Training & Nutrition - How Long to Recover from Quad Soreness

I know I must look like a total nutcase, because if you look at my username, you'll see I've posted a bunch of questions to different forums all on the same issue. But this one is actually related to training, somewhat.

The short version - I got a WorkCycles Oma - a heavy, Dutch bike, to use for my 2.7 mile (one-way) commute to work. Previously I had been using a cruiser, 2-3 times per week. When I got the Oma, I started riding Mon/Wed/Fri to work. I was also working out at the gym. The Monday of my second week, I overdid squats at the gym and got a bit sore. I rode home as usual, feeling a bit sore, but not too bad. I rode to work on Wednesday and Friday, skipping the gym. Now I was starting to feel sore (in my quads) even off the bike, and it lasted throughout the weekend. Starting my third week with the bike, I went very slowly, at a low gear on Monday and Wednesday. Then I gave up, because the pain was getting worse. At this point, just walking was painful, going up or down stairs was difficult without using my hands on the railings to prop myself up, and while getting up from the dinner table, one of my legs almost buckled under me. I decided to stop working out indefinitely, and to stop riding until my legs felt better.

Now, I still don't know for sure what was the cause of the pain. I found out that my Oma is 62 pounds (compared to my 36 pound cruiser) so right away I assumed the bike was too heavy for me. But then I thought about how I didn't have any leg pain the first week. So then I thought that maybe it was the squats, combined with continuing to ride, that was the issue.

After 2 weeks of no physical activity (other than the normal walking around that one does during the course of a day), I wasn't feeling better so I went to a doctor who specialized in sports medicine. He x-rayed my knees, watched me take a few steps and do some other movements. He said there was nothing seriously wrong that he could see, just muscle soreness. He also said that I had "weak legs" which sounds about right. In 3 years of working out at the gym, I can now do chin-ups, do 15 push-ups balancing on my toes (not knees) and can bench press a 45 pound barbell. But I have made very little progress in my legs. So I asked if it was normal to take 2 weeks for my legs to heal. He said that once you get into your 30s (I'm 32) these things can linger so it's not totally out of the ordinary. He suggested that I try riding a mile that day (even though I told him I wasn't 100% better) and that if it felt okay, to try riding to work again.

I waited another 3 days (this was yesterday), at which point my legs finally felt better. On the advice of some people in the Utility Cycling forum, I raised my seat to be sure that wasn't the problem. I rode 1 mile to the grocery store, shopped for 30 minutes, and rode back. Again I was sore. I resolved to sell the Oma and just ride my cruiser from now on. So I rode my cruiser to work today and I'm sore again. Coming home was difficult. I was on the lowest gear (1 out of 7) and I still felt like I was pedaling through glue.

I am really really really pissed off now. How long does it take to recover? Apparently I need more than 2 weeks to recover from sore quads? How am I supposed to know when I'm ready to start again? That doctor had told me to try riding that very day, and even after waiting an additional 3 days I still wasn't better. I am so angry I feel like going into the garage and smashing all the bikes with a hammer and never riding again. I was hoping to go car-free at some point, but if my legs can't handle a 2.7 mile ride on a low gear, then maybe there's no hope for me.

It's not like I've never ridden before. I'm no athlete, but I have been riding my cruiser to work 2-3 days a week for the past 3 years in spring/summer/fall. I had been doing this for 2 months already when I got the Oma. It just doesn't seem to make sense that I have somehow regressed so far that even a sub-3 mile ride on a low gear is painful.

Going without riding (or any exercise for that matter) for 2 weeks (especially with the nice weather) was bad enough. Do I need to stop for 2 months instead? Is there at least some way to tell when I'm better and ready to ride again? With the exception of the 1 or 2 days before I tried riding the Oma again, I have essentially been in pain for over a month (starting with my second week with the Oma bike). I just want to not be in pain anymore, and to be able to ride again.

Do you stretch after your rides or workouts? That could help a bit with soreness.

Is the soreness more "I've lifted weights and I'm sore" or "I think I've torn something and I'm sore"?

Jaclyn, it's gotta be something about Buffalo :) I've noted it takes a good 2 days for my quads to recover from a ride. Stretching helps, but I've isolated my one knee down to needing compression as well (Got bad knees, long story).

Stretch, stretch, stretch after the rides. The only thing I've seen that helps.

What do you eat? How much of what, about? Are you trying to gain weight, lose weight, or neither? How much protein do you eat/day, grams or substance quantity?

You tore muscles in your quads. When one lifts weights, it's important to do little supportive exercises that go with the big weight ones. Sometimes one muscle will get much stronger than another being used in that same lift, and I'll get a muscle tear. And important to do a lot of reps with low weight and only gradually increase weight while decreasing reps. Anyhow, you did it. My guess is that it's so bad, it's just not healing. Which might mean not nearly enough protein in your diet. When one goes easy, it doesn't take much protein, but when one tears oneself up, as so many of us do, including me, it takes a good bit of protein in daily doses to heal.

So that's one guess. Another is that you push too hard on the pedals because you don't move them fast enough. IOW, your cadence may be too low, which keeps tearing at those muscles. But I think even if that were so, they should have healed by now.

Another silly doctor. I'm 66 and I can tell you that you are still not at your peak of ability, not by a long shot.

The bike is not too heavy for you. You just go more slowly than on a lighter bike. I ride tandem with my wife, so my bike has an effective weight of 115 lbs. We climb mountains on it.

Yes I agree with that other guy. Eat protein.
How is your nutrition? From your slow progress at the gym and your slow healing, I'd guess you don't pay enough attention to it.

Anyway, in my very limited experience, it doesn't take more than a week to recover from ridiculous leg pains. I have busted them up to the point where I couldn't walk anymore and even that didn't take more than 3-4 days to become tolerable again. I guess you'll just have to lay off the bike for now. Keeping to light exercise like walking and stretching can also speed up recovery. Each time you ride through the pain, you're probably delaying recovery.

Also why did you buy such a heavy bike? What's the point? It's like buying shoes made out of lead. I never understood people who get hybrid / cruise / mountain bikes to commute. You'll just get there slower.
And I googled your Oma. Wow, 1700$ for that? Seriously? You can get a crazy good used road bike for that price. Just buy a couple of bike accessories to put on it and you're set : D

If you're anything like the people I typically see commuting around town on their behemoths, you pedal really slow, hence at the first sight of a gentle climb you are tempted to slam down on the pedals to get up the hump instead of lowering your gear. I see them do it. They arch their backs and start pedaling "really hard" for a short while to gain speed. If you're not fit enough, that sudden increase in power requirement for your legs is just bad. It's like kicking a brick wall. Does this sound like you? Well hopefully not.

When you heal up, try increasing your cadence to over 70rpms. Typical person I see on the streets goes at half of that.

Massage! Whether you're doing it yourself with a foam roller, or hiring a deep-tissue massage therapist, a lot of pains can be resolved this way.