Ok so did cannock last sat,had a great day but unusually for me suffered cramp near end & while sat eating cake at benches after…. Then did local 30miler last night & same thing!, writhing around living room floor in that horrid leg cramp way!!! Its so painfull!! Behind the topv thigh… Hamstring just pulls sooo tight!!! Arghhhh the thought of it!!
… So does the collective have an idea what causes such a reaction & what to eat or drink to prevent it again!!??? As i say i dont get it normally only rarely?… I have been on a no choc diet lately & cut all sugar from drinks?…
Thanks for reading – pete

I drink electrolyte based drinks if I’m out for a big ride, and if we go to for food afterwards, I’m careful not to sit with my knees bent beyond 90deg, otherwise I get it in my hamstring too. I bet when you were sat on the bench eating cake you had your feet tucked in below you, didn’t you?.

We’re you riding a slightly longer distance than usual?

Saviour of the universe!

Try altering saddle position maybe and mid-ride stretches.

@nobeer ye i know what you mean re bent legs starting it off!! I heard salt intake has something to do with it?… Or eat more banana??? Yes was a longish jaunt last night & legs were fried by end…

Last convincing article I read said that electrolyte and similar products don’t do much for cramp. If you are cramping due to low salt it would as likely be your arms as your legs.

That said if you go out hungry and ride you’d be more succeptable in my experience as cramping often comes with Bonking.

It is a muscular thing, caused by overuse of the cramping muscle. Could be caused by a change in position if it has just come on or an increase in the amount of riding. So try moving your saddle (back?) Otherwise it is a fitness thing.

Mmmmm interesting! jonba i suspect its the fitness thing then….. Answer – get fitter #bonkevenless

I was suffering from cramp last year, after just 15miles sometimes. Its not like I wasnt used to longer rides and my fitness was still good. I read that Quinine should help out (which can be found in tonic water), so I bought some tablets:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141152984024?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Seems to be good so far and I have done some longish rides that I could feel cramp was going to start – dropped tab and all ok 🙂

Superfli awesome dude will check them out for sure! Nice one 🙂

Talk to your doctor about it and ask if he can give you quinine tablets

did you go straight from riding in this surprisingly warm weather to sitting on a bench munching cake? Taking some time to cool down and stretch off whilst taking on some water can help prevent post ride cramp and muscle tightness.

Thanks to all for the great hints & tips as always!! #stwcollective …it jus’ works..

Drink more fluid? Properly hydrate during the hours before your ride and keep sipping while you’re out.

Electrolytes might make a difference, they might not but at least it feels good to be doing something 😉

Compression tights are sometimes recommended- personally I’ve found that getting the bastards on is a common cause of cramp.

Saviour of the universe!

Glad I’m not the only one that thought that when the read the thread title

There may be more recent research but this should be a good starting point.

Muscle Cramps: Part I

Do you do any stretches during/at the end of rides? I get cramp in my calves sometimes but stretching seems to make a big difference.

And more generally doing yoga/stretching is really good for you.

Most sports scientists (the others have studies funded by High 5 😉 )believe that ‘Exercise Induced Cramps’ are what occur when the neuromuscular demands of an exercise/exercises are beyond neuromuscular capabilities of a muscle or a group of muscles. Basically, your body can’t really control how muscle contractions ‘fire’ any longer, and it often inevitably means a really, really hard and long contraction of the muscle.

I often get cramps after races when sitting down at the end, which is pretty normal. Your muscles will be contracting in a different, much slower way than they were on the bike and if you pulled your leg back under a bench your hamstring may well just decide it wants to cramp.

I don’t think there’s been a study since the war that’s concluded that electrolytes prevent camp, at best weak correlations. Electrolytes are important for proper hydration though, so they have their place.