Road Cycling - What am I doing wrong?

I have been riding almost every day for 7 months. Nearly every weekend I have ridden long distances. However, when I go above 50 miles I almost always run out of steam. My legs, neck, back, and head usually start aching all at the same time. I recently bought a hydrapack, so I can ride without worrying about going without water. I take food with me on long rides, so I'm never in fear of a bonk.

Here is what happened today. After 20 miles I stopped for a 5 minute break. I drank a sports drink and a ate a banana. At 35 minutes I took a short break to call my wife. A few minutes later while on the road I ate a breakfast bar. At 55 miles I was creaping back into town with a headache and a sore neck, and I was barely able to turn my pedals. I usually always have a headache after my long rides, but it is new for me to have one during the ride. The sad thing is I'm in really good shape. This shouldn't be happening!

What am I doing wrong? How will I be able to do a century (or more) if I'm not able to do a strong half century?

AF, do you have something to eat before you start riding? Since it takes a while for the snacks to kick in, maybe try something light just before your ride, and a little sooner during it, like about 30 min. into the ride.

With the upper body aches, it may be that your riding position needs to be changed a little more often, you may be tensing up, and causing the sore neck and that leads to the headache.

I sometimes notice the sore neck too, on a long ride, from holding my head up. I'm going to take the visor off my helmet so I don't have to hold my head up quite as high to see ahead.

AF,
I know of one thing that will bring on a headache during a ride, sugar. You said you had consumed both a sports drink and a reakfast bar. Both have contents of sugar. Also I agree with Aerobat on your riding position. You just may be leaned over a bit too far. One other thing, the years that I have been cycling a very good Tai Chi master looked at my neck, and lower back one day. He was also a life long cyclist. Anyway after an examination he told me I had the classic symptoms of a "leaned over cyclist." My 3rd and 4th vertebrae have been rounded off. This of course creates an abnormal strain near the base of your skull and spine that can lead to pain. Mine primarily exists in my shoulder's. back to the other. Since the number one thing that gets depleted in your system while riding is potassium, it is essential that this get replaced. A banana is a superb choice, but if your body uses it up on longer rides you may need to put more in than just one banana during the ride. Try before and after. Hope this helps.

Baker,

I'll take a stab at this one, too.

Over 50 miles, you could use anywhere from 1500 calories upward. Most of the calories you use when cycling are glucose,
but all of your nutritional requirements, including protein and fat, will also be greater.

A sports drink, banana and breakfast bar couldn't add up to more than about 500 or 600 calories at the most. I would try eating a really good breakfast at least an hour beforehand so that you always keep a "surplus" of caloric intake as you supplement your nutritive requirements on the bike. Try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with your drink, perhaps filling an old Powerade bottle with orange juice instead of sports drink. Orange juice is not only rich in vitamin C, a known tissue rebuilding nutrient, but also in potassium: over 10 times that of Powerade.

Also, remember to eat protein immediately after the ride so your muscles will recover faster for the next time out.

Hey, way to go, dude! You'll make your big "C"!

:thumbup:

AF,

Boy, it sure sounds like a Bonk. How hard are you riding the early miles? Is it possible you're starting out too hard?

Pete's right on. Depending on your pre-ride eating and energy level, a banana and breakfast bar may not be enough to eat during the ride. During longer rides I start eating at 1 hr., and every 1/2 hour thereafter, each time consuming something like a banana or breakfast bar. You don't want to overwhelm your digestive system, since it will contend with your legs for the available blood supply, but you sure don't want to go hungry, either.

If you're riding every day, are you recovering sufficiently? How do your legs feel early in the ride... heavy and tired, or do you have to exercise some restraint to pace yourself for 50+ miles? If it's the former, maybe taking a day off, or an easier day prior to the long ride is in order.

Headaches can have all sorts of different causes... neck strain is one, as is low blood sugar. Is the pain in an area that would lead you to believe it is muscle strain? Add my vote to Aerobat and Hunters, the shoulder/upper back pain may require some bike setup adjustment. Either way, lots of cyclists carry ibuprofen or Aleve (sorry, don't know the generic name). Both are excellent anti-inflammatories and reduce muscle aches and pains. (Aleve is more likely to cause stomach trouble, they advise taking it with a full glass of water).

Finally, another source of potassium... if you use salt, Morton makes a product called Lite Salt that's part potassium chloride, instead of pure sodium chloride. It's a good and inexpensive way to add a little more potassium to the diet.

All good advice given above.

Have you been checked for diabetes recently?

You are over training, take a break for a couple of days you wont believe how much good it will do you.:(

Iam Not a doctor, but if you have a constant headache after A ride, better see one....

There was a thread on about.com's cycling forum about this same subject, and I thought it so strange anybody got a headache from cycling--just because it never happened to me, I guess.

One thing for sure: there has to be something wrong. The hardest part is going to be finding a doctor that knows anything about sport, or exercise. They're a rare breed.

I'm subject to migraine (sometimes with, sometimes without headache--there's more to migraine than just headache). When I'm cycling daily, I almost never experience migraine symptoms. So cycling helps me with my headaches. I'm very sorry to hear when somebody reacts in reverse! :(

Hope you can solve this problem soon. Please keep us posted.

These are all great responses. Thanks for the help.

I eat breakfast before my Saturday ride. I usually eat cream of wheat, banana, and a glass of grapefruit juice or a cup of hot tea. Almost every Saturday I make sure to get a full body stretch (customized for cycling) befoe I even put on my cycling clothes. I meet my comarado at 7:30. I usually wait until 10 before I eat anything (usually a banana or a granola bar), and sometimes I don't eat anything after that. I sometimes ride extremly hard for the first 2 hours. Maybe I should pace myself a bit more. I have had my blood sugar checked, and it is okay--no problem there.

I thought perhaps I wasn't taking a break in the middle of the ride that was long enough. Maybe if I take a 10 minute break which includes stretching out, it will be somewhat like a recovery. Does anyone take a longer break in the middle of the ride?

The headache problem may be caused by my new relax position. When I'm a bit tired, I lay my arms across my handle bar and steer with my elbows. This helps take pressure off my butt and works a different set of leg muscles. It sounds amost silly, but I've become quite good at it. I have noticed that my visor gets in front of my eyes when in this position, and I have to strain my neck a bit to see very far in front of my bike. I'd hate to get rid of my visor though. It really helps with keeping the sun out of my eyes.

I'm definitely going to try doing some of the suggestions posted here.

BTW, I'm now mixing Portugese into my posts. Comarado is Portugese for someone who is a friend. Amigo is also Portugese for friend, but comarado is a closer friend than an amigo.

Originally posted by A F Baker
BTW, I'm now mixing Portugese into my posts.
Great, A. F., but you still haven't told me what "bonk" is in Portuguese! :D

AF, since you're almost in the position anyway, you might consider getting a set of aero bars on your bike.

I've got them on both my road and my commuter (since most of my commuting is on the highway), and they're great for being able to get into a different position for riding, and minimizing the upper body aches. Of course you also benefit from the improved aerodynamics, more so on a bike like the hybrid.

They take a little getting used to, you also might have to adjust your seat again, but I think you will find it's worthwhile.

Sports drinks are NO GOOD!!! DO NOT USE THEM!!! Water is the only drink in the world that works. Try using power-gels. I know those have sugar in them but they digest super quick. I can go much longer when I can squirt some power into my system every 30 minutes or so.

I think you are trying to ride fast and far at the same time.
Take the pace down a bit, and cruise a longer ride. When you can do the distance, then you can think about doing it faster.

Before you leave, eat a proper breakfast (1 hr before riding), and just before you ride, drink lots of water.

Take a break every hr and eat a banana and drink more water. I find 1bana/hr about right, but it may vary for you. If you do 2hrs to start with, you are seriously depleting your glycogen stores. Before this happens, you have to start feeding.

Most sports drinks and foods are a rip off. They are marginally better than a banana, and that margin only matters if you race.

If you ride at a slower pace, you dont need to adopt a low racing crouch. Many endurance riders and tourists use a more upright, shorter position, somewhere between a racer and a town hybrid bike.

AF,

I agree with the other posts about eating a hearty breakfast an hour or so before heading out. And eating a banana or granola bar (Powerbar or whatever) every 30 to 60 minutes is a good idea too.
You said you have a hydrapack but didn't say how much or how often you drink. Water is VERY important. I finish off two 24 oz. water bottles doing a 25-35 mile ride. Are you drinking enough water?? Take a big sip every few minutes to keep yourself hydrated.

Good luck with the century. :thumbup:
Be sure to tell us about it and your ride time.

Ron

RonH, along those lines, I just read a good tip a few days ago. If you have a watch with a countdown timer, especially countdown with auto repeat, set it for 10 minutes and drink every time it beeps. Haven't tried it myself because I seem to have naturally gotten in the habit of taking a big sip every few minutes anyway, but it sounds like a good idea.

AF, are you sure you are ready for 50 miles? I am sure I could go do it, but I am not sure I am ready for it. I subscribe to a philosoply of incremental growth. Of course, then you have wunderkind like Nebill out there in New Brass Key doing 70 miles and making the rest of us old f--ts look bad. :)

When I showed up at work this morning my Brazilian friend who I ride with told me that his fingers are still numb from Saturday's ride. I told him I'd look through some of my cycling books, but I thought I'd ask the forum first. On Saturday I was shaking the feeling back into my hands some near the end of the ride, and I have three riding positions. His bike only has one riding position for his hands

What can he do to get rid of numb fingers...other than cut them off.

50 miles isn't too much for me. I've been working my way up to 50 for quite a while. I just bonked and was unwilling to admit it. :( This Saturday I'll know what to do to prevent a bonk.

I think I drank from my hydra pack too much. When I was at 15
miles I was feeling kind of sick because my stomach was so full of water.

Thanks for the help.

Originally posted by A F Baker
What can he do to get rid of numb fingers...other than cut them off.
Numbness is often caused by either too much pressure on the hands (seat may need adjusting) or too much tension in the hands (need to consciously relax them), as well as by big jolts to the hands (need to maintain a very loose grip when riding over a big bump).

At the first sign of tingling in my hands, which doesn't happen very often, I relax them and will often shake them if traffic permits, or at a stop sign or light.

My hands got very numb when I first started commuting, but by learning to loosen my grip to almost nothing when going over a bump, remembering to monitor how tense my hands are and to relax them whenever I notice them tensing up, and getting my saddle just exactly right, I am to where I never have numbness after a ride. Never.

I also always wear good padded gloves--usually the crocheted kind because they look so good.

Good points, Jon. But, if the seat is adjusted correctly, don't lower it, then the knee problems might start. Instead, raise the handle bars.

AF, what kind of bars are on your friends bike? I am assuming they are flat, if so, then some bar ends might be in order. I put them on my Sagres, along with an adjustable stem, so I could fine tune the position of them. The bar ends also give you some more options for hand placement, and they are not too expensive. For me, changing hand positions and raising the bar has really helped. With the drop bars that are on a lot of road bikes, you can ride in the drops, on the top, or on the brake horns, so there are a lot of options there, but they still need to be at the correct height. (See, I've learned...I had the same troubles, and this is what I learned from the forum!)

I used to get numb fingers when I tucked my 2 smallest fingers behind the drops, when cycling on the brake hoods. Its a bad habit, but Ive shaken it off.

Many drops are really too deep to ride normally, I prefer a small radius touring drop.
You can fine tune the position of the brake levers, up and down the drops, and rotating inwards.

I find a lot of problems are caused by riding with a bent wrist, as on MTB flat bars. Find a neutral relaxed wrist position.

I wrap an old inner tube around the bars before taping them. I also remoulded the shape of the brake covers by stuffing bits of inner tube rubber underneath. They now support my hand in the palm, not at the edge.

By nebill: "Good points, Jon. But, if the seat is adjusted correctly, don't lower it, then the knee problems might start. Instead, raise the handle bars." Thanks, Bill--I wish I'd thought to phrase it that way. Definitely a seat that's too low is as bad as one that's too high. Adjusting the handlebar height is the way to go in fine-tuning the relationship. However, watch out not to raise the stem above the safety mark that's stamped or engraved prominently on it. It would be far cheaper to buy a new, longer stem than to experience an accident with a broken one! (And then have to replace it anyway, if you survived.)

By MichaelW: "I find a lot of problems are caused by riding with a bent wrist, as on MTB flat bars. Find a neutral relaxed wrist position." Yes, indeed. I keep an eye out for bending in my wrists, and correct as soon as I notice. It's easy to keep the arm and hand (and wrist) in a straight line, but it's not instinctive for some reason. Michael's advice also applies to computer use, both for keyboard and mouse or other pointing device.

I used to play guitar, and it's interesting that although the left hand is twisted backward for access to the strings, the wrist remains straight. I think the same is true of all stringed instruments.

if you're going at a strenous pace or riding in a hilly area, i'm not surprised that your legs are feeling used up at the 50 mile mark. if you want to do a longer ride, take a couple days off (or reduce to easy spins) a couple days beforehand, and then take the pace down a notch or two for your longer ride. think LSD - long slow distance. focus on endurance, not speed.

personally i like to do longer rides with a group. maybe try going out with your local cycling club. the socialization can help take your mind off the miles. plus there's encouragement built right in!

if you regularly do 40-50 miles you *can definitely* do 80-100. just give those legs a few days recovery, and be sure to hydrate and eat before you need to. and most importantly, ride at a comfortable aerobic pace, even if it means going slower than you typically do. going anerobic will build lactic acid and tire you prematurely.

-jb

Originally posted by junebride
if you're going at a strenous pace or riding in a hilly area, i'm not surprised that your legs are feeling used up at the 50 mile mark. (etc.
--What a great post! :)

It seems like you might be a bit dehydrated. Also your glycogen stores could have been depleted, but at that mileage i doubt it, unless you were climbing or hauling buns. Maybe you should try carb loading before your ride.

Iam Not a doctor, but if you have a constant headache after A ride, better see one....

+1 Since you experiences aches all over at the same time this probably causes stress and further headache? Have you had any advice on bike fit and nutrition?

eat more

Well I got suckered.

nice one, Farmer Dave.

It has been TEN years, I sure hope the OP has learned something about bike fit, nutrition and hydration :rolleyes:

Oh wait, is it a time zone difference?!? :P

It seems like you might be a bit dehydrated. Also your glycogen stores could have been depleted, but at that mileage i doubt it, unless you were climbing or hauling buns. Maybe you should try carb loading before your ride.

OP has been gone for over 9 years.

Good breakfast (oatmeal, granola, etc) plus 100 easily digestible calories every 10 miles and plenty of water. This is my strategy on century rides (I eat half a pack of cliff shot bloks for those calories, plus calories from my electrolye drink.) I usually finish without even being hungry.

There was a thread on about.com's cycling forum about this same subject, and I thought it so strange anybody got a headache from cycling--just because it never happened to me, I guess.

One thing for sure: there has to be something wrong. The hardest part is going to be finding a doctor that knows anything about sport, or exercise. They're a rare breed.

I'm subject to migraine (sometimes with, sometimes without headache--there's more to migraine than just headache). When I'm cycling daily, I almost never experience migraine symptoms. So cycling helps me with my headaches. I'm very sorry to hear when somebody reacts in reverse! :(

Hope you can solve this problem soon. Please keep us posted.

Call up your local University. Once you get in touch with the right people (takes a lot of phone calling and favour making), you will be set to hit the races. I got a good deal on hydrostatic weighting at my local University's sports center because they were experimenting with new techniques ($40 and two hours of their time).

Can't go wrong when some of the best sports scientists are present for $20/hour...and that's CDN.

well i got suckered.

Nice one, farmer dave.
:d