour and had some lunch, then when we set off again, up a long hill (6km at about 4%), I had zero energy in my legs. Asking on the forum several people suggested that the blood had been redirected to my gut to digest the food so that blood flow to the legs was low and so the leg muscles were being starved of oxygen/glucose. Nowadays I don't stop for a long lunch, just snack instead. Could this be your problem also?Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs0
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High PE in legs after a stop is very common - happens to me on even a 90second stop in the middle of an hour all out riding, just accept it'll be happening and spin easily up the hill. Don't assume it's a problem, or anything wrong that can be fixed by doing anything but not stopping. Stretches will almost certainly not help (they don't help with much) just accept it and learn to ride easy at the start.
Being fitter will certainly reduce it because you will be riding easier to stay with the group going easy at the start.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0 -
You made any adjustments in your riding postion lately?
May sound daft, but check your saddle height. A few mm's to low may feel fine, but can cause the legs to fatigue quicker when spending a few hours on the bike.0 -
johnboy183 wrote:
Have they made a difference? How much difference? :?:Rick Chasey wrote:johnboy183 wrote:How about investing in some compression leg wear? Not tried them myself but am seriously considering it cos I suffer similarly. Never yet seen anyone say they are a waste of money and don't work
Have now :P
Ah I'm being a little fatuous. No opinion on them either way, beyond that any gain they do give, if they do, would be veery marginal, and won't make a blind bit of difference at our level. It would get drowned out by everything else.0 -
How old are you? My legs seize after a stop (cycling or hard walking) but recover after a couple of minutes cycling/walking. I'm in my late 50s. Beer makes it worse, by the way.
Purveyor of "up"0 -
As JibberJim pointed out, this is quite normal. It is worse if you have ridden hard to the stop, your legs will be starting to recover from the effort, and then when you want to get going they are unlikely to respond as well at first. Just do the first few minutes easyish, and they will relax, blood flow will get going again and you should be fine.
Obviously if you are in a group there will be some that are fitter, and may not have worked as hard getting to the stop, and they might not suffer with the problem. I would suggest that asking for the first few miles after a stop to be taken a bit easier might be a good idea.0 -
Peddle Up! wrote:How old are you? My legs seize after a stop (cycling or hard walking) but recover after a couple of minutes cycling/walking. I'm in my late 50s. Beer makes it worse, by the way.
I'm 39. One thing I didn't mention that I got hammered on the Friday night and spent the whole of Saturday with a stinking hangover. That probably didn't help much.
Thanks for all your advice,this was my first post and I've been made to feel very welcome - cheers!0 -
Rick
Fair comment. Though I know at times my legs feel real heavy after a ride/workout so maybe they'd help even more0 -
Hey mate, given how quickly you appeared at the top of the hills I'd suggest that you weren't holding back too much. The ride had just over 2,000ft of climbing and we averaged 16.6mph. Given this, I think fitness is the answer. After my first club run I had to go home and have an hour's nap on the sofa :O
Stick at it, it will get easier.FCN3: Titanium Qoroz.0
