How many of us cyclists really stretch?
I ask this as I used to be one of those who didn’t and when I asked a few of my cycling buddies, I found that it was rare that they stretched either.
Sure, if I had a tight muscle I might bend over or grab my legs for a few seconds but nothing routine.
“How important could it be?” “I feel fine.” This is what I used to tell myself but I was so wrong.
This is a not post to tell you how to stretch. Most of you will already know this. It is to warn you what might happen if you don’t.
After completing the MF1200 I had the usual aches and pains that you would expect from such a distance. After 2 -3 days I was feeling back to normal.
However, a full two weeks and two smaller rides later, my leg betrayed me and went into a spasm and tore my quad.
I’m off the bike for eight weeks.
You can read more about that ordeal here but I just wanted to emphasise that I thought all was well. Fully healed. I wasn’t even doing anything strenuous when it happened.
So what happened?
After reading a few articles and talking to my physio it looks like this injury could have been completely avoided if I had a stretching routine.
When you stretch it helps you muscles realign into their natural position after your workout. It helps with removing lactic acid build up.
I’ve also used the local cryotheropy bath, which is when you stand in bubbling water with Epson salt at 2 degree Celsius for 10 minutes. It’s not an easy thing to do but it has really helped to accelerate my recovery.
Not only are there physical issues but not being able to ride my bike has had a real negative effect on my mood. You don’t realize how much cycling lifts your mood until you can’t do it.
So my advice to you is to start stretching. Maybe see a physio once a month. Because prevention is most definitely better than cure.