Burning thighs

Shelli said:

I'm new to riding and do about 2x30 mi. during week and 35 mi. on w/e. My diet is clean with good amount of pro and carb. My thighs started burning so bad at 40 mi. this w/e, I had to get off and walk 2mi. Should I train through this? Can I do a scheduled ride of 45 mi. this w/e? Should I gear down? I'm trying to train for the HotterN' Hell in Tx.( in Aug, 100 miles)

Did you eat and drink while you rode?

Make sure you stretch and massage your legs before and after riding. Maybe taking a day off before your long ride could help. Have a goal or purpose for each day of training.

Don't be traing through bad pain... it's only gonna make it worse. Listen to your body. Smart riders know when to back off.

Good luck!

Soo-re

I had the same problem but when I raised the saddle it went away and I haven't had any trouble since then.

Shelli said:

I'm new to riding and do about 2x30 mi. during week and 35 mi. on w/e. My diet is clean with good amount of pro and carb. My thighs started burning so bad at 40 mi. this w/e, I had to get off and walk 2mi. Should I train through this? Can I do a scheduled ride of 45 mi. this w/e? Should I gear down? I'm trying to train for the HotterN' Hell in Tx.( in Aug, 100 miles)

wiredued said:

I had the same problem but when I raised the saddle it went away and I haven't had any trouble since then.

I second your opinion. You might want to check oyur saddle height but be careful not to change it too much at once. Do a couple of cm. and see how it feels.

On a second note, stretching will ease the burning during a ride. You can do this by unclipping your foot on one pedal and pull your heel up to your buttocks. This will stretch your quads.

Good luck on the Ride to Hell

During my first few times cycling 80km or so, I seriously underestimated the impact of proper fueling during a ride. I didn't carry nearly enough water and didn't eat enough. As soon as I started sipping every 15mins and eating every hour I could sustain my pace and feel overall much better. I went from averaging 17mph to 20mph without any difference in effort.

Shelli said:

I'm new to riding and do about 2x30 mi. during week and 35 mi. on w/e. My diet is clean with good amount of pro and carb. My thighs started burning so bad at 40 mi. this w/e, I had to get off and walk 2mi. Should I train through this? Can I do a scheduled ride of 45 mi. this w/e? Should I gear down? I'm trying to train for the HotterN' Hell in Tx.( in Aug, 100 miles)

First thing I'd suggest is to gear down and slow down. My guess is you're going out too hard for your current state of aerobic fitness, then blowing up as a result of lactate in the spent leg muscles. This can happed to even the pros, since everyone has aerobic limits.

I've trained with a couple of new riders coming from a running background who were frustrated by this problem. Their overall CV capacity was good, so breathing and HR no problem. But, cycling uses the legs differently from running. Believe it takes a few thousand miles of cycling to build the new C-V paths to get O2 into the quads, as well as the energy capacity in the working cells.

Riding at a solid aerobic pace for a few months should enable you to extend your endurance gradually without all the pain. Plus, you'll finish faster without blowing up and walking...and have more fun in the process.

Shelli said:

I'm new to riding and do about 2x30 mi. during week and 35 mi. on w/e. My diet is clean with good amount of pro and carb. My thighs started burning so bad at 40 mi. this w/e, I had to get off and walk 2mi. Should I train through this? Can I do a scheduled ride of 45 mi. this w/e? Should I gear down? I'm trying to train for the HotterN' Hell in Tx.( in Aug, 100 miles)

I had this same problem this weekend at a ride in Ardmore, OK. I got to about the 35 mile mark of a 40 mile ride and "bonked". I didn't eat the way I should have and I ran out of fuel. I had never had my legs hurt so bad and I struggled to the finish. I'm not hurting as bad today as I thought I would be, but I too am curious as to what I should do to recover. Should I just take a day off and stretch or put in a few easy miles? I'm not hurting now, like I said, but I don't want to over do it.

I wanted to post here and also say good luck at the HHH. I'm in Wichita Falls, TX and hope this year will be as good as the last. I did the 50 mile route last year and didn't prepare much for it.....needless to say I couldn't hardly walk the next day....haha....I had fun though so that's all that matters. This year I'm riding more but I don't think I'll be up for the 100 mile route just yet.

Matt