First outdoor ride of the season=bike fit woes

[DMC]

My bike has been on the trainer all winter, and today was the first day I've ridden outside since november.

Today I felt like I was pushing a lot of weight onto my hands. Felt better in the drops, but really felt cramped when I was on the hoods. I was fine on the trainer all winter, and I was fine last fall.

Is this a flexibility issue? I've been training consistently over the winter, why would I feel so much more uncomfortable when I went outdoors?

[KnottedYet]

Core strength?

All winter your bike was in the trainer and steady. All your core had to do was hold you up.

When you rode outside for the first time, suddenly your core had to hold you up AND deal with the movement of the bike. (like it had in the Fall)

Maybe your core got a bit out of practice after being on a nice stable trainer stand for a few months.

A few more rides, and it should strengthen back up and get coordinated again.

[DMC]

I HAVE been ignoring pilates class for the past few months...

Makes perfect sense, will report back if a few weeks of crunches, planks and outside riding don't improve things.

Thanks!

[zoom-zoom]

I've dealt with some of this, myself. Funny thing...I got a new road bike in Dec. that didn't see the light of day until recently. On the trainer I actually thought the reach was a hair long...outdoors I discovered the opposite to be true and swapped my 80mm stem for a 100mm stem...SO much better! But my neck and shoulders are definitely a little achey. My leg muscles are hurting in different spots now, too, since I have to balance...and my back is definitely a bit stiff.

All last Summer and Fall I was very diligent with regular core work, as well, so part of my issues are almost certainly due to slacking on that for many months. When my core is strong it takes care of a wealth of aches and pains.

The worst thing about riding outdoors, though...the lack of fitness. 50 miles/week on the trainer can't touch 100-200 miles/week outdoors. I am sure a slowpoke now!

[nscrbug]

Today was my 5th ride of the season. It's been a slow-going process for me. My first ride over a week ago was a windy 38-miler, the second, third, & fourth rides were all 30-milers, and today was the longest yet...60 miles. I felt like we were out there FOREVER! Left my house at 7:20am, and returned just before 12 noon! Yikes! That's a long-@ss time to be in the saddle this early in the season...at least it is for me. I feel like I lost all of my cycling fitness...and it's not like I was sitting around all winter doing nothing either. I was at the gym 7 days a week...running, spinning, cardio, strength-training, core work, and stretching! What gives?!?! Every spring it feels like I'm starting from scratch all over again. Tomorrow will be another 50-60 miler...hope it starts getting a little easier soon.

[Crankin]

Ah, why don't you try building up with shorter rides?
I have too many bad memories of painful early season 30-40 mile rides in March or early April, despite being very active over the winter. I know if you are training for a specific early season event, you want to ramp it up. This year, I'm not doing that. I started with 15 miles, going up to 25-30 tomorrow. I'll stay there for a couple of weeks, before progressing.

Just a thought.

[emily_in_nc]

What Crankin said. Going from 30 to 60 miles in one fell swoop is not a great idea for your body. Maybe if you're 25...I don't know your age, but I could never get away with it (I'll be 50 in April).

I've always read/heard the rule of thumb that you should only increase 10-15% per week. So my last five "long" rides have been something like 20, 22, 23, 26, 23, 30 miles (with a few shorter rides sprinkled in). No problems increasing like that, but I would never dream of riding 60, or even 50, yet. Next week, maybe 33-34 max for me.

Be kind to your body -- it's the only one you're likely to get.

[Catrin]

I learned the hard way last year that it does indeed pay to build slowly but surely. I was taught to never increase more than 15% per week for my 'long ride" and no more than 10-15% for monthly mileage increase. My other rides during the week will be a bit shorter.

I am champing at the bit wanting to ride more than that, but today I only rode 25 miles, my long ride next week won't be longer than around 27.5 or so. My legs and body thank me for that and feel much better than if I were trying to push it harder than that. I may not have much riding experience, but my over-use injuries of last year are well remembered.

Just something for you to consider...

[nscrbug]

Well, yes of course it makes sense to do shorter rides and gradually build up from there...which was my intent. But...my cycling buddy was a bit more "antsy" to go further today, and so I guess I just went along with the idea thinking it wouldn't be that bad. Looking back on the day, I really didn't feel all that terrible...just some minor butt soreness from not being in the saddle for that length of time. It'll pass the more I ride and eventually my butt will toughen up again.