Leg cramps

[roadie7]

Good afternoon--I need some additional advice to prevent leg cramps. Last Sunday I was at mile 38 into a 60 mile ride and my legs cramped up so badly I couldn't peddle. I eventually made it to the pit stop at mile 44 and took the SAG wagon to the end. I was surprised because I thought I had been drinking enough water. I even stopped at a 7-11 for Gatorade at mile 35 as I was running low on liquid. So far, I thought a couple of reasons for the cramps: not drinking enough Gatorade or other energy liquid instead of water; not eating enough at the pit stop at mile 22, though I did consume 2 gel packets after mile 22; and not drinking enough days before the ride.

I was wondering if anyone had more ideas or thoughts on how to prevent the cramps. This is the 2nd time in 2 years it has happened and the first time I ever took a SAG wagon to the end.

Thanks.

[SoCalSteve]

http://cranksports.com/

Try this or something like this. Before, during and after your ride...

Hydrate and eat plenty of carbs the day before a ride as well...

Good luck,

Steve

PS: Gatorade does not have all the "good stuff" that some other brands have.

[Bud_E]

You could do a search in this forum or on the internets - There have been length discussions on the subject in the past.

Apparently there can be various reasons for cramping. I generally have problems with cramping on rides more than 70 or 80 miles - especially if the weather is hot and/or the ride is strenuous.

In general the key is ( besides physical conditioning ) to pay attention to electrolytes - especially sodium. You can try adding salt to your drink - although it can taste nasty especially if you're hot and sweaty. I've been using Hammer E-caps and they seem to help.

HERE (http://www.roadbikerider.com/cramps.htm) is a link to a reasonable article on the subject with all kinds of suggestions. Good luck.

[malcolm]

Na+, sodium, endurolytes, e-load etc.

[rickygarni]

Last year I went on a very hot (95 degree), pretty fast supported century ride
and drank an obscene amount of Gatorade (5 water bottle containers in the first 40 miles)-it would help the leg cramps within moments, but within a few miles, it would start again.

At mile 70, a fellow rider offered me electrolyte tablets. Even given my state of exhaustion, I suffered no more. They seem to be much more effective and long lasting than Gatorade. And as everyone knows, 5 Gatorades is probably about 3 Gatorades too many, for anyone besides certain alien life forms.

Ricky

Sorry I don't know the brand of the electrolytes. I am not entirely sure that it matters. Summer is coming, though, here in North Carolina, and soon we will find out.

[chuckred]

My research/ experience indicate that potassium (or depletion of) is a major culprit (along with the obvious - dehydration).

Coincidentally, for the past 3 years on the same 120 mile ride, I get severe calve cramps at the same exact spot each time - after two of three major climbs and following a 10 + mile descent, there's a turn back onto a major climb. Every year, at exactly the spot where you need to start pedaling up the climb,both calves lock up. I've almost fallen off the bike they freeze up so bad. After a few minutes of stretching and soft pedalling, I'm fine for the rest of the way.

This leads me to theorize that lactate pools in my legs on the descent and wrecks havoc as soon as I ask my legs to work again. I think the old rule about never stop pedaling - even if you're just soft pedalling helps to flush out the toxins from your legs. Just a thought...

[J.Greene]

atmo it had to be something that was going on before the ride. It's not hard to ride 40 miles with nothing more than a pop tart and a bottle of water. if your reasonably hydrated 40 miles is a walk in the park. your either not in shape or something was way out of wack.

JG


Good afternoon--I need some additional advice to prevent leg cramps. Last Sunday I was at mile 38 into a 60 mile ride and my legs cramped up so badly I couldn't peddle. I eventually made it to the pit stop at mile 44 and took the SAG wagon to the end. I was surprised because I thought I had been drinking enough water. I even stopped at a 7-11 for Gatorade at mile 35 as I was running low on liquid. So far, I thought a couple of reasons for the cramps: not drinking enough Gatorade or other energy liquid instead of water; not eating enough at the pit stop at mile 22, though I did consume 2 gel packets after mile 22; and not drinking enough days before the ride.

I was wondering if anyone had more ideas or thoughts on how to prevent the cramps. This is the 2nd time in 2 years it has happened and the first time I ever took a SAG wagon to the end.

Thanks.

[medici]

Here's the best single source of information about cramps/causes/remedies. As the introductory article explains, there is no one cause or cure.

http://www.roadbikerider.com/cramps.htm

Good luck! We had a mini-heat wave last Saturday and I did a 120 mile
ride in 90's heat, which we haven't had all Spring. I started cramping about
50 miles into it, and that's with salt supplements (Succeed caps) and other arcane cures.

Pete

[rhmiller]

I've found magnesium to be a helpful preventing cramps. Not a substitute for eating well & drinking lots of fluids, but as a supplement to it. Before a ride I usually have a magnesium tablet, an apple, and a banana, and a good amount of water.

[Needs Help]

not drinking enough days before the ride
Be careful with that. I'm not aware of any evidence that it has a positive effect, but there is some recent evidence suggesting it is dangerous and could kill you. Essentially, it flushes the potassium and salt from your system. As an extreme example, a radio show recently had a competition to see who could drink the most water. A lady died after she participated in the competition, and the radio show hosts were summarily fired after tapes were played of them laughing on air about the dangers.

[Bruce K]

Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte capsules are sort of like the "magic pill" for me.

As someone who really does not do well in heat, these have saved my keester and bailed out riding buddies more times than I can count.

BK

[deechee]

I know earlier in the season I sometimes get cramps on hard efforts which my physio also tells me can be just conditioning.

I'm lucky since the bathroom and water cooler are right next to me at work so I drink an inordinate amount of water during the day. If you sweat, you have a lower risk of hyponatremia.

On long rides if I only drink gatorade/cytomax I don't last. I need to eat one powerbar/cliff bar at least every hour as well to keep going. ie. One bar+one bottle per hour (~300cal) is what I need for 100km+ rides.

[malcolm]

Cramps are certainly not always electrolyte related and some people seem more prone to them than others. But true heat cramps the earliest form of heat related illness is almost certainly due to hydration and sodium. Other electroyles to a much lesser extent. And yes too much free h2o can be bad.

[Bill D]

There's another thread here on heat exhaustion, and I think the two issues are related to some extent--i.e., cramps and heat exhaustion are both probably solved via better hydration, maintaining electrolytes, and better fitness and/or heat acclimation. Those seem to be the common suggestions in both threads.

I'll echo what others have said: those little Endurolyte pills can work wonders. Or, as I suggested in the other thread, you can also get a custom sports drink where you can get more electrolytes and not have to deal with the extra supplements (and you can also control the number of calories, strength of taste, etc.). InfinIT (http://www.infinitnutrition.com) is good stuff. (They should be paying me; that's two plugs in the last 10 minutes! Ha.)

-bd

[wooly]

I find that when my fitness is not where it should be at, I have the tendancy to cramp easily. However, I was training for tris last year, was in good shape and had the same problem. "Sportslegs", which is a supplement, was recommended. I can honestly say that it worked really well.

Here's a link to the product on competitive cyclist:
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=38856&CGRFNBR=347&CRPCGNBR=347&CI=1,226,347&TextMode=0

Good luck

[ashwinearl]

I find that when my fitness is not where it should be at, I have the tendancy to cramp easily. However, I was training for tris last year, was in good shape and had the same problem. "Sportslegs", which is a supplement, was recommended. I can honestly say that it worked really well.

Here's a link to the product on competitive cyclist:
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=38856&CGRFNBR=347&CRPCGNBR=347&CI=1,226,347&TextMode=0

Good luck
+1 for sportlegs. The only product that has helped MY leg cramps in over 15 years of trying.

Look at this sight for more ideas of 'magic cures'
http://www.roadbikerider.com/cramps.htm

[rwsaunders]

Bananas...nature's answer to cramps. Try one about every 25 miles on the longer (40-100 miles) rides. They've worked for me for years.

[bob the nailer]

I recently started using eload sports drink, it has way more sodium and potassium than gatorade, and i got some of the ecaps with which to add more electrolytes if needed. Saturday 2 days ago i did 85 hilly hard miles(7500 feet elevation gain) in 85 degree humid weather, and had no cramps at all, which is unusual for me on such a hard ride, especially early in the season. go to their web site(www.eload.net) they have all kinds of science behind their drink.

[shinomaster]

atmo it had to be something that was going on before the ride. It's not hard to ride 40 miles with nothing more than a pop tart and a bottle of water. if your reasonably hydrated 40 miles is a walk in the park. your either not in shape or something was way out of wack.

JG


Yeah my legs cramped up Sunday on our PNW ride because I forgot to eat breakfast, have few base miles, and rode like heck up some mp hills (small mountains). The red wine the night before and two hours of sleep couldn't have helped either... :confused: