Originally Posted by
Jzaharek53
For the past several months, my friend and I have been training and preparing to go on a 3000 mile long tour of Europe. I am five days into the trip and I am in a very unfortunate event right now. After day 2, I started to notice a lot of pain in my knee. It started to become really painful. I took strong ibuprofen to lessen the pain and keep on cycling hoping that it would go away, but it hasn’t. But that’s not the worst of it. On day number four, I started to notice pain in my Achilles tendon area. It started to persist to the point of becoming unbearable. We had to cut day four in half and this is where I am now. We are taking an unexpected rest day in an unexpected location trying to figure out exactly what to do. I have checked my saddle height and pedal position multiple times. I have adjusted everything according to research and nothing has helped. I can barely even walk. I don’t know what to do. Any wisdom or help in this situation would be greatly appreciated. I have very little Wi-Fi and I am in a different time zone, so forgive me if I don’t respond right away. I’m scared that the answer might be that my tour is over, but I want to know if there’s any other options. By the way, this is all happening only in my right leg. Left has had no problems
Well, that's a pain!
First things first, on a long tour like that, you have to listen to your body. Popping pills is a temporary response and potentially dangerous if you do that daily on a long tour. You could be doing long term damage to yourself.
Secondly, you say that you have trained? Does that mean cycling similar distances to what you are doing now with similar weight on the bike?
If yes, then what has changed since your training? Weight? Distance? Speed? Footwear? Pedals? Roadsurface? Shoes? Had any work done on the bike? Hills?
If no, then you're finding out why it's a good idea to do some shakedown rides. You'll have to learn how to ride the bike comfortably. (Sorry, don't mean to be a smartass, but that's waht you really need to do).
Thirdly, check out the bike. The issue is only on one side, correct? Check your crank & pedal. Check the saddle, not height necessarily, but where it is pointing. that may be putting strain on one side of the body.
Next, get checked out by a medic. Are you European? If so, you should have free emergency health cover in another European country. If not, you'll have to make a choice of whether it's worth paying for or if your insurance will cover it.
Finally, listen to your body. Cycle and try to isolate when and where the pain is originating. Make adjustments accordingly to saddle (height, angle, direction) and possibly handlebars.
Explain your situation to your partner. Change your pace/distance to suit your needs. If you can stay put for a day or 2, or head for somewhere more interesting where your partner can amuse themselves while you rest.
Welcome to the world of touring! It's the adversity that you remember and gives the most satisfaction when you overcome it!
I remember one time heading off on a long tour. don't know what I was thinking, but at the last moment I had the idea that if I raised my saddle I'd generate more power and travel faster. So I did. Day 1 my ankles were tender. Day 2 my ankles were very sensitive. Day 3 my ankles were in agony & I could barely walk off the bike (on the bike was ok). Day 4 I could not walk.
At that point I realised the folly of my ways! Lowered the saddle, soaked a pair of socks & strapped them tightly around my very swollen ankles. It took about 2 weeks to recover fully. Lesson learned!