Road Cycling - Cramping after ride?

Hello,

I did my first competitive ride today. I did a relay triathlon with two other people and I did the 25-mile ride. As soon as I got off the bike my inner thighs and glutes started cramping so bad I couldn't walk. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I stretched out a little and lay on a picnic table for 20 minutes before I could walk very slowly. It still hurts.

What causes that? Is there any way to avoid it in the future? I probably could have prepared better by going on more hard rides, could that be part of the reason?

Thanks.

The biggest cause of cramping is dehydration. You need to hyrdate yourself. Also, get things like potassium into your system. Better preparation is also a factor. If you've ever been to a track meet, and seen people that have to sub into an even they've never done. If you have to run a distance even that you've never done, sometimes you will begin to cramp up near the end because you are pushing your body too far too fast. If you got off and just stopped, you may have ended too quickly as well. When you get off the bike, jog around a little. Keep the blood flowing. This can also help prevent cramping.

I HAVE BEEN DOING ABOUT 100 -120miles per week + END OF JUNE I DONE 200 miles in two days then I had been off bike for nearly 3 weeks. After I had done about 100miles then I went on a 70 mile very hilley run & I really floped could not get up hills because of cramps in my legs & Arms @ the end I was worn out is this the same problem

I HAVE BEEN DOING ABOUT 100 -120miles per week + END OF JUNE I DONE 200 miles in two days then I had been off bike for nearly 3 weeks. After I had done about 100miles then I went on a 70 mile very hilley run & I really floped could not get up hills because of cramps in my legs & Arms @ the end I was worn out is this the same problem

Well like he said hydrate yourself, and also stretch before the ride as well.

Ok, now we know that we should drink sufficient amount of water and stretch before hand. But what's the best thing to do to recover from the cramp (touch wood)? Stretch is the obvious one, but what else?

Stretching before the ride has been debated, as the research has been showing it's ineffectiveness. However, stretching after the ride is a must- a stretch of each of the major muscle groups for 30 seconds per muscle would be appropriate.

Cool down- do make sure you're doing an appropriate amount of cooldown work. When you've finished your ride, take 5- 10 minutes of an easy, slower pace to allow the heart rate to return to normal. I aim for 60% heart rate max (for those of you working with a heart rate monitor). This will allow the blood to return to normal circulation before you get off the bike and prevent the blood from pooling in the legs, which can lead to a slight dizziness or even a headache at times.

Also, hydrate, hydrate hydrate. Cramping may have been caused by hydration. You should be hydrating during the ride, but afterwards, you should continue to hydrate. I am working up to my pre-trip water hydration, which was 100 oz per day (I will be working up to my goal of a gallon of water per day).

Get your electrolytes- potassium and sodium levels may be off. A good source of potassium would be bananas, and for sodium, just sprinkle a tiny bit of salt in your water. That should be sufficient. Or you can take some gatorade or powerade or something along those lines. It should give you plenty of electrolytes as well as carbs.

Eat carbs- and preferably, complex carbs. The complex carbs will really help give your body the energy it needs to heal itself, and if you plan to ride the next day, it will help replenish your carbohydrate stores so that you'll have energy to get through the next workout!

Finally, if you are just overtraining or working out too strenuously, consider cutting back on the intensity and/or time. If you haven't built up to that particular intensity or amount of time on the bike, you may be overdoing it, and then the training becomes counterproductive.

These are the short explanations of what you can do to recover from a training session. Hopefully, if you take all these measures, you can prevent yourself from cramping.

Koffee