2nd ride of the day - exhausting

nbuuifx

I seem to have a slight issue with riding twice in one day. Today was a good example! I needed to go and visit someone for a few hours and decided to go on the bike. I did need to take quite a lot with me so had about 6kg in my rucksack on my back. The journey was only 13 miles there but included a cat 4 climb which was worse than any other cat 4 climb I've done! I was feeling a little hollow in the legs after pushing it on Sunday night, and could feel it on the hills, but the journey there went OK. The journey back 5 hours later which included going down the cat 4 hill was tortue on my legs! I did it all but didn't really enjoy the ride. I felt slow and over all I got a slower average than I usually do but I did get a couple of unexpected PR on a couple of segments on Strava. Was even suprised by getting my 2nd best on a 4 mile climb on the way back.

Anyway my problem is this isn't isolated, a couple of months back I went to work on my bike which on that day was only 3 miles away. Was a breeze going to work, but the ride home at the end of the day was hard work, yes it was slightly downhill on the way and slightly uphill on the way back but it was the hardest it had ever felt and I often come back that way after 40+ mile rides.

I'm hoping to use my bike to ride to work a couple of times a week, the journey will be 6 miles at the shortest most direct route, but I was hoping to take a scenic route home at the end of the day - between 15 and 25 miles depending which route I take.

Is there anything I can do to improve this 2nd ride syndrome!

I currently tend to ride every Sunday between 25 and 40 miles. I then get atleast 1 ride in the week sometimes 2 of approx 25 miles. I tend to need a couple of days (if not 3) to recover after a ride if I put a good amount of effort in.

thistle_

I don't have a solution but I suffer similar problems.

Stopping during a ride for any decent amount of time (e.g. for lunch, waiting for others to catch up) I seem to seize up and struggle to get going again.
I always find going home from work harder than going to work in the morning, it's slightly more climbing and nothing steep. When comparing times on Strava it's normally no more than 10 minutes longer over 20 miles so I think it's a psychological thing.

CiB

You just need to get more miles in your legs, and ride more, more often. It'll come, in time.

Graeme Jones

Diet timing is critical especially after a day at work! If you eat at 12pm then cycled at 5pm with no food in between I always feel empty in fuel.

nbuuifx

I'm glad (sort of) that I'm not the only one. I can ride 70-100 miles and feel less exhausted than doing 2 x 15 mile rides.

I know diet must play a part a little but I was figuring over such relatively short distances it wouldn't matter that much. Today I ate at 1pm, then had a banana at 4pm a couple of mins before I left.

If I start to commute then I will eat at 12.30ish and not really have anything else, I may need to save a banana to eat before I cycle home.

Today was quite warm here so I did sweat a lot, I thought I drank enough but had lost 4 lbs today. I had a drink before leaving, drank 750mls on the way there. Drank 500mls over the 5 hours I was there (perhaps not enough then?) Then drank 500mls on the way back. On arriving back I drank a pint of milk. So over 2 litres.

DavidJB

Eat 1 1/2 hours before your ride. But tbh...3 miles the food isn't going to do anything. Make sure you're well hydrated as well.

amaferanga

It could be that your return rides are so short that you don't even get time to warm up and get going again. Or it could just be in your mind.

But it does sound like you don't ride normally unless you're fully recovered. 2 or 3 days to recover from a regular ride is pretty excessive. Perhaps you need to get used to riding when a bit fatigued - it may feel a bit harder, but it won't do you any harm.

ThatBikeGuy

1 Recovery day should be enough i would have thought, the most i would take is 2 because anymore and i start to feel sluggish in the legs the next time i go out.

As for cycling home from work i always find it harder although i'm sure that has something to do with the 8 hours of working on my feet than the actual ride home itself.

rick_chasey

Take it a little easier on the way in.

Mark Elvin

I found something similar. I used to do a ride, then have a day off. But then I started cycling every day & found initially I was struggling.

More recently I've been cycling around 25miles every day, and, as others have said, the problems have gone away, I can now do the 25 daily ride with no issues

patko

Currently having the same problem. 20 each way, riding in feel good, home feel like I've got no energy.

Reading a few things it looks like fuel and water is the key. I'm going to try eating something an hr before, the ride home normally takes around 1 hr 15 so will take on a few gels every 20 mins together with water.

Any thoughts if this will work and what sort of things to eat before and during the ride?

cheers
Pete

nbuuifx

It's just frustrating when I can easily cycle 50+ miles, but then find it tiring to cycle 10 miles home after a 10 mile morning run!

I'm sure the working all day on my feet won't help - For a normal day it will be about 9 hours between the morning and evening ride.

Oddly I seem able to make the ride OK, and at a good enough pace - I just feel rough and feel shattered when I get back.

The only other thing that could be a factor is I don't really like riding solo, which my commutes are.

I'll take the general advice as I just need to do it for a while to get into it, and I'll see what happens.

@patko - I wouldn't think you'd need gels on a 20 mile ride, I never use gels but would have thought that it would be very expensive and a bit OTT on such a relatively short journey.

Bobbinogs

The trick appears to be to do several rides, albeit with a good long gap between them, say 45 mins to 1 hour, before finishing the day...then, don't forget to deduct the stopped time from any overall journey times when discussing at some later date. Appears to work on 63.2% of all sportive rides with food stations, afaik

trek_dan

I get this quite a lot from my ride home, usually its dehydration for me. Some days it gets to 5-30 and I'm setting off and realise I've only had like 2 or 3 glasses of water all day. I've got a litre water bottle with me at work now and try to keep it filled up so its always to hand.

Mikey23

the effect of dehydration on performance can be quite severe. try weighing yourself before and after a long ride particularly on a hot day and measure the equivalent weight in water. i think you will be surprised...

pigeontoes

I used to have the same problem (commute 15 miles each way) but have solved it with a combination of most of the above:
- take it easy on the way into work (have to anyway as there is no shower)
- drink plenty of water during the day
- save a banana out of my lunch box to eat about 45 mins before going home

I also find having a big dump just before going home helps as you are lighter than on the way into work.

amaferanga

patko wrote:

Currently having the same problem. 20 each way, riding in feel good, home feel like I've got no energy.

Reading a few things it looks like fuel and water is the key. I'm going to try eating something an hr before, the ride home normally takes around 1 hr 15 so will take on a few gels every 20 mins together with water.

Any thoughts if this will work and what sort of things to eat before and during the ride?

cheers
Pete

Have a bite to eat an hour or so before you go, but skip the gels on the ride - totally unnecessary and a huger waste of money. For a ride of an hour and a bit just water will be fine. A banana or some soreen or a muesli bar would be a good snack pre-ride and during the ride. I'd normally have something like a Kellogs Elevenses before I head out for a ride after work and that does me for up to a couple of hours.

nbuuifx

Mikey23 wrote:

the effect of dehydration on performance can be quite severe. try weighing yourself before and after a long ride particularly on a hot day and measure the equivalent weight in water. i think you will be surprised...

I often do check before and after, as you say it's hot days which are worse.

On a typical longish ride of about 70 miles I will consume approx 3 litres of fluids, will pee a good bit out, and sweat the rest! I will come back weighing about 4lbs less. Soon goes back on though

Mikey23

me the same, have lost 6lbs in a hot half marathon and i was out of it

patko

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try and up my water intake before and during together with something before I leave and see if that help.

Cheers

amaferanga wrote:

patko wrote:

Currently having the same problem. 20 each way, riding in feel good, home feel like I've got no energy.

Reading a few things it looks like fuel and water is the key. I'm going to try eating something an hr before, the ride home normally takes around 1 hr 15 so will take on a few gels every 20 mins together with water.

Any thoughts if this will work and what sort of things to eat before and during the ride?

cheers
Pete

Have a bite to eat an hour or so before you go, but skip the gels on the ride - totally unnecessary and a huger waste of money. For a ride of an hour and a bit just water will be fine. A banana or some soreen or a muesli bar would be a good snack pre-ride and during the ride. I'd normally have something like a Kellogs Elevenses before I head out for a ride after work and that does me for up to a couple of hours.