Lousy ride today...does everyone experience this?

[DebTX]

I'd been riding weekends only, due to the travel demands of my job - typically 20-25 miles on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I'm now able to add midweek rides - and I know it will help with both weight loss and improved performance on the bike (big goals for me). So last week I headed out four times for 20 mile rides (Sun, Tues, Fri, Sat). The rides felt great - I felt the best I'd felt all season on the hills, and thought "maybe I'm finally gaining a bit of strength!" I took Sunday off for a day of rest.

This morning (after a day of rest), I went out for a 25 mile ride (on a chip and seal road surface which sucked, but I've ridden it many times before) and it was the worst ride of the season. :( The entire ride I felt like I was peddling through quicksand - even on the flats, in the easiest gear! Nothing was wrong with the bike (when I rode into the asphalt parklng lot at the end of the ride, it peddled like a dream.)

Do you experienced riders sometimes have days when you're "just off"? I'm sure my body is surprised by all the new work I'm puttting it through, but I really want to keep it up because I think it's the only way I'll improve.

I just need reassurance to "push through it" and not give up because of one bad day!

Thanks!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yes indeed just like anything else, there are days when you just feel sluggish on your bike.

(did you check your tire pressure? Brake pads not rubbing on your rims? Did you eat/drink enough before/during your ride?)

[ibcycling]

Saturday's ride was like that. It started out fine but I quickly hit a point where I just wanted to be back home. For me I think it was a combo of pushing to hard the past couple weeks and not eating well lately. You doubled your mileage last week so you're probably just recovering and a little tired. Chip seal sucks too! Take a nice ride on a smooth road and see how you feel. ;)

Lora

[GraysonKelly]

Hi Deb!
I'm pretty new here and pretty new to riding, but I hope you don't mind my telling you to hang in there. I have lots of days like that and I'm sure everyone else does too. There are all kind of physiological reasons that your body sometimes reverts to what I call "teenager mode" where it basically folds it's arms over it's chest, sets its jaw and absolutely refuses to do what you ask it to do. :) Just hang in there. Try your best to eat right, drink enough, get the right amount of sleep and make sure that you ride when the alignment of the moon and stars are perfect...and even with all that you'll still have days like that. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in thinking about training and weight loss and hydration and miles and speed and cadence and all of that other stuff that I literally have to stop, get off the bike, stretch a little and remind myself that I'm doing something I love to do. I remind myself to relax and forget about everything but the rhythms around me and the wind in my face. And it gets a little easier.
Hang in there and keep riding.
Gray
(corny, i know but I love riding and it's making me healthy all the way around)

[redrhodie]

I have those rides, and I've come to realize it's usually not me, but an outside influence, like the wind (this may be a trick to make the hard rides better ;)). If I'm really slow, it's either a headwind, or my brake is rubbing.

How you feel on hills is a better gauge to how you're really progressing. You're feeling better on the hills, you're getting stronger for sure!

[luvmypwds]

absolutely don't give up Deb. I'm not a good cyclist (just starting to get more serious now) but have been an avid runner for over 12 years. Throughout my training, I can tell you that there are just some days where I feel "off." Also, I find that if I run, say, 4 days straight, and then take one day off, the run after my day off is often with "deadish" legs. I used to get upset about it, but now I just attribute it to my muscles rebuilding. Sometimes it can also be a lactic acid issue. At any rate, just take it easy on the day you feel off. Plug away and I am sure you'll be even stronger the week after!

[gingerale]

I haven't been cycling long, either. But I have definitely had those kinds of days. When I have one, for me, I just make the decision to make that ride my easy day ride. I then just sort of take that day at an easier, slower pace and enjoy the ride for what I can make it.

[LoriO]

I think we all have days like that. Just don't let it get you down. Take a day off to rest and I bet the next time you go out you will be flying down the road.

[mayanorange]

Don't feel bad- that describes all of my rides! Well, most of them anyway.
You might have a bit of DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness AKA weekend warrior syndrome) due to you recent increase in mileage. Sounds like you've added in about 60 extra miles last week. DOMS is caused by microtears in the muscles (that happen everytime you exercise) and takes about 2-4 days to really hit you, so I suspect it was your Fri & Sat rides that might have pushed it over the edge. You won't always get sore, stiff muscles too- the fatigue you have could just be that there was more energy being used in muscle repair. Could just be an off day too, which as everyone above has made it clear, everyone gets.

Gwenn, your friendly neighborhood biomechanist (Since I study exercise, that means I get to do less, right??)

PS- only cure for DOMS is letting it heal, so rest a day or do a shorter distance, etc.

[aicabsolut]

There are days where I keep checking my tires and brakes because I swear it's got to the bike and not me that's stuck. I feel like the tires are made of lead. Chip seal and wind can make it feel a lot worse too. It happens to everyone...I think.

[Misandal]

It's not just you! I used to joke that I never knew what legs were going to show up with me to ride - the good ones or the heavy ones!

It's good that you're increasing the number of days you ride, but be sure to vary your intensity. IMO you should have one really easy day every week - I mean really easy. An article in Bicycling described it as feeling like you're taking your bike for a walk. You shouldn't make every ride an intense one, and that's the tendency when you're trying to improve performance. But you'll be surprised how good and strong you'll feel more consistenly if you give yourself an easy-ride day every week. At least that's what has worked for me.

[DebTX]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful advice and reassurance. You definitely eased my mind - As a newbie, I'm constantly looking for signs of improvement and on a bad day it's just so easy to say, "I'll never have a body that can do this!"