I ride distance - frequently 35 mi without getting off the bike (that's 2500 calories for those who are counting),. I shoot for 100 mi/wk, don't always make it, sometimes that work thing takes over, but a few weeks every year manage to push that up to 150. I also live in hills, and my 24-mi neighborhood loop has 1200' elevation change, finishing with a 400' climb to get home (the grade to get home hits 14%).
Our Sunday morning downtown sprint group gets many triathletes in training, most who have their running and swimming skills, and are there to bone up their cycling performance.
Two common complaints from these folks - sore neck and shoulders, and numb wrists and hands. They result from the same thing - leaning on and supporting their upper body weight on the handlebars.
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Don't lean on the bars (except of course when you're braking). Support yourself with core muscles, ride from your core muscles.
Always keep your wrists straight, always keep your elbows bent, always keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.
When you need more strength, lean into your core muscles, and you'll find a burst of spin energy you didn't know you had.
All the triathletes who listened to this moved way up in the pack, especially climbing the 2-mile hill at the end.
If you do it the wrong way, you may get a cervical spine damage syndrome named after you, like this dummy.
https://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2017/08/10/creepiest-cycling-condition-shermers-neck/
I can't look at these photos - hurts my neck just to look at them.
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When my buddy Lou began taking his wife's yoga classes, he moved way up in the pack - all about core muscles.
(classic bike content - Lou's holy grail Charrel randonneur)
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Also if you push it, electrolytes in your water. With your legs working hard on a bike, your brain is the last place that gets oxygen, and the first thing that goes is your judgment.
Learned from my daughter the athlete, nationally rated HS wrestler, my water bottles carry Smart Water - it really makes a difference.
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If you ride greenways or anywhere around pedestrians, you need a bell so they know you're coming up behind them.
Anywhere you ride, you need lighting.
Solid light for pedestrians, blinking light for traffic. With blinkies, automobile drivers recognize you at 5-times greater distance, giving them time to make smart decisions instead of stupid reactions.
I have a helmet lamp also, and turn it on when I approach a questionable intersection.
Looking at the driver, I know what they're going to do by their reaction to my helmet lamp.
(classic bike content - '57 Raleigh Lenton GP)
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Bikes for grownups should be comfortable, reliable, and practical.
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