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Went out yesterday and rode about 25 miles. Very cold, windy and sleety / hail at times.
Came home, and after about 4 hours had severe cramp in both quads at the same time.
I always put some of those High 5 electrolyte tabs in my water, but probably didn't drink as much as normal due to the very cold temperature yesterday.
Any tips or advice? to prevent this.
Bananas, as they contain potassium, the lack of which I believe is often the cause of cramp.
Read up on the latest info about cramp.
I suffered massive cramp recently on a ride I normally do. Caused by not enough food in the day and cold weather and trying to ride faster than my mates.
Basically to get dehydrated enough that you need to put salt / electrolytes back in your body you need to ride across the Sahara in the summer, assuming your drinking and eating normally.
Marketing tells you that you need lots of expensive special drinks, tablets etc. You don't, you just need a normal diet. Especially for normal exercise.
Sure, if your going to do the TDF on a fixie you might need a special diet, but normal stuff you don't.
The latest science suggests its to do with an imbalance in nerve impulses, brought about by exertion. So this can be made worse by poor diet and a lack of fitness for sure.
In your case its quite likely to be caused as you suggest. So just drink some water before and during. You really don't need special tables / potions or marketing hype.
Interestingly the common cure for it is to stretch out the affected muscle. This can usually get rid of cramp. You don't add salt or fluids, you just stretch it.
There is lots of interesting science, but the short version is eat and drink healthy and don't overdo it.
Unfortunately my answer turned out to be fitness. I'm fitter now than i've ever been and used to suffer on long 50+ mile rides or things like Mayhem, never suffer these days. Have also stopped using gels unless i'm knackered and eat bars and bananas instead. Tonic water is supposed to work. Quinoline i think?.
The studies I read all mentioned that for normal people it was fitness that's the overwhelming cause of cramp.
Almost none of us is going to run out of salts / electrolytes, but we can suffer from a few days of poor diet and overexertion.
I suffered when trying to push harder than normal.
There have actually been some interesting experiments where they tried to bring the upset nerve impulses in the muscles back into order by various stimulants. One of which that worked well was citric acid taken orally.
I get warning cramps in my fingers and toes if I overdo it at all. If I feel it coming on I find that a Nuun tablet often sorts it out for me.
Fitness is, rather annoyingly, the answer, it certainly was in my case. I would almost always get cramp at about 2 hours of exercise, tried all kinds of things to stop it, tonic water, electrolytes, food, water, anything I read about. Turns out that the way i stopped it was by getting fitter and training harder and for longer.
I suspect that in the OP's case what's happened if you've pushed harder, bearing in mind the weather, than normal.
Sudden step up in duration is normally what triggers mine. If you've not done much over winter, that could be the main cause.
This came up on my youtube feed yesterday.. anyone want to confirm if it works? (I suffer but irregularly)
I try to spin more and not grind in the big gears.
On big days I will have some tonic water (Quinine) before bedtime and lots of stretching.
No more 'middle of the night' cramp. Yay.
Yep, thought about the fitness aspect.
cold weather does seem to give me a bit more cramp these days, I am anemic , don't know whether this is a contributing factor or not.
If I ride my road ebike, then I don't suffer from cramp, despite being out for about three hours. Could be the assist that is stopping me from too much slogging and enabling me to spin the gears easier.
Will try the bananas, and put the 3/4 bibs on plus the tights next time.
Still hurting today, will stretch out tonight.
Whilst all manner of product, bananas, unicorn salt, snake oil, etc can help, in my case cramp is a sign that i'm just not fit enough for that intensity at that duration.
in my case cramp is a sign that i’m just not fit enough for that intensity at that duration.
Same here, it's definitely fitness related. I can do 45 miles & 5000ft of climbing at a decentish pace and be fine but do an xc race where I'm pushing it I can be cramping after 10 miles.
As above - fitness (or lack of it) was the cause of my cramp when I first started cycling.
However I do find hydration plays a part, as a couple of times when I've felt a twinge it can go away if I chuck half a bottle down sharpish.
I also find the High5 Zero tabs help, and also stop me feeling so sore the following day.
Trimix has it pretty much spot-on (congrats for actually reading some of the research by the way). It's not an electrolyte problem, we have an excess of that in our diets and no amount of cycling/sweating would put you anywhere near exhausting that. Even if you did come close your body would shut down excreting it to preserve itself. Taking more in the form of High 5 or Nuun tablets will just give your body more to deal with and piss out.
The latest research seems to indicate filness is the problem or more specifically, the lack of it. If you don't train for the distances and intensities you are riding at then your muscles tend to complain. Stretching can help alleviate the cramp if it hits but it won't cure it.
Cramp is for the weak.... But it's also a good excuse for a Erdinger Weißbier.... Easier to do in Germany than in Wales, mind...
There’s a really good Fast Talk podcast about what causes cramp etc but basically it comes down to fitness. Cramp more in the cold? Probably because that’s the off season when you think you’re still fast but aren’t.
Well worth a listen, as is the series generally.
I tend to get it if I sit around for to long after a long ride - if I get up & about every half hour or so, I'm fine.
The fitter I am personally the less likely I am to get it.
But I think it might just be genetics as I am fitter and ride more than a lot of the people I ride with and rather annoyingly they never cramp up and just seem to be able to keep going. A few people I ride with have never had cramp riding and they ride maybe 75% less than I do.
I have tried everything but nothing stops it. Currently going to yoga once a week to try and be a bit more flexible which might help we will see!
So what would cause a random cramp in the the middle of the night, so bad it leaves a lump and still hurts a week later?
Hadn’t ridden for a couple of days. I very rarely get cramp but when I do it always leaves its mark.
Perhaps I should have added this.
The cramp(s) are not when riding, about 8 to 10 hours later, usually in the night.
posted this link before - good article have used vinegar a few times on long hot rides - think OP describes typical conditions were you are actually riding harder than you think even if it is freezing cold and you still need to hydrate and I'd add eat as your body is using energy just to maintain core temperature despite you feeling fine
[url] https://cyclingtips.com/2016/06/pickle-juice-a-cure-for-muscle-cramps/ [/url]
as to night cramps my non scientific theory on this is that it relates to general health - suffer from sinus infections following any sort of cold thing and they take a bit of shaking off (facial steamer the weapon of choice) but what I do find is if coughing up any green gunk then that's when I get night cramps after riding irrespective if just a pootle - as jamesoz said can still feel a lump a week later - shake off the bug seems to fix it
OP - you mentioned being anaemic. I too was anaemic due to B12 deficiency
For years i've suffered with cramp, especially in my quads, and not necessarily during exercise (in fact more often not). Tried all sorts, massage and acupuncture seemed to work best, until that is i got a proper diagnosis of B12 deficiency. And now my cramps have completely gone
Yes, I have B12 injections every 12 weeks, have done so for about 25 years now.
I will have a look at the link, thanks, do some more stretching and (attempt) to get fitter.
This is worth a listen for the latest research into cramping:
http://www.velonews.com/2017/08/training-center/fast-talk-podcast-ep-26-cramping-myths-debunked_446593
I cramp when I get cold, I am in leg warmers for much longer than most people, even if I keep my body warm. It starts in my feet, then into calves. Last night sitting in front of the TV my feet got cold and I started cramping. Very annoying.
Fitness plays a big part when riding hard, or going into a race.
Fitness, pushing past a plateau, hydration, cold, lack of recovery stretching, genetics all play a part. A case or id notifying which singular or combination of may apply in any given instance of cramping up.
As long as it is not this bad, due to side effects of prescription drugs.
Strength training may help
http://www.brevet.cc/how-to-prevent-leg-cramps-when-cycling/
https://www.active.com/cycling/articles/5-ways-to-prevent-muscle-cramps-in-a-cycling-race
https://www.bicycling.com/training/strength-training/lifting-cure-cramping-might-be-hidden-dumbbell
Foods rich in magnesium may be beneficial as well.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
Fitness blah blah blah... or take magnesium tablets daily if you're a chubber like me
Been stretching each day since the original post.
Three sessions each day, about 15 minutes per session.
Haven't had any cramp since, seems to be working a little. Will keep up the stretching routine as I feel that it can only be good for me.