Managed a ride at last!
nbuuifx
Posts: 302
I'd managed to do quite a bit of cycling last year having started the year before, but I stopped at the beginning of Nov for winter and just haven't had the time to get back into it.
So with a good 7 months with no riding, and if I'm honest little exercise (I'm fairly active though in my job). I just haven't had time to do anything else!
Anyway - I managed to get out, did a route that I've done loads of times before, it's fairly hilly with 4 or 5 long but steady climbs (nothing extreme) and just under 24 miles long. I surprised myself by still being able to actually make it round.
I couldn't have gone much quicker, and the limiting factor was that after about half way if I put any load on my legs I got cramp in my calfs, took the load of by reducing the gears and I could carry on albeit at a slower pace!
Averaged 15mph, looking at my old runs the last time I did it I got an average of 17.5mph so I've lost a couple of miles per hour but it is better than when I first started!
Any advice for the cramp? I presume that it is just due to my legs not being used to it? Normally I prefer harder gears and to power up a hill quickly as I find it less tiring (providing it isn't a massive hill!) - I'm not a spinner and tend to find it exhuasts me - so was a bit annoyed at getting the cramp!
Even more impressed that I didn't wake up aching at all!
So with a good 7 months with no riding, and if I'm honest little exercise (I'm fairly active though in my job). I just haven't had time to do anything else!
Anyway - I managed to get out, did a route that I've done loads of times before, it's fairly hilly with 4 or 5 long but steady climbs (nothing extreme) and just under 24 miles long. I surprised myself by still being able to actually make it round.
I couldn't have gone much quicker, and the limiting factor was that after about half way if I put any load on my legs I got cramp in my calfs, took the load of by reducing the gears and I could carry on albeit at a slower pace!
Averaged 15mph, looking at my old runs the last time I did it I got an average of 17.5mph so I've lost a couple of miles per hour but it is better than when I first started!
Any advice for the cramp? I presume that it is just due to my legs not being used to it? Normally I prefer harder gears and to power up a hill quickly as I find it less tiring (providing it isn't a massive hill!) - I'm not a spinner and tend to find it exhuasts me - so was a bit annoyed at getting the cramp!
Even more impressed that I didn't wake up aching at all!
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Comments
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Well done getting back on the bike and I think 15 mph is pretty impressive for a first hilly ride of the season.
FWIW I used suffer from cramp badly - have read all sorts on here suggesting it might be lack of fluids, salts or mineral deficiencies etc etc.
In the end it was none of the above - I just had a lack of training and steadily building the miles (especially lots of base building miles not putting too much stress on the legs).
I followed a structured training programme and ever since have never been troubled by cramp - even riding 70-80 miles with one bottle of juice and no food (not recommended by the way) - although I do then have a serious lack of energy towards the end of the ride!0 -
Nice one. Calf cramp can be nasty but a few of things work for me.
1. Electrolyte drink - Nuun or High 5 Zero tablets in water are very useful
2. get off and stretch them say after an hour. Takes 2 minutes.
3. stretch them regularly - I quite like heel drops from a step.
4. Foam rollering - but be warned it really hurts0 -
Thanks for the suggestions,
I have no idea what foam rollering is but will google it!
As a teenager I used to get cramp if I sat on the sofa with my legs under me, more recently (last year) with cycling I had cramp once when trying my hardest to beat a strava segment and also had it a fair few times when trying to pull my cycling shoes off after riding, just at the point when you tense your muscles whilst pulling the shoe it would go and I'd have to get it straight - fell over in the garage once doing that!0
