What happened to my legs?

mikpem

For the last year I've been ramping up the bike usage rather than just the short commute to work. I got a Genesis Vapour which I've used for cyclocross racing, taking the little one out for 10ish mile rides and the occasional 50+ miler when I get the chance.

On Friday night after work we were heading out to the coast 54 miles away so I told the other half I'd cycle and meet her there to give me a bit of variation on a longer ride.

It went well to begin with, the first 50 miles were polished off in 2 and a half hours and then it happened. I stopped for a quick toilet break and the tops of my thighs were in agony (sorry I'm rubbish with muscles), It felt like a cramp with someone stabbing them at the same time. It wouldn't stop no matter what position I got in so I got back on the ride to 'walk it off' with a light spin in a low gear and the pain eased off, it was still there but not so bad then when I pushed a bit harder it eased off even more. I ended up almost sprinting the last bit just to ease the pain but when I got to the end and stopped the pain was worse than I have ever felt in my life and I found the only thing that would help was either lying in the recovery position or flat out on my stomach.

I had a bowl of pasta (made ready for my arrival by the other half) and about half an hour later I was feeling alright and walking about. So I'm pretty sure it's something to do with eating more or a different diet pre/during the ride but has anyone got any suggestions? The last time I rode 70 miles was the morning after a night out followed by a large portion of chips at 4am and I didn't feel this bad.

My food intake on Friday was:
Bowl of Granola- breakfast
Packet of crisps- morning snack
Slice of chocolate cake- someone's birthday
Large chicken risotto- lunch
Large sausage roll- afternoon snack
100g assorted haribo type sweets- during ride

herzog

No idea, but I would suggest eating some fruit!

YellaBelly

Any changes to bike set up?

mikpem

Agreed Herzog, my fruit consumption pretty much only consists of what I can pluck from the bush in my garden but my one year old has recently discovered that he likes raspberries and eats most of them whilst I'm at work! I shall pop out at lunch and rediscover my relationship with bananas!

I don't think so YellaBelly, I didn't have my panniers on for a change but that's not going to do anything. Are you thinking I may need to lift my seat a little to extend the legs a bit more? This is something I was thinking of giving a go.

diy

Sounds very much like a cramp/spasm that injured the muscle. I get it from time to time on a fasting day if I train too hard or too long or have had a break. I've found the zero cal tabs in the water help, but there is no need for you to go low cal if you are not on a fasting diet. It may have been due to exercising at an unusual time relative to food/water intake or simply that you didn't drink enough while riding.

Pinch of salt in the water bottle might help

charlie_potatoes

mikpem wrote:

Agreed Herzog, my fruit consumption pretty much only consists of what I can pluck from the bush in my garden but my one year old has recently discovered that he likes raspberries and eats most of them whilst I'm at work!

I bet the dog used to eat your homework

YellaBelly

mikpem wrote:

I don't think so YellaBelly, I didn't have my panniers on for a change but that's not going to do anything. Are you thinking I may need to lift my seat a little to extend the legs a bit more? This is something I was thinking of giving a go.

Don't know on your saddle. A low saddle wouldn't help (if yours is low) but you've been getting ok previously with your saddle as is. I was more thinking a small change in setup is easily overlooked or forgotten and could cause cramps etc if it shifts extra workload onto muscle groups. But, if you haven't changed anything then that rules that out.

mikpem

I tried but as much as he tried my hamster could never fit the whole lot in!!

I have a cyclocross race this week so no long distance ride before or after that but if I get a chance next weekend I will get out to do another with a bit of a diet change, I've picked up some gels and zero tabs as well, I guess you don't wait until you are screaming in agony to start taking them?

There is a small chance my saddle height may have changed since my last long ride, I can't remember if I've put it in the car or not since because I would have had to take the seat out to fit it in. Riding in this morning thinking about it I guess there is a little scope for moving it upwards which might help so I'll give that a go at lunch.

damocles10

Hydration? I have cramped up when I am dehydrated and it is warm.

JayKosta

My guess is that you need more: hydration, calorie intake, electrolyte intake.
Also doing 50 miles in 2.5 hours requires quite a lot of power and calories, maybe you were pushing too near your limit.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

mikpem

I'm never sure how far to go with hydration, I had 750ml of water with a dash of squash in to take the edge off (Suffolk tap water tastes horrible) and I normally manage over an hour without anything because I find that drinking on the go seems to sit a bit funny and makes me feel rough (this could possibly be caused by a hiatus hernia in my oesophagus which doesn't like me drinking lager either). As I said, I've picked up some Zero tabs so I will give them a go.

I suppose at the moment I am still finding my limit, I struggle to take things slowly so I would have probably been pushing it a bit, I try to relax on the bike but find that with cars coming behind me and usually a target location to get to I try to keep a decent pace so that I don't hold anyone up.

ai_1

mikpem wrote:

I'm never sure how far to go with hydration, I had 750ml of water with a dash of squash in to take the edge off (Suffolk tap water tastes horrible) and I normally manage over an hour without anything because I find that drinking on the go seems to sit a bit funny and makes me feel rough (this could possibly be caused by a hiatus hernia in my oesophagus which doesn't like me drinking lager either). As I said, I've picked up some Zero tabs so I will give them a go.

I suppose at the moment I am still finding my limit, I struggle to take things slowly so I would have probably been pushing it a bit, I try to relax on the bike but find that with cars coming behind me and usually a target location to get to I try to keep a decent pace so that I don't hold anyone up.

A single 750ml bottle for a 2.5hr hard cycle is very little in my opinion. I don't think I drink enough a lot of the time but I'd still expect to get through double that. I think 500ml+/hr is a good place to start and expect to need more if you're really working hard.
While you can get away with little or nothing for the first hour, it will catch up with you later in a long ride.....with a vengence. I'm not too bad for drinking but I hate eating in the saddle, however on sportives I have to force myself or I'll start suffering long before I finish a 160km. A little often is by far the best approach. Just make an effort to take a swig from your bottle every few minutes.