Twice now, both legs started cramping at 40 miles. I could't get off the saddle without severe muscle tightness in the quads and medial greats, just above the knees. I didn't have this problem last year on rides between 40 and 80 miles. Had sore legs, but not severe cramping.

Saturday started good, I felt strong for the first 30 miles. Then at apx. 45 miles, I stood up to power over a slight incline and the thigh muscles on both legs cramped up. I could hardly move the pedals, the cramping was extremely painful and debilitating. Once the pain sub-sided slightly, I down shifted to lower gears to try spinning faster and downing a bottle of an electrolyte drink (Nuun). I rode easy for several more miles and the legs started to respond. But I could never fully recover, any hill or incline was still painfully challenging. I rode with 2 buddies and we finished 85 miles in 5 hours and 40 minutes total riding time. We weren't riding for speed, just cruising at a comfortable pace.

So what is the biggest reason why muscles cramp and are there other factors?

My list of things to consider...
1) Hydration
2) Inadequate fuel, carbs
3) Poor conditioning
4) Not enough base riding
5) Bike fit

On #5, I'm not sure if the saddle height or setback is optimum, need to have this checked. I've switched off between saddles and may have this setup slightly off. Sunday, I measured the saddle height and it was low (again), raised it 4mm before a recovery ride and the height felt good. Could a low saddle cause cramps?

Thanks for the help

Id be looking at #1 first. Sounds like you need to pre-hydrate better and not wait so long to replace electrolytes.

I would try stretching out both before and after the ride. Stretch everything, legs, arms, back, neck--you name it. A good long stretch, not a quicky 2 minute then jump on the bike--stretch until you feel loosened up then warm-up slow on the bike to work the kinks out.

I drank apx. 20 oz plain water pre-ride and had a bowl of oatmeal. The weather was cloudy with temps in the 50's F.

During that first 40 miles, because of the cooler temps and some drizzle, I likely didn't drink enough, maybe 16 oz. So you could be right.

Here are the theories:

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/he...on/14BEST.html

Cramping is still pretty much a mystery; mostly because no one has really studied the issue.

There ought to be one of those standard flow charts for preventing, resolving cramps. At the end of flow chart everyone will be recommended to hydrate (more), increase electrolyte intake {Nuun, Heed, Endurolytes, .............**, take Tums (after onset), stretch, use rollers after each ride, don't ride so darn hard, etc.

My experience has been that over-exertion which can occur on the tandem on steep pitches is the precipitating factor. The cramping may not occur immediately, but I've damaged the muscles and at some point later in a ride a minor surge will give me those hot flashes in my quads which foretell doom.

I rode a 100K yesterday with 5000' of climbing. My single is not particularly low-geared, but I pedaled seated slowly on some pitches of 16% without the extreme effort involved in captaining the tandem - no cramps resulted. I did hydrate, had Nuun in my water bottles and took a few Endurolytes. I'm also web searching for the pagan god of cramps.

Never had really severe cramps until this past Saturday on a 45 mile MS ride. I was 42 miles into the ride when cramps in both quads stopped me and I could not bend legs or get off the bike. The weather was high 80's and I had been hydrating well all morning and eating fruit at the rest stops.

A young rider stopped to check on me and offered some Hammer Gel which he said would work fast. I have never tried the stuff but was pretty desperate so I went for it. In 3 or 4 minutes the cramps were easing up and I was able to finish the ride at a good pace with my Good Samaritian.

Anyone have any opinions about the Hammer products?

About midway through a 46 mile ride with 11 other tandem teams this past hot weekend, we were riding harder than we are used to when by ourselves-----> both my calves let me know that they were considering cramping up. Fortunately, backing off the exertion level a little helped much. Finished the ride without catching the faster group but were able to comfortably ride with a few other teams at a fast-enough pace.
I find that the basic cramp trigger is exceeding my fitness level.

I am the king of cramps. I've narrowed my causes down to two things. Improper hydration with electrolytes either before a ride or during a ride. The second more recent cause is riding too hard or allowing the heartrate to get too high for a longer period than reasonable. But that probably also could be similar to insufficient controlled training at higher exertion levels for shorter periods.p

Ride more.

How about a muscle imbalance between quads and hip flexors? Just a crazy thought, but are you doing exercises such as bridges to balance the notoriously imbalanced muscles caused by bicycling?

When you guys figure out the definitive, absolute solution, I'll pay you handsomly for the secret. I haven't cramped yet this year, since the weather turned cold last winter, but did cramp a whole lot last year. As with others, about the 40 mile marker. For me, it seems to be related to how hard I ride that first 35-45 miles. If I'm really, really pushing it, I'll tend to cramp in the calfs; only once in the thighs when I put on a massive burst of power in a situation that called for it.

Doesn't seem to be fitness related as I can easily ride a double-metric century. Well, maybe not "easily", but certainly do-able on a weekly basis. Also doubt it is a hydration issue. Might be, but I highly doubt it. Not a nutrition issue either.

I wish I knew for sure, but for the past three-four months, with my daily vitamin/medicine routine, I've been taking a capsule of Potassium and another of Magnesium. Don't think my level of effort has lessened this season. Only once, near the beginning of taking the Potassium and Magnesium did I get a hint of the calfs wanting to cramp up. I backed off for awhile and all was well.

Who really knows what's going on and what's the cause. Nobody knows for sure, and what works for one persone doesn't work for another. Guess it's just one of those life's mysteries.

+1

There are a bunch of reasons why cramps can occur. I've suffered cramps for different reasons over the years. But, last year I found a new cause.

I was getting cramps well into my rides. These seemed to be fast onset. Not the slow somewhat controllable variety I had experience at controlling through hydration or effort. I could resolve them by stopping and rubbing my thighs. Within minutes I would feel almost like new. Make it another 5-10 minutes into the ride and at the slightest increase in load, WHAM.

Turns out the elastic on my new shorts were a little tight. Put on old worn out shorts, no cramps. New shorts, 0:45-1:45 into ride, cramps. I cut the elastic at the seam on the inside of my thighs. No more cramps.

I believe circulation, or the reduction of it, was the primary cause.

I have been using Hammer products for years. Mainly gels, recoverite, and enduralites, a hydration aid. Now they have a new fizz product bit I haven't tried it yet. You won't find any stuff in their products you can't pronounce, if you know what I mean.

Bananas, eat more.

The first sag was 25 miles, ate a whole banana, 1 hard boiled egg, a few crackers & cheese, a couple apple slices and a piece of bagel with peanut butter. Hmmm.......maybe I overate?

Well, looks like lots of possibilities. After reading the replies, I now believe the cramping is related to inadequate fitness. I just haven't ridden enough this year or put in enough hard rides in. It's strange though, since I wasn't pushing or riding hard. Never felt like I was winded or hurting before the cramps set in. It was a real bummer, realizing I needed to ride slow to even finish.

Thanks all for the replies, much appreciated.

This. I rarely cramp. When I do, it correlates with my having not recovered properly from a previous ride before attempting another hard effort.

I rarely cramp as well, but I also stretch before and after rides,
and make sure electrolyte levels are okay.
Think about adding another bananna .
Yum.

For me it is hydration and electrolyte intake/uptake. I don't cramp often but when I do it is Katy bar the door for me. Eating Bananas and drinking an electrolyte replacement drink will do the trick to stop them but it is a painful interlude. I try to get fully hydrated at least a day before any heavy activity.

I have severe muscle spasms in my abdomen from all of the surgeries and if you find a magic potion for cramps/spasms I'll pay you handsomely for the secret. Muscle relaxers don't do the whole relief thing also.

Bill

OP - you've received good inputs: magnesium, potassium, bananas, Enduralites, etc.

What I want to know is your weekly base miles and average speed during those rides. Average cadence during these rides?

Then during the ride in question - what was the speed of the group? Cadence?

Absent any of this information, I'm still leaning toward a cadence that's too slow and power output that is substantially (>10%) above your sustained average. These two things will lead to problems after an hour and a half or so.

My suggestion for longer rides is to back off of the power, increase the cadence, and pay attention to hydration and electrolytes and fuel. You shouldn't have trouble with 40+ miles. Slow the pace down.

Elastic too tight? That was a great post - these kinds of things happen. Infrequently, I've had tight pelvic muscles that slightly change my seating. Sometimes takes 1/2 hour to warm up and loosen to the point of proper rotation forward on my touring bike. On an otherwise comfortable saddle, I get dull or stabbing pains down my leg and in in the knee area. Once my pelvis is loose - no pain at all for hours of riding. You have to learn how your body responds...

For myself, calf muscle cramping seems to be related to efforts at a harder pace than I'm accustomed to. If I feel the first hint of a beginning cramp, standing on the pedals and dropping heels to stretch the calves helps. Sometimes I have to get off the bike to stretch calves. This year, I've tried Sport Legs tablets and they help or stop cramps altogether.

On a club ride earlier this year, I began to cramp when a passing ex racer told me to pour cold water from a water bottle on my leg, and, to my surprise, it worked.

Average weekly base miles > 40-100 miles
Average speed > 15.5 - 17.5 mph (depending on elevation gain)
Average cadence > 85 - 100 rpm's

Group average speed (on flats) > 15 - 17 mph
Group cadence > 80 - 90 rpm's

On the group ride, I had to guess at cadence. I washed the bike the day before, forgetting to cover the Cateye wireless sensor. Had only speed during the ride and Sunday on a recovery ride, no cadence or speed.

On weekly base miles; struggling to find enough time to ride this year. Plus, lots of wind and rain doesn't help the motivation.

I'll need to keep working on fitness both on and off the bike, and stretching. The later, is something I don't do often enough, certainly not after every ride.

I keep reading about calf muscles cramping. I've never experienced this. Over the last 2 rides, it's been my thighs cramping just above the knee. And why are both thighs affected at the same time, I find this strange. It must have something to do with electrical stimulation of the muscles.

Am I doing something wrong or have the bike setup incorrectly? Does having the seat to low create problems if the legs are not extended properly through the pedal stroke?

Bridges?

I'm currently not doing anything other then biking. Is this bad? What should I be doing?