Heavy legs after riding, feel slow for other sports



looseleftie

New Member
Apr 17, 2014
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Hi, relatively newbie here, 2 months in, and going really well!! Love it, however noticed that my legs feel very heavy and slow after a good ride of approx. an 1 hour or so going at a steady pace. I ride in mornings, generally 4-5 times a week, however after ride, I feel that I have dead legs. When I finish ride, I cycle for another 5 min, just spinning without going anywhere in particular, just to avoid stiffness.. I also play various sports and feel slow and sluggish, and would love some clarification on whether this is down to my cycling?? Can anyone explain this? or is this just my imagination? Cheers guys
 
How long have you been cycling and what type of terrain are you riding.It will also help others answer your question if you elaborate on your diet, Hydration,your weight, how much you sleep and duration of other activities.
 
5'10" 69 kg, pretty active. My usual ride comprises 5-6 hills (some of them are pretty hard in truth, varying in gradient/distance from 500m-3km and a few flat sections, real mixed bag, but there is definitely a focus on hills to be honest. I ride on good roads also. My diet is good, eat healthy foods and always drink water, before , during and after physical activity.. I usually don't eat anything pre ride, have a drink of water before ride, and when I get home after shower I have solid breakfast, high in fibre and carbs. I keep drinking throughout day. I also, apart from my legs feeling dead, find that overall my body is just stuffed by early afternoon, perhaps it's due to me being 44yr?!?! Still I'm quite fit from previous sports such as tennis/running.. Rather confusing, I guess the one thing that I can think of is that I'm only getting 6 and a half hours sleep per night.. Not a great deal I know.
 
I would discount the age issue but sleep is important. Studies have shown that getting 8 hours or more sleep will give you a 10% edge. I often ride without eating in the evening to train my body to burn fuel more efficiently but I suspect this may also cause some issues. I don't go over 4hours without eating. Not eating could create a situation whereby the body needs time to catch up and metabolize fuel.
 
Thanks for the reply, appreciated mate.. I try and do 30km most mornings, getting up 5.45 and out the door just after 6am, it's not like I am only riding flat terrain, I like the challenge of hills, and within my 30km theres quite a few... Should I be only doing this once or twice a week, and having some easier rides in there throughout the week?? A suggestion, Mon 30 kmhills/some flats.. Tue 30km flats/easy ride Wed 30km easy/flat ride.. Thur rest Fri 30km hills/some flats,.. Sat 60km long ride, with both hills/flats... How does this sound, I guess I am looking for a balance, cause I have been very tired after each day's ride.. Had a grandpa nap on my bed for 40 min after getting home from work today, just exhausted!!! I will also look at more sleep, even if it's an extra half an hour each night to begin with.. Love any thoughts on the matter. Cheers