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Slowly but surely over the years I’ve been getting cramp in one or both quads on long rides. Doesn’t seem to matter if it’s freezing cold or boiling hot weather, lots of climbing or flat as a pancake. After 3-4hrs there it is. Usually I can feel it coming and a few minutes of harsh painful thumb digging massage can ease things for a bit. But I’m basically stuffed from that point on.
I’m sure it’s because I’m ahem old(er) and unfit and have generally less muscle strength. I don’t train, but used to train 6days a week.
I’ve tried isotonic, salty water, bars, gels blah. No help.
I’m pretty sure a program of weights and strength training would solve it, but I would rather a lazy solution cos I hate gyms ( see 6days above)
Do others suffer this?
Any found solutions or things that delay the onset of the killer pain?
Yeah, I often get it after about eight or nine hours, sometimes less, usually the muscle on the inside of the thigh. Doesn't matter if I'm pushing hard or just pootling along. I can usually feel it coming on so there's about 30-60 mins of getting off and walking then riding, then walking. Eventually it passes.
I'm 61 and it's slightly more prevalent than ten years or so ago. I've started adding more salt to my general diet and it seems to help.
If you think of cramp as neuromuscular fatigue rather than any electrolyte imbalance, it becomes a lot easier to understand why and when you get it.
Essentially, you need to train.
Although I often get it after about eight or nine hours and I’m 61 means it's your own fault!
🙂
My thoughts not necessarily right but hay.
Drink more water with less crap in it
Stretch more
Get fitter / vary riding
Although I often get it after about eight or nine hours and I’m 61 means it’s your own fault!
Maybe - I get random cramps at almost any time, even when asleep.
Some good links above thanks.
Strange how cramps are still medically a mystery.
Guess I better get the dumbbells out and stop expecting my 20yo past self to power my 50yo self.
I always used to get cramps at the 40-50 mile mark of a long ride.
Always in my hamstrings, and they'd really lock up, especially if I got off and walked. Just had to pedal through it.
Had it one year on the Dartmoor classic (107 miles that year). Did the last 40 miles with cramping hamstrings. Oof.
Unfortunately the only thing that worked was training and doing longer rides.
Not much help sorry!
I heard a theory on a podcast that drinking some pickle juice or tabasco can confuse the nerve signalling and stop the cramp. So obviously you should put a jar of gherkins in your pocket when you ride.
Mmmm, gherkins!
Actually I did hear drinking tonic water did a similar thing with nerve signals. Sounds like bullshit and never tried it. More likely to make me puke I think.
@dazzydw Tonic water may be linked with quinine content, also given as a medication for cramps in some vascular causes.
Making sure I have a lot of magnesium in the system has stopped it.
That and training more and easing off a bit when I feel it coming on 🙂
Aside the train more drink more, on long rides of 50+ miles, nuun tablets work for me
Yep Nuuns work for me - tried lots of others - then listened to you lot - dont get cramp now if i take Nuuns........
I get cramp on long rides. My fix is to drink a ltr of tonic water before my ride. It might an old wives tale, but it seems to work for me. You do however, need to have numerous piss stops early on ride! I also continue to drink and use hydration tabs.
I used to get really bad cramps. Was diagnosed with vitamin b deficiency, once that was dealt with the cramps disappeared.
I get cramp towards the end of long,up to 100 mile,hilly road rides. I'm going to agree with the old wives tale and say tonic water.
I don't start with it in my bottles but usually stop off around halfway and fill them with tonic.I haven't had cramp since doing this.
Also,I think pushing too harder gear on the climbs makes me more susceptible to it. I've done long road rides with the club including plenty of long climbs,some steep,and at a bit more relaxed pace cramp has never come on.
I'm extremely prone to it in every day life To prevent it I take MegaMagMuscleze. If that's too expensive try a cheap magnesium supplement. Magnesium facilitates interconnectivity of muscle fibres. I'm a coeliac, been so for 36 years, and this inhibits my uptake of magnesium, amongst others.... Prior to being a coeliac I had no problem with cramp. When I was an active triathlete our SAS trainer advised Quinine, aka tonic water or bitter lemon, but taking this had no effect on me.
Powerbar electrolyte tabs for me as I swear a lot, avoid tabs with caffeine in, and les mills body pump to become stronger 👍
I used to get cramp at the end of long rides. I started doing more longer rides and I stopped getting them.
I adamant it’s a fitness thing, the fitter I am, the less I cramp.
Have you tried eating a banana before you ride - potassium for the electrolyte balance.
Edit: are you drinking enough water? Not just on rides but in between to flush out lactic acid build up etc.
Had problems with cramp and despite what some say wasn't pushing beyond what perfectly capable of and / or harder / longer / possibly hotter not on easy rides but on rides well capable of and really impacted my confidence for a couple of years...not sure what really worked but was all or one of these..
Hydrolyte or SIS tablets
Cider vinegar or pickle juice on hot days or rides when pushing it
Magnesium supplement
Edit posted this before but worth a read if a problem for you
https://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/pickle-juice-a-cure-for-muscle-cramps/
Thinking about this. Try hip flexor stretches, could be overactive quads (cycling) made worse by tight flexors pulling you hips out of alignments and reducing movement.
Yep Nuuns work for me, 2nded.
On a SDW in a day event in August I carried a complete tube and gave them out to crampers about 2/3rd round on a hot day. One chap had the eyes and tone that he wanted to kiss me, fortunately his legs had other ideas. Such a small thing to carry and add to water, yet a huge difference on endurance events.
Dont drink too much water
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14537326-waterlogged