Originally Posted by
Rowan
Since starting the long trail back into LD cycling, I have suffered the same types of cramps. ...
...I walked the hill, tried getting back on the bike, then was paralysed on the roadside for five minutes by a charlie horse cramp that was excruciating. And there was nothing I could do to stop it! ...
Last summer, I rode a 400Km that started at 8pm. About 300Km into the ride, in the late afternoon after riding for hours at around 95 F, my friend and I took a nap in a churchyard. After half on hour when I tried to get up, I rolled to my right and instantly went into a full-leg cramp in my right leg. I tried to shake it out while lying flat on my back and waited for it to subside. Then I tried to roll to the left and instantly went into a full-leg cramp in my left leg. I rolled back onto my back like a beached whale, bag of electrolytes sitting in my handlebar bag fifteen feet away, and tried to figure out a way to get up that didn't actually require moving. Fortunately, my friend was up, so I had him pass me some Endurolytes, which I crunched up and washed down. Cramps were gone in a couple of minutes. I have no idea what I'd have done if I were on my own!
Nick