What am I doing wrong?
Discussion
My legs just ache constantly. I ride to and from work every day - have done for 18 months, rain or shine (probably driven in 5 times). It's not a difficult commute - 13k ish each way, long steady downhill on cycle path (old railway) to seafront, along seafront to work (all more or less level)and the reverse to go home, finishing with a couple of short sharp inclines. First 6 months mostly used old road bike (steel GT, 1997 vintage, 14 speed, comfortable but heavy), then used singlespeed all the time (again, old bike, early 80s BSA converted by me, running 48:18 gearing - hills doable but hard work). Since Dec flipped back wheel and ridden fixed gear (same gearing), primarily to save wear and tear (fewer moving parts, less use of brakes - sandy seafront like grinding paste on rims).
I know it never gets easier you just get faster etc but in the last month or two it seems like my legs are constantly aching. I have, whilst riding fixed all the time, gone from flat pedals to flat pedals with straps to SPDs and, like all of us I think, I tend to ride flat out, extracting as much exercise as possible from each commute.
Am I overdoing it with the fixed everywhere? It does mean pedalling downhill as well as up and maybe now I'm clipped in I do use the upstroke as well as the downstroke...
I don't know, sorry to ramble. Opinions / advice gratefully received.
I know it never gets easier you just get faster etc but in the last month or two it seems like my legs are constantly aching. I have, whilst riding fixed all the time, gone from flat pedals to flat pedals with straps to SPDs and, like all of us I think, I tend to ride flat out, extracting as much exercise as possible from each commute.
Am I overdoing it with the fixed everywhere? It does mean pedalling downhill as well as up and maybe now I'm clipped in I do use the upstroke as well as the downstroke...
I don't know, sorry to ramble. Opinions / advice gratefully received.
What part of your legs ache, exactly?! Above the knee, below? Calves or quads? My thighs ache a lot of the time, even 3 days after a ride it feels like I've done something.
I think you need more balance - there's a training programme that advocates alternating a hard ride one day with an easy one. They recommend making easy rides longer - such as 2 hrs or more in z2. Hard rides should be specific - 30 - y0 mins flat out, or 15 X 1 min intervals. Recovery riding is as important as going for it flat out.
I think you need more balance - there's a training programme that advocates alternating a hard ride one day with an easy one. They recommend making easy rides longer - such as 2 hrs or more in z2. Hard rides should be specific - 30 - y0 mins flat out, or 15 X 1 min intervals. Recovery riding is as important as going for it flat out.
Gizmoish said:
Sounds like overtraining to me. Either take it easy for a few days - literally just bimble in - or have a couple of days off.
You can't do every ride at 10/10s. Not that I know how to particularly, but are the spds set up right?Or maybe your just getting old. (I put my constant ache down to this.)
Most likely fatigue. Your body reacts very well to training stresses but this is normally done in cycles of building up the training stress and then backing off and allowing the body to recover and build. What you're doing is going out every day and hammering it for the maximum distance / time your body is used to and not allowing that recovery time.
Bimble in and out for a few days. If your legs feel terrible one day then back off and just enjoy the ride. A few days easy riding and you should feel fine. Proper recovery (i.e. just not stopping completely) is as important as training itself.
Bimble in and out for a few days. If your legs feel terrible one day then back off and just enjoy the ride. A few days easy riding and you should feel fine. Proper recovery (i.e. just not stopping completely) is as important as training itself.
I agree with the above, esp on a fixie
Id prefer to commute on a ss/fixie, but if I'm doing it most days on non flat route then some days I need the gears to give my legs a break
Do you drink much booze?
I found quitting booze made riding every day so so much easier, I was so much fresher in the morning and my body recovered a lot quicker and better.
Id prefer to commute on a ss/fixie, but if I'm doing it most days on non flat route then some days I need the gears to give my legs a break
Do you drink much booze?
I found quitting booze made riding every day so so much easier, I was so much fresher in the morning and my body recovered a lot quicker and better.
Thanks all. 
I suspected it might be over training - whilst the quantity hasn't changed (it's not a long ride) the "quality" has... The SPDs should be ok, they are straight off my old road bike. The age thing probably true too. I swapped back to platform pedals with straps today and took it easy on the way in, it makes it much more difficult to hammer it everywhere so I'll see how that goes. I don't have the option of using a bike with gears currently so I may have underestimated the benefit of the occasional swap. The magnesium supplement is interesting, I'll give that a whirl too.
Thanks again, you clever lot.
I suspected it might be over training - whilst the quantity hasn't changed (it's not a long ride) the "quality" has... The SPDs should be ok, they are straight off my old road bike. The age thing probably true too. I swapped back to platform pedals with straps today and took it easy on the way in, it makes it much more difficult to hammer it everywhere so I'll see how that goes. I don't have the option of using a bike with gears currently so I may have underestimated the benefit of the occasional swap. The magnesium supplement is interesting, I'll give that a whirl too.Thanks again, you clever lot.
nail/head I suspect.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff