Originally Posted by
Robert A
Last Saturday, I did a 67-mile, 5,800-foot ride in 90F heat. Not the hardest ride I've done, but it was up there.
At the 47-mile mark, I stopped at a farmers market for 30+ minutes, rehydrated with water and fresh-squeezed OJ, and ate a fig bar. Five minutes after restarting, the inside tops of my legs began to cramp and spasm. The pain came and went, and I was able to finish the ride, but with great difficulty.
Any idea why this happened, and how to avoid it next time?
For me personally, after some experimentation, it was the need to add a salty snack for long rides to avoid cramps in my calves. On cooler days I take a pickle/pickle juice and warmer days beef jerky. Juice or cookies won’t work for me. It could also have a conditioning component too as I’ll be more prone to the problem early in the season.