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I'm not a regular cyclist by any stretch of the immagination, but am still a reasonably 'fit' guy who exercises 3 or 4 times per week.
Yesterday whilst riding I started getting twinges in my thighs around 1hr 20m and by 1hr 40m I was getting cramp everytime I stood up on the pedals.

By 2hr05m I could barely pedal and by 2hr 15m I was curled up on the floor.
To finish the lap I had to alternate between walking/jogging/slow riding/stretching.

Should I be using deep heat or using any form of muscle prep?
Heart and lungs had plenty to give but my legs were absolutely ruined and I'm genuinely scared of it happening again
(at one point I thought I'd have to crawl the final 5 miles!!!). Extremely embarassing and frustrating.

Any advice from the seasoned pros?

Ta,
Jon

Was you taking on fluids read before about cramping rider was drinking enough water or a kind of ENG drinks. Hi5


edit:
what is it with tapatalk putting in wrong words or changing word ENG = engaged

Bannananananana's really help, as well as staying hydrated.
Lots of sports drinks claim to help, but i find Haribo is the only cure after a bacon roll of course?

Cramps ahve always been an issue for me but I learnt to mitigate against them over the years.



muscle fatigue - get fitter in a cycling specific way. It uses muscles in a very differnt way to other sports. Dont think yuor cycling fit just because you do other sports. I get cramps when my fitness has dropped off and i still try and hammer it. Also Warm up before you start. Another thing which makes a big difference for me is saddle height. If im not getting full extension on my legs it tends to overwork some muscles in particular making them tire and cramp up

low sodium - take salt on

low potassium - get the isotonic drinks in

Jon, i summed that up earlier.
Bacon roll's for the salt,
Bannana's for the Potassium and
Harribo / Sports drinks for the rush

I had a 2l Camelbak with a low concentration of sports drink.
Did have an isotonic drink beforehand, but maybe should look more into potassium.

All good answers, thanks guys. Anything about Deep Heat? Only reason I ask is that I saw quite a few quys limbering up and rubbing 'something' into their legs. Didn't know if it was a special potion?
I've decided to really give cycling a go over winter so hope to do a few races that are relatively local, albeit shorter distance ones that aren't too technical.

Also, Karve, when I got off the bike to stretch I did notice my saddle had slipped a little so that could be a possible cause, too.
VWsurfbum, I don't think bacon rolls are a good idea for me, not exactly 'skinny' I'm afraid...

Deep Heat no its main part is red pepper. I used Kool 'N Fit found the smell nice not over powering

Yellow bottle
Orange bottle

Rubbish, Bacon rolls are what real bike-ists use!
Those guys rubbing stuff onto the legs at Thetford cant be trusted, their roadies, and as such wear too much lycra and rub each other's "potions" in on their legs!

Deep heat is the work of the devil, it reminds him of home!

Buy this: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17059
It has high electrolyte anti cramping formula and have been using it for years to fight against cramp and it's the only thing that works for me, also use it to stop getting dehydrated wen karting.

I never use deep heat. I did once, it hid a pain while riding, then I couldnt walk for 2 weeks cause I really fucked the muscle....

I use elete for electrolytes on normal rides and always eat a banana before start. Iff the ride is more than 3 hours I eat another after a coupple of hours
http://www.eletewater.co.uk/

Got to agree with VW here... Proper MTB'ers love bacon rolls and fuel for the journey ahead

Roadies cant take the stinging nettles and rub in lotions to protect them, shave their legs and wear two sizes too small lycra.... try and push em in a thorn bush as you ride past....

Deep Heat is to help provide gentle pain relief. It wont help with cramp unfortunately.

Try to do a bit more stretching before and after riding , the kinda stretching that is done in martial arts will help a lot.

Cempa

Cramps are a sign that you are doing more than you are used to eg. trying to keep up with mates, or more climbing than normal. Hydration, salts and heat are all good advice and will help. Also consider that you may just need to take a break?

Its a good sign that you are pushing yourself, but prep your body with smaller faster distances during the week, this will help your muscles deal better with the stress of harder longer distances chasing your mates on the weekend.

The rule is "spasm causes pain and pain causes spasm" so if you can stop one you stop both. So that is why deep heat or cold packs are so effective. Temperature receptors over power pain receptors. So hot or cold stops pain and no pain means no spasms.

So moral of the story, if you have pushed to hard and your body says ease up buddy, then break out the deep heat or ice spray and then slow down!