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Riders’ Cramp, Causes and Prevention

Muscle cramps are a common issue among even the most athletic and experienced cyclists.They range from small annoyances that pass quickly, to debilitating pain that can last for hours.
Although muscle cramps are common; they’re also unpredictable, frustrating, and can scupper even the best laid out cycling plans. Dealing with cramps isn’t easy because there isn’t a single specific cause for them, nor is there a magic cure. The good news is that we’re here to help demystify the issue, and to provide you with the know-how to identify some of the most-understood causes, and how to take precautions to avoid them altogether, prevention is better than cure after all!

What are cramps and what causes them?

To put it plainly, cramps are painful involuntary spasms, or contractions of a muscle, or a group of muscles, that causes mild to intense pain, and usually appear during or immediately after exercise.
More scientifically, receptors within muscles and tendons constantly monitor your body’s movement, sending reflexed signals to protect your muscles from potential damage.
One reflex encourages muscle contraction (to prevent overstretching) while the other promotes relaxation (to control tension). If these normally balanced reflexes are disrupted, the contraction signal can overwhelm the relaxation one – the result is cramp.
Cycling requires repetitive use of the same muscle groups, which inevitably causes tiredness and can disrupt the normal efficient pathways which control our muscle movement. The point where this starts to happen depends on many variables such as your fitness levels and energy stores, but also on external factors such as temperature and altitude.
So, with the scientific part over with, let’s have a look at the frequent causes of cramps:

Lack of training and preparation

Demanding your legs to do a job they aren’t used to doing is a recipe for muscle cramping.
There are two ways to prevent cramping from muscle fatigue, pacing and training. Don’t jump into rides that are too hard for your current training level, instead, train at an intensity that suits your fitness level and pace yourself during your ride to reflect this.
If you are looking to improve your riding level and want to do so without risking cramps, a good rule to follow is to increase your weekly mileage by 10% at most. It’s also beneficial to stretch regularly to keep your muscles supple and able to handle sudden changes in intensity.
This also goes for excessive training. If your muscles are still fatigued when you hop on the bike, they just won’t work as well as they normally would. It’s so important to give your body time to recover from tough efforts, not only because recovered muscles are stronger and less sore, but also they’re better able to fully store the minerals you need that are essential for good cycling performance.

Dehydration

This is a common cause of cramp. Water contains minerals that are essential to normal muscle function, a loss of fluid due to sweating during prolonged and intense exercise, therefore means a loss of minerals, which contributes to the development of cramps.
Hydration is always critical to all aspects of performance, so drink up!

Inadequate nutrition

Nutrition is arguably your greatest ally in the war against cramps. Providing your muscles with enough nutrition, and the right kind of nutrients will allow them to work better, fast and longer; helping to keep those dreaded cramps at bay.
Four types of food you should prioritise as a cyclist are:
Sodium rich foods. When your body sweats to keep from overheating, it excretes not only water, but also salts. Salt is necessary to regulate those mixed signals that cause cramps. Too much salt in your die can cause high blood pressure, so avoid chowing down on fistfuls of salty nuts, and replace them with high-sodium, whole-grain foods.
Potassium rich foods. Along with sodium, potassium is essential to regulate the electrical signals than can cause muscles to contract. Potassium rich foods include bananas, beans, dates, spinach, and broccoli.
Calcium rich foods. Low calcium levels in your body can also lead to muscle cramps, and since cycling is a low impact endurance exercise that makes you sweat a lot, you’ll need to get plenty of this particular mineral in your diet to help maintain a healthy body.
Carbohydrate rich foods. Because cycling is an endurance sport, depletion of the body’s glycogen is an inevitable consequence. And since glycogen is primarily stored in your muscles, it’s estimated that the lower those levels are, the more likely you are to cramp.

Poor bike fit

A poor bike fit is often one of the triggers for muscle cramps, especially when it comes to saddle and handlebar height. When the bike saddle is too high, the hamstrings, calves and soles of your feet are forced to perform a greater workload which leads to cramping. The same goes for the quads if the saddle is too low.
If you’ve been keeping up to date with our blog for a while, you’ll know that we sound like a broken record when we tell you to get a proper bike fit! A bike fit will help prevent injuries, improve overall performance on the bike and enhance your overall comfort and efficiency.

Recovery

By now you may be one step closer to enjoying your rides without living in fear of your next cramp attack. Here are some other handy tips to keep in mind when preparing for your next outing:
• Avoid the hottest hours of the day and hydrate before, during and after each ride. Try to drink between half a litre of water, or better yet, isotonic drink, for every hour of your route.
• Don’t go hungry during a ride. Try to eat something every 45 minutes, even if you don’t have a banana to hand, a bar of chocolate is better than nothing.
• If you’re setting off on a long ride, do a good recharge of carbohydrates 48 hours prior to departure so that your muscles can accumulate maximum energy.
• Avoid caffeine, being a diuretic it causes mild dehydration.

You can follow all of the tips above and still fall prey to the dreaded cramp, when this happens, it’s best to slow down, hydrate and rest. If you can, get off your bike and do a few stretches, massaging helps too. Most importantly, get a good night’s kip!

For more information about our services or to start your claim, call 0808 100 9995 and speak to one of our specialist solicitors. We’re here to help. You can email us or schedule a callback.

Written By:

Emily Pheysey

Litigation Executive

Emily has over 7 years of experience in the legal sector, handling road traffic accident claims to recover compensation and support her clients. Her focus is to ensure all clients feel comfortable and at ease with the claims process so that they can focus on their recovery.

Emily considers rapport to be an essential part of the role and strives to always provide excellent client care.

Away from work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends and travelling as much possible.

Diane Holderness

Litigation Executive

Diane is a Ministry of Justice (TOJ) Team Leader within our Cycle Department. She has 11 years’ experience managing road traffic accident claims, and 6 years’ experience managing MOJ claims.

Diane enjoys a challenge and always strives for the very best results for her customers; something that is clear in the way her team continually adapts its strategies in order to secure the most desired outcome. Diane has worked her way through the legal ranks here, and is proud to now have a strong, specialist team that is committed to customer satisfaction.

Diane believes that happy clients make a happy working environment, and it is this that ensures a productive and efficient workforce.

Nina Haddock

Chartered Legal Executive

Nina has over 30 years’ experience in the legal sector. She specialises in recovering compensation for injury claimants as a result of road traffic accidents. Her focus for each and every claim is to help her clients secure the funding that they need to pay for ongoing treatment and support.

Nina became a CILEX Fellow in 2006 and now helps her clients and their families at a time when they have been through a traumatic experience, and everything they hold dear to them appears to be changing.

One case Nina is particularly proud of is supporting a client who had successfully sought asylum in the UK, following a road traffic accident. The claim was successfully pursued through the MIB and the client was left with significant injuries. Her client was able to use the compensation to aid family members with their applications to seek asylum in the UK.

Julian Fox

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Julian qualified as a Solicitor in 2005 and has worked in all areas of personal injury since 2000. Julian has a well-rounded understanding of personal injury law, having represented both claimants and defendants.

Julian always aims for maximum damages to meet his clients’ needs for injury and rehabilitation expenses, and can often secure interim payments to help meet clients’ financial needs. Julian is highly proactive in ensuring cases are progressed, ensuring a timely conclusion.

When not at the office, Julian is a keen cyclist, both on roads and virtually -he will often do an hour of ‘Zwifting’ in the mornings before starting work.

Richard Atherton

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Richard has 12 years of legal experience and qualified as a Solicitor in February 2014. He has been a Team Manager with us since 2019. Throughout his career, Richard has specialised in personal injury, handling an array of Road Traffic Accident cases, in addition to employer and public liability.

Richard prides himself on his very strong strategic and planning skills, which come into their own in complex injury cases where more technical arguments are involved. On every case, he is committed to ensuring that his clients receive full compensation for their injuries.

Away from work, Richard enjoys sport; he is a season ticket holder at St Helens Rugby Club and a Liverpool FC fan. Not only a spectator, Richard also likes going to play golf as often as he can.

Dave Gardner

Litigation Executive

Dave has over 20 years of experience in the legal sector. His specialism is personal injury and he has dealt with hundreds of cycling injury claims during his career. Excellent client care and communication is paramount to Dave. He prides himself on being accessible and available, attending court hearings where damages are in dispute to ensure the best outcome for his clients. One case Dave is particularly proud of is when he supported an elderly client who suffered serious injuries following a road traffic incident. The police had not taken any action against the defendant, so Dave had to be proactive and act within a 24-hour window. The case proceeded and the client was in receipt of £30,000 in damages, which he would not have been entitled to had the client not approached Dave. He is also an avid supporter of Glasgow Rangers and travelled abroad on many occasions to see them play in European competitions.

Gerard Horton

Partner

Gerard is a Senior Solicitor at Cycle SOS. In his 13 years of experience, Gerard has built a national reputation in the catastrophic injury sector, dealing with high value and complex cases. Alongside his legal role, Gerard supports several charities including Headway Central Lancashire, Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre and spinal injury charity, Back Up.

Julia Eyton

Partner

Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Cycle SOS team.

Specialising in representing those who have had life changing injuries, Julia handles some of the most serious and complex personal injury cases both within Cycle SOS and nationally.

She often works on high value claims and is skilled in winning complex liability cases.

NADIA KERR

Partner

Nadia has over 30 years of legal expertise and has represented hundreds of vulnerable road users. With a focus on ensuring timely rehabilitation, speedy repair or replacement of bikes and kit, and securing fair compensation, Nadia is committed to advocating for justice and client rights. Alongside her legal career, Nadia actively participates in national campaigns to benefit vulnerable road users and acts as a Trustee/Director for the national cycling charity, Cycling UK. Nadia was named in Cycling UK’s ‘100 women’ and was a founding member, now running a women’s cycling group, TeamGlow in South Manchester. Among her many achievements, Nadia takes pride in her spot on BBC Breakfast, where she provided expert commentary on long term government funding for pothole repairs.

Caroline Morris

DIRECTOR OF SERIOUS INJURY

Caroline has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years, recovering more than £56 million in damages during that time, to help clients rebuild their lives after injury.

Caroline is committed to achieving rehabilitation options early, meaning her clients benefits from the best care and treatment at the earliest stage possible.