Neck soreness

[JLMitchell]

I've been riding seriously for about three weeks now. I can do twenty-mile rides, and I'm fairly certain that I'll be doing thirty soon (read: this weekend). I've been riding a mountain bike so far, and I've found that my neck and my trapezius muscles are extra sore, and that I've been popping my neck more often than usual. I think I rode on two rides with a backpack, which gave me pinprick pains toward the end, and they even went down as far as my shoulder blades. I lost the backpack and it's been a whole lot better, but I still have the neck popping problem. It sounds like stretching is in order, but is there a common noob mistake in technique that I should pay attention to?

Edit: I'm going on my first ride with a road bike tonight, I dunno if that helps.

[Aggie_Ama]

It could be a poor bike fit. Also try changing positions on the bike frequently, especially on a road bike. There was an article in last month's bicycling magazine about neck pain. It recommended holding light weights and shrugging your shoulders to build strength.

[Zen]

Be aware of your posture on the bike.
i find myself slumping once in a while and have to remind myself to lift up my ribcage.

[chutch]

Check the bike fit! I had a bike that was too long for me and it caused major pain in my neck and shoulders.

If fit is good, regular stretching while riding helps as does building up those muscles (carefully).

[DDH]

Be aware of your posture on the bike.
i find myself slumping once in a while and have to remind myself to lift up my ribcage.

I do this too and it's something that I have to make myself be aware of. Most of the time I don't realize what I am doing as far as my posture until I start getting sore, and then I remember to tighten up my core and push my hips forward a bit, and I feel better, in fact I can balance better when I remember to do that too. LOL, I'm such a sloucher.

[Dogmama]

Along with bike fit - you may be hunching up your shoulders towards your ears. I see it often when people get tired. At stop lights, gently turn your head from side to side & try to touch your chin to your chest. Don't go backwards. Additionally, try stretching your arms backwards & forwards to release tension in your shoulders.

[JLMitchell]

Thanks for the replies, y'all. I'll stretch as often as I can. It already feels better. I can readily believe that my posture has something to do with it; I'm slouching in my chair as I type!
My fitting will continue on Thursday; I think they found out that I'm too stretched out and they need to replace a stem, or something like that. The thing the handlebars are attached to. But so far the riding is nice. I'm fighting the seat right now, though. I'm trying to see if it's something I can get used to.