riding through cramp

ianbar

last weekend i rode a sportive, nice and flat and thought sod it I'm going all out today. clearly pushing harder then usual at about 35 miles was hit by massive cramp. first in y quads just above the knee and then …at same time when i unclipped at junctions in my hamstring. now i basically didn't stop i just rode as much as i could till it wore off but in truth never really did. i have been left with really really sore quads since, i guess i should really have stopped and may be stretched it out rather then just pushed on. has anyone else experienced this? ply show can i help recovery along? i have not felt like going out again yet as its pretty sore. cheers

supermurph09

I sometimes get cramp in my calves when doing a TT, it can be pretty excruciating and yes when it happens it can be a bit sore the next day. This often leads me to think whether it is cramp or a strain of some sort. The latter would surely explain the soreness. I don't do sportives but if I did I would have stopped and stretched it out, in the middle of a TT you are not afforded that luxury!

sebbyp

if you can stop and stretch I think it's best to! the muscles seems to spasm and get so tight they tear at microscopic level. hence what your feeling.
I did my first 10m TT the other day and got calf cramp in one leg which nearly ruined my race, I just managed to keep going by keeping the heel down as much as possible, stopping pedaling for one or two seconds every minute or two to hold it in the heel down position, wasn't great the next day feels like you've damaged the muscle.
Not sure how to stop this from happening again, maybe a change of saddle position.

jgsi

Its the effort you are subjecting yourself to in a race situation that can set it off .. sometimes not a lot you can do about
it.
If its happening to you as an inexperienced rider then there is something you can do about it.... ride harder .. more often. Your threshold will improve over time... but if you are a summer warrior, then just live with it.

BarleyPointer

Always used to get cramp the first couple of races (extreme effort) each season. It's possibly the large change in exercise level. Once you get through that period, then it doesn't tend to happen again. Magnesium oil is a very good rub pre and post cramp. IT's bloody horrible though when you unclip to stretch out on side and the other side goes!

bobmcstuff

Supermurph09 wrote:

I sometimes get cramp in my calves when doing a TT, it can be pretty excruciating and yes when it happens it can be a bit sore the next day. This often leads me to think whether it is cramp or a strain of some sort. The latter would surely explain the soreness. I don't do sportives but if I did I would have stopped and stretched it out, in the middle of a TT you are not afforded that luxury!

Cramp can lead to strain-like soreness can't it? Especially if you push on without stretching it out. I've had cramp in my quad when running before, tried to keep going (had to get home and was freezing walking!) and for a few days afterwards it felt like I'd strained it.

If you watch a muscle cramping it's easy to imagine it causing lasting damage anyway (I just looked on youtube, not recommended...).

pottssteve

I sometimes get cramp in towards the end of a long/tough ride. I thought it was due to being dehydrated or lacking sodium, but there is conflicting evidence about this. However, I guess it's best to stay hydrated. I also sometimes get cramp when in bed (asleep!), which again might be due to dehydration, I guess, rather than over-exercise. In each case it's in the same place - my left calf - which was damaged several years ago by sciatica, and is weaker than my right calf. So for me it's probably a combination of these factors. I also feel the aching effects the next day.

Whenever it happens, the only relief I get is by pushing my foot against the floor to stretch out the muscle - something that painful is telling you to stop what you are doing! Unless you are leading the Tour de France at the time I suggest you don't need to ride through it.

diy

I think you could have RICE'd it after to reduce the pain and recovery. At the very least an ice pack as compression is not easy on the upper leg. Lots of causes of cramp. Muscle fatigue and dehydration/electrolyte loss are only two.