Training for 2 century rides – one July, one August, on the road bike

As I’ve started doing the longer rides I’ve started to get knee pain setting in after about 30-40 miles or so. The pain is either just above the kneecap or just to the side of it.

I’ve tried shifting my saddle – raised it a bit and moved it back, that helped for a bit but the pain came back a couple of rides later. I tried moving the position of my cleats around a bit but that didn’t help either.

Wondering if it’s just plain ol’ overuse, or whether I should go for a proper bike fitting ahead of these here races, anyone had one and is it worth it?

Hello,

My first question is by how many miles are you increasing your distance every week. The general rule is no more than 10-15%. This could lead to over use injuries.

The position becomes also more important with increased milage. You are saying you have tried various alterations to seat and cleats. These changes should not be carried out just willy nilly. here i a link to an article on knee pain, hope it helps.

Part1

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/take-care-of-your-knees-17010/

Part2

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/take-care-of-your-knees-part-2-17445/

I read those articles, and have adjusted in line with the recommendations – still getting the pain on the longer rides. I don’t get it on the shorter ones.

I am increasing mileage by 10-15 miles per week now – last weekend I did 45 miles, this weekend 57.

Are you stretching? Tight quads and IT band can create pain around the knee cap as the tight muscles shift the patella out of position.
Visit to a (good) physio to get worked on and homework will make a huge difference.

Are you stretching? Tight quads and IT band can create pain around the knee cap as the tight muscles shift the patella out of position.
Visit to a (good) physio to get worked on and homework will make a huge difference.

+1.

Also bike fit is one of the best things I invested in last year (a proper one that takes in account your flexibility etc)

I should probably do more stretching, will look up some ITB stretches, cheers 🙂

Found a place near me that does bike fittings as well so it might be worth looking into, considering the distance I am planning on riding. I’ve already had one lot of expensive knee surgery from previous football playing days, don’t need another lot!

Thinking I’m having ITB issues too. I spent a lot of time on road bike setup then a long ride caused sporadic shooting pains in the back of knee. Changed setup but am doing ITB stretches/roller work and seems to be improving. Had some time off the bike and only got a few sharp twinges on a long ride yesterday.

I’m going to carry on the ITB stretches and leg stretches.

Buy a foam roller for your ITBs. Expect to swear a lot the first time you use it. 😈

I’ll dig out my review of my bike fit for you, but it was well worth every penny (£120 + bits – ie i needed new pedals, stem, bars and seatpost).

Get to a physio tout suite!

The knee is an incredibly complex joint & you’re far better off talking to a professional than asking for advice on an internet forum..

I have had the exact same issue for the last 6 weeks but now it is much better.

I went to the Physio and she said my muscles had just got stronger and tighter and needed to be stretched more often. I have a set of stretches I do everyday (I try to at least) and for the last couple of weeks I have been riding a lot with next to no problems now.

dafoxster – any chance of sharing the stretches you do?

Proper bike fit (as opposed to a fitting): I had ITB issues and they were cured by 1) lowering and moving the saddle forward, and 2) foam rolling. I don’t roll now, but it really helped a tight ITB.

Check fit: Knee over pedal at 90 degrees is a good start. Then move a little forward or aft. For saddle height, a bend of 25-30 degrees is ideal when clipped in and at the bottom of the stroke. Have someone measure the bend with a goneometer (or a hinge and protractor). The Lemond method: 0.83x inseam, or the 109% including cranks is too high for me. My bend is 27 degrees.

Probably not cleat fit, particularly if you have float.

So I dug out my foam roller and did some ITB stretches and roller work last night as well as rolling around with my bum on a tennis ball to loosen the glutes….I also raised my saddle by a centimetre and touch wood, no pain on my ride to work this morning.

Have resolved not to neglect stretching and the roller in future – have always been a bit rubbish and only really done it in a cursory sort of way, but I think I can’t afford to do that any more now I’m training as heavily as I am, so will have to make it part of my routine.