Weird Feeling On The Bike. WTF Is Wrong With Me?

Bid of an odd one.

Have been away to the Alps for a couple of weeks riding.

Towards the end of the second week I started to feel a little off/odd on the bike.

Kind of put it down to one of those things and ignored it.

Fast forwards to this week and after three days rest off the bike I went out again this morning.

I’m still feeling the same if not worse.

It’s bizarre.

Best way I can describe it is it’s like I’m riding switch even when I’m leading with my normal left foot forwards.

As in I can still ride but it feels slightly wrong/off balance.

The freakiest sensation though is that my left grip feels really big compared to my right grip and my head kind of feels like it’s wired back to front.

I feel fine in every other aspect with no loss of balance in day to day life and everything feels fine when I drive.

So WTF is wrong with me?

Some kind of vertigo/inner ear infection/virus/cheese overload/probed by aliens?

I’d go see a GP but feel like it’s wasting their time telling them that I feel off balance on my bike…

Advice from doctors/scientists/psychiatrists/vets/random nut jobs/pisstakers welcome.

Hmmm I’d go to the Docs or call 111, just to rule out the worst (possible stroke?) IANADBWAPY

One of your mates thought it would be funny to put a giant left grip on your bike and mess with the pedals/cranks somehow, and you never noticed? Are the cranks still at 180 degrees to each other?

Bloaty Head Syndrome, you have playing too much Theme Hospital.

What Houns said, re get checked. Cheese overload otherwise….mmmm.

Ear stuff can mess you a bit. Eg labyrinthitis, but when I get that I am dizzy, not wired back to front/goofy.

Did you crash in the Alps at any point and hit your head?

I’d also suggest considering appropriate medical advice. I am absolutely not saying that this is your issue or anything of similar severity, but a friend’s late husband, who was a mechanic, knew there was something amiss when his tools felt ‘wrong’ in his hands at work. He also had odd disparities between eye focus/movement. Turned out he had. a brain tumour, which eventually proved to be fatal.

As above, I’m absolutely not suggesting you have anything of that level of seriousness, but it’s maybe worth investigation in case it points to some sort of underlying condition that’s messing with finely honed and very familiar motor functions.

(Forgot to add that it sounds like a fatal dose of cat aids, and dibs on your bikes)

Same bike? Might be worth trying another one just in case it’s a slightly wonky pedal or something sending everything else awry

sort of overtraining stress?

I would go and get checked out. Symptoms like these need to be taken seriously. I would go to either your GP or a walk in clinic, it’s better to err on the safe side rather than be sorry later.

For such minor symptoms I’d be giving it a few weeks rest in the first instance to see if it gets better.

If it persists for longer than 4 to 6 weeks then I’d make a routine appointment to see my GP.

Obviously if the symptoms progressed in that time I’d go in earlier.

I’m no doctor but you’d think that any issues would manifest itself off the bike as well. How’s your balance/coordination otherwise. Can you close your eyes and stand on one leg etc?

Can I have your Geometron if it gets worse and you can’t ride any more?

Thanks for all the replies.

I’ll add.

No crash.  (I’m very aware of head injuries have met https://www.lorrainetruong.ch/ a few times.

Different bike today to what I was riding on holiday.

Don’t think it could be over training as  the two weeks were less of a workout than my usual riding routine ( due to so many chairlifts)

@nickc

Which one, G1 or G13?

I’ll go cold turkey on the cheese consumption until it’s out of my system.

Other than that I’ll have a few more steady rides this week and see if it improves.

If it doesn’t i’ll be going to see my GP next week.

Potential ear infection ?

Covid? Some nasty strain doing the rounds at the moment.

Oi nickc! I was first.

@Houns

You can have one each but only if you ride them as they’re intended to be used.

You know I will! Pootling along the towpath right?

Looks like nick is getting both of them then. ;o)

Pinched nerve somewhere?

Ex had it after a minor off, didn’t even hit the deck properly. But was complaining of a bent crank/pedal/bottom bracket for a couple of weeks. Leg wasn’t quite firing properly. Took until last year to fix properly (she’d been masking it for nearly half a decade!)

@mert.

Interesting you should say that.

Although i didn’t crash i did fall over and bend my wrist backwards and jar my dodgy shoulder while carrying the bike round a couple of fallen trees and the problem started just after that.

Wrist is still hurting now but not  enough to stop me riding.

Sure you didn’t whip that head and neck of yours around?
I say this as eldest has just had 6 weeks of gentle recovery from a brain injury while out riding, which did not damage his helmet.

bend my wrist backwards and jar my dodgy shoulder

The ex jarred her ankle and over extended her knee and may have cracked her hip too, so could quite possibly be something to look at. (I don’t know the full diagnosis as these days, it’s none of my business!)

I think I’ve had what you describe but only in relation to driving a car and not persistent. It has only happened a few times but I put it down to being overtired.

I would get in the driver’s seat of my own car and my own coordination would make it feel like everything’s in the wrong place. In particular the idea of changing gear with the left hand felt odd rather than instinctive. Almost like driving a lhd car.

Are you smelling burnt toast or any other phantom smells.

@reeksy

I’ve had that too after a previous Alpine holiday and it does feel very much like that but only on the bike.

I’m fine driving but feel like I’m kind of cross brained when riding. Almost like my right side is getting signals for my left and vice versa.

**** bizarre.

Recently back from Andorra and felt weird on the bike. Noticed my bars were slightly off straight after I trimmed a tree trunk on the very last run.  Thought it was just my forearm (left some skin) and the very end of the grip.

I can pop over and have those bikes rehoused in no time

Deffo no crash recently like a month or so ?

No crashes of any significance for the last couple of months.

I few minor offs but no head impacts.

Having today off and resting then will try a XC type ride tomorrow.

Look after yourself my man

Could it be a dietary deficiency,maybe something like vitamin b12 not being absorbed and processed as it once was.

Worth a sports massage on the back…?  i had a short period where I felt not quite balanced on a bike and very soon after endured a slipped disc whilst doing not a lot.  My back man thought I had been unconsciously nursing a back near spasm on one side for some time.  Since then I have learned to recognise the symptoms and a stretch & massage has averted a repeat.