Road Cycling - what does a cramp in left calf muscle tell you?

on a couple of my last rides (30 miles) i notice that towards the end of the ride my left calf muscle is cramping. does this mean i did not take enough fluid in during the ride? can it mean i over worked my left leg?

any thoughts??

jf

Drink more water, take more supplements(I take Centrum for active people), take in more pottasium(bananas are great before a ride), stop and stretch somewhere in the middle of your ride, and after it. My calf muscles used to lock up bad, but these things stopped them completely. remember to take a couple drinks every 10 minutes or so. Ive read, that, that is as fast as your body absorbs it anyway. It doesnt do any good to guzzle alot all at once.

Originally posted by jsfountain
can it mean i over worked my left leg?

So your right leg is fine? Maybe there is something wrong with your position on the bike (saddle, cleats, unequal crank arm lengths--this happens).

Where you fine on previous rides (with the same parameters)?

It is natural to only cramp in one or the other. My right leg cramped so bad one night in bed, that it hurt for 3 days. :(

I was/am susceptible to calf cramps at 25+ miles. My fluid intake was 50/50, water/gatorade. I've switched to strictly Cytomax on my 2+ hour rides It has more potassium than gatorade. I also drink at least 24oz of water prior to my ride. I've not cramped since. I'm also better conditioned which I'm sure contibutes to my cramp-free rides.

yes, so far i have only cramped 2 times. always at the end of my ride and always when i put forth a strong effort. i did have a banana before my ride, and i did stretch. i was thinking i did not take in enough water during my ride as i still had most of my bottle full (3/4) after half the ride was over.

both times i cramped it was only in left calf. i know my right leg is my stronger leg (the one i choose to push off with in the begining or when i start a climb).

the bike seems to be in right form. this has only happend twice now in over 6 weeks of riding (i ride 5 - 6 times a week). both times, the cramping happened after sustained efforts that i am not used to in a normal ride.

jf

The potassium and water comments are right on. Also stretching. These three things should reduce your cramps.

Teski

I take Magnesium capulets. I get leg cramps ALL the time. Regardless of my fitness level. Usually after I'm done. Streching helps, potassium slowed them down, but the magnesium stopped them!

L8R

I used to cramp often and someone suggested I lower my milk consumption which worked. Now I only have milk with cereals.

It could also be your peddal stroke. If your left foot is always pointed down throughout the pedal stroke, that may cause your calf to tense up and cramp as well. A2psyklnut is right, streching the muscle during the ride will help.

I forgot about that one. Pointing your toes will cause them bad.

Originally posted by ~LongRider~
It is natural to only cramp in one or the other.

I rarely cramp and when I do it's a hydration issue. When it does happen it is always on the same side.

In my case, I've got a definite alignment issue that causes a difference in how I pedal. I "ankle" very smoothly with my left but my right ankle hardly moves.

I need to get looked at one day by a coach... my left leg can tolerate almost any cleat position (I ride Look cleats without float) but my right leg is hyper-sensitive to cleat position. I've been fiddling with it for 10 years.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that consistent cramping on one side may be a warning of some other problem.

I'd venture to guess that you're not covering 30 miles in less than an hour (if so, you rock). The rule of thumb is at least one bottle of water per hour during a ride (and I've always used that rule with the larger bottles in mind). I think that, along with the many great suggestions here, I'd drink more water and maybe a sports drink over the course of a ride of that nature.

Hope it eases up. Cramps suck.

My left calf hurts when I go over 30 miles. I feel like have taken in enough fluids. Still trying to figure it out. The pain is at the top of the calf on the outside. The last ride I used mainly my right leg for 20 miles.

Originally posted by ~LongRider~
I forgot about that one. Pointing your toes will cause them bad.

This happened to me driving my car about 2 months ago... oh my god I thought I was going to Die.. I could not pull over fast enough to get my leg straightened out. ouch

I think that the biggest thing that I see is not enough water intake and never enough Stretching!