Sore after 50+ miles bike ride

[gfbikernyc]

Hi
Is it "normal" that I feel sore (read VERY sore) after longish bike rides?

The first time I did a 50-mile-ride I was sooooo tired I crashed when I got home and hardly had any energy left to eat. However, I didn't feel sore or pain. Just very tired.

One year later I can do 50+ miles and still have energy left to walk my Westie and do chores. I have learned what & how often to eat and I do switch positions when I ride long distances. But in the last few longish rides I got REALLY sore and had to take tylenol after the rides to alleviate the pain.

Also, I sometimes have trouble falling asleep after a long ride. Why is that? I was tired wanted to sleep but couldn't!!! So frustrating.

[Melalvai]

Biking shouldn't hurt. If your bike fits and everything is adjusted, you could ride all day. You might be tired but not sore. The most common adjustment is raising your seat. What is sore?

It does take time to get the adjustments worked out. When I got my new bike, I went on several long rides, and each time I'd make a tiny adjustment. Toward the end it was maybe just one or two millimeters each time!

It takes me a while to wind down after a long ride.

[OakLeaf]

Oh, I've definitely been sore after a tough ride, the same delayed onset muscle soreness as I get after any unaccustomed exertion whether it's running, weight lifting, heavy gardening or whatever.

How often are you riding that far? What kind of rides are you doing in between? Have the rides that have made you sore been hillier or windier than you're used to?

I get wound up by anything I do near bedtime, whether it's exertion or something sedentary like a concert or movie. Reading (NOT in bed!!) is one thing that helps me wind down ... on the internet doesn't count, because the backlighting keeps you from producing melatonin that signals to your body that you're ready for sleep.

[badgercat]

I'll echo Melavai's question: what parts of your body are sore? Arms, hands, wrists? Legs? Butt? All of the above?

[Biciclista]

if i do any serious climbing, I notice my legs scream when I walk down steps.
Also neck, arms, shoulders might be tired. Or, of course a really long ride might involve some butt soreness too.

Details please?

[shootingstar]

It's ok to be tired after a long ride. Sometimes my tiredness is affected by my cycling 'karma' for the day. (You know there are just inexplicable days where the weather, one's own mood/attitude and body state, clicks so right and one is cycling/flying over hills, etc. :) )

If you are consistently quite sore after each long ride ie. 50+ miles, something is not quite right. You need to explain which body areas for soreness for us to recommend something.

Unless you are cycling very long distances 100+miles every day for 7-14 days or more with routes that hills /you are cycling with pannier weight. Even still, if you are properly fitted on bike, soreness shouldn't be much and heal itself after 1 day of short/easy riding or rest.

I rarely have sleep problems after a long ride. I sleep like a rock.
But then the type of riding I do, I finish a long ride or heavy-pannier loaded ride by supper time at the latest or more often, mid-afternoon/ earlier.

At most, I've done night commuting rides and then to bed 1 hr. later. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz By then.

[gfbikernyc]

I train in central park twice a week and I feel fine after 3 or 4 laps (6 miles per lap) but everytime I do longish rides my WHOLE body would just complain. It's only in the last 4 months or so when I can really do 50+ miles without taking long breaks and feeling I will collapse at any moment or die from hunger.

There are definitely more hills in my recent rides and I have been trying to increase my speed and distance so i don't know if these are the contributing factors to the uncomfortableness I feel after the long rides.

So you guys don't get sore after a long hard ride? (yes, 50+ is long for me).

[JennK13]

I get muscle soreness like anyone gets from a good workout whether it's riding or something else. I did a tri on Sunday, pushed really hard, and was "sore" Monday - but the soreness was confined to my quads, hams and gluts and not from a poor fit but from a good effort. By Tuesday I was fine, and went for a jog in the morning.

I find that when I overtrain my body will scream. I'm talking 5-6 rides a week, with speed and hill intervals and no rest days in-between. I'm not as fast, I tire more easily, and my whole body aches because my legs are tired so I start compensating with bad form. Are you giving yourself time to rest and heal? It may sound counterproductive - "why would you take days off if you want to get faster or go farther?" But your body needs to recoup - that is when it makes muscle by healing. I'm best if I don't ride hard everyday and take 2 days a week off from riding completely. That doesn't mean I sit around eating dingdongs! I cross train, maybe go for a hike, jog, swim, weights or pilates, i'll get out my cruiser and do a short, flat ride just to keep my legs moving; that kind of thing. And I have learned the hard way how important it is to stretch after a ride or workout.

Lastly, if you work out in the afternoon//evening, you will have issues sleeping. That's common and I have read that you shouldn't do a hard workout 3 hours before bedtime.

[Melalvai]

I read somewhere that when you first start bicycling, your first ride should be at most 4 miles, and no faster than 8 mph. Then you should increase by only 1 mile per day or 5 miles per week. The logic was that you're more likely to keep riding if it is not a painful experience. I hope you find a comfortable way to ride!

[ny biker]

My legs will be sore after a long ride, but generally that's it. I used to have problems with lower back, neck and shoulder pain but increasing my flexibility and fixing bike-fit issues took care of that. I do find that I need to stop and get off the bike for a few minutes after 20 miles or so, or else my mid/upper back starts to feel stiff from being in one position too long.

If I do weight training the day after a long ride, I will notice less strength in my upper body, so those muscles are tired from the ride, but they generally don't hurt.

[Catrin]

I think that riding releases endorphins, and too close to the evening this can cause sleeplessness. I found this earlier in the year but it did pass - and I have learned how late on a week night it is safe for me to ride and still be able to sleep that night.

You have mentioned your 50 mile rides, but what are the other distances you are riding? How often do you ride? Have you considered tweaking your nutrition? While a newcomer myself, I've learned that all of these things do tie together.

[Bike Writer]

I have stiffness after almost every ride except for all but the easiest of rides on the flattest of terrains, but I have two kinds of arthritis and that is not a surprise because nearly every morning I have stiffness, aches and pains whether I ride or not. Riding has lessened the affects of arthritis and I have less stiffness and soreness after riding and in the mornings too.

After several days (3-4) of longer rides I am pretty sore and need to remind myself to throw in a soft easy ride or take a day of rest.

Obviously if something is out of your norm and does not lighten up over a couple of days then get yourself checked out by a Doc. Otherwise I have good success by listening to what my body is telling me, I push her and challenge her, but when she starts crying I listen and back off a tad, heal up then push some more.