Originally Posted by
gregf83
Are you going up and down? If so it’s likely the going down that causes soreness. Walking downhill results in eccentric (muscle lengthening) contractions which are absent in cycling.
I have no problem hiking a local steep climb (850m elev in 2.9km) and taking the gondola down but running up and down 50m of steps/trail 6 times will make me sore for a week if I’m not used to it.
Both ... what goes up must come down! And yes, down really gets the calves plus a few other muscles.
I climb stairs at work ... anywhere from 4 flights on a really light day to a maximum of 40 flights a day. Mostly around the 20-25 flight range.