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a rolling pin is a nifty quad-massager. works great on post-ski legs, and I bet it's good on post-gym legs too.
Personally, I learned many years ago that keeping my muscles WARM after working hard keeps me from stiffening up too much. I sleep in sweats after a hard work out, and pile on extra blankets too.
Stretching is also pretty important!
Karen in Boise
My son completed a certificate in sports science last year. We have just been talking about the benefits of ice baths so I just read out to him and my partner about Eden doing the cold water baths on her 3-day tour. (They know a few of you - like Eden - because of the simnilar interests in racing to me).
My son says that one school of thought says 30 seconds of cold, then 2 minutes of hot... repeated several times after a race... then ideally a massage after that.
He says (like Eden does) that the cold assists with the bruising/muscle tears... but he adds that doing the cold/hot/cold/hot thing helps to disperse the lactic acid - the change in temperature is the critical factor there.
I always try and give my partner a gentle leg rub (as opposed to a deep tissue massage) asap after a race. And if he is too tired to reciprocate, I self massage my quads. We always massage with arnica oil or cream.
Yoga!
If it's muscle soreness holding you back, you might just try working through it on the bike. Short of overtraining or nursing a strain or injury, I tend think the best cure for muscle soreness is more movement. That doesn't mean going out on your hardest or fastest ride, but an easy to moderate recovery ride might actually help you feel better, not worse. You, of course, know your body better than I do though! You could, as someone else suggested, time your strength training so that it's earlier in the week, leaving you free to ride over the weekend.
Also, the concept of "recovery" covers a wide range of issues so it helps to be specific about what our bodies are experiencing in figuring out an antidote: Muscle soreness from microtears, pain or strain from an overuse injury, lactic acid buildup from high intensity exercise, muscle tightness, glycogen depletion, dehydration, general fatigue, overtraining, calorie or nutrient deficiencies, etc., etc. Unfortunately, there is no one solution for all of these problems.
I try to cover my bases by drinking a recovery drink after hard efforts (chocolate milk is my drug of choice), icing areas and taking Motrin as needed, incorporating yoga and stretching into my routine, staying hydrated and eating nutrient-dense foods, trying (often in vain) to get enough sleep, having at least one designated rest day each week, taking the random day unscheduled day off when I'm feeling run down, purposely doing easy recovery rides, and getting regular deep tissue massages. I need to get one of those foam rollers, too!