PREVENT CYCLE INJURIES.

I have listed below the most common cycle injury problems that can be avoided

Correct bike position must include the following

Remember our bike does not change while stored away over the winter but we may change. We may not be as flexible in the spring as we were at the end of last season.

A tight back or hamstring can mean that the bike position when we get out our racing bike may wrong for early season cycling.

ASYMMETICAL cycling is vital for preventing cycling injuries. We are all different no problem make sure one half is a mirror image of the other side.

BIG RING -Always  cycling in the big ring – What about the all important warm up warm down and spinning to improve blood flow without creating large amounts of lactate.

BIKE FIT -Caused by an ill fitting bike – Don’t assume you can use your existing measurements for a different bike that has different geometry.

Have a professional bike fit it could save you lots of money in Physio treatment.

BIKE SIZE – Most people have a bike too big for them or a handlebar stem that is the right size then they fit triathlon bars on and end up over reaching.

BODY POSITION – A relaxed body position is the safest way to prevent injuries, being aerodynamic helps you go faster but you often you will not be able to stay in the tucked position for long with aches and pains.

BODY SIZE – Bike type is vital for injury prevention so consider your size then look for a suitable bike rather than just a brand of bike. Handmade bikes are much better for small and tall people and far more comfortable

BOILS OR LUMPS – these are caused by chronic sweating or standing around in your shorts after cycling. No matter how often you wash bacteria can establish it.

CADENCE – always cycling at the same cadence then changing rather than learning to spin faster.

CHAFING – is caused by friction rubbing against the saddle when the legs and thigh move up and down. Use chamois cream that reduced friction and can also contain antiseptic. Baby oil or petroleum jelly has also helped me, rub it onto the skin before cycling… Don’t use it all the time otherwise you wont toughen yourself up either when you do a longer event or competition.

Tenderness or hot spots can be from poor bike position.

Triathletes tend to need it more possibly because of the time trial position most ride and that they don’t cycle as often as single sport cyclists.

CRANK LENGTH – arm length will determine the size of the pedal circle. Crank arm length can injure the hips knees if the wrong length for the rider.

Size of the crank length should be based on leg length.

Less than 5ft Tall cyclist should use a crank length of 165 mm

Under 5ft 5” Tall cyclist should use a crank length of 165 or 167.5mm depending on leg length in relation to body size. Females should opt for 167.5mm.

5’5” to 6’0 cyclist should use a 170mm crank length

6’0 -6’2” cyclist should use a 172.5mm crank length

6’2 -6’4 cyclist should use a 175mm crank length

6’4” plus should consider a made to measure bike with either 180mm or 185mm.

Long crank arms are good for pushing big gears and low cadence but can out a strain on the knees.

Short crank arms are good for easy gears and fast cadence.

Myth – crank length should not be based on height of rider.

CLEAT POSITION – Should be dictated by our individual antimony.

Injury prevention tip is use float cleats to take up any differences we may have rather than fixed cleats with very little movements.

Bow legged (varus alignments) cyclist should consider adding spacers between the pedals and the cranks

DISMANTLING AND RE-ASEMBLING Not taking accurate measurements prior to dismantling it and putting it into a bike case before your training camp or competition…

FEET SIZE – Cyclist with a shoe size smaller than 8.5 should consider moving the cleat (ball of the foot) slightly behind the axle. Cyclist with feet size 11 or more should consider moving the cleat slightly forward of the pedal axle to lengthen the lever arm of the axle from ankle to pedal.

FOOT POSITION – The widest part of the foot is called the metarsal and should be directly over the pedal axle.

If the ball of the foot is in front of the lever arm of the ankle is shortened while if the foot is behind the axle  This will however cause less force to control the foot on the pedal and therefore put less strain on the Achilles tendon and calf muscle.

Consider this injury prevention tip if you have an Achilles tendon problem. Alter your position just 1 or 2 mm forward but then you must cycle alone slowly to first get use to the new position before cycling with others.

HANDLBAR WIDTH – too wide or too narrow will cause shoulder and neck ache.

Correct handlebar width should be the same as the width of your shoulders. Measure the distance across the front of your chest from acromion to the one the other side.

Myth – too narrow does not reduce oxygen intake

HARD TRAINING ONLY -Cycling hard or racing on a brand new bike without getting in some base miles for your muscles to learn to adapt

INCREASING volume intensity or both will speed up an injury occurring. Sudden increases can cause tight calf muscles which then cause Achilles problems.

KNEE PAIN – Orthotics can prevent knees from becoming sore due to supporting the foot arch when pressing downwards during the push down phase. Orthotics prevent supination and pronation not just in running but also cycling. –

LEG LENGTH – Leg length difference.

The difference can be either the femur or tibia.

The reason this is a problem on the bike is because we are in a fixed position. and the high number of movements we make per minute.

What to do.

Only make adjustments if the shorter leg is more than 4mm different the ankling when cycling.

You must fit the bike to your longer leg and then make alterations to the shorter leg by orthotics or plates in the shoe or pedal or a shim between the shoe and the cleat to make up for the shorter leg.

Final tweaking can also move the cleat form the shorter leg back on the pedal (1.0-1.5mm)

If your leg touches the top tube then add a spacer between on the pedal.

1mm spacer at the ankle can make up to 8mm difference at your thigh.

NEW BIKE a BIG MISTAKE is to pay and play. Buy the bike then hammer your first dozen sessions because you bought it to race didn’t you.

You need at least 12 sessions on a brand new bike before you even consider going hard or racing.

Don’t even consider going out with others. Listen to your body be safe and get use to how the bike brakes steers & corners.

Even a new frame same size and make may handle differently.

OVER STRETCHING – If your reach is too far from sitting on the saddle to reaching the handlebars expect sore neck and shoulders.

SADDLE HEIGHT – Raising your saddle just because it’s a racing bike, will cause problems with the knees and the Achilles.

SADDLE TILT – Your saddle should be level using a carpenter’s spirit level, placing it along the saddle from front to back.

Don’t forget the bike has to be on level ground when checking that the saddle is level.

Males may prefer a saddle where the tip is raised slightly but this can cause numbness and penis problems.

Females often prefer to have the saddle tilted slightly downwards (hardly noticeable).

Men prefer to sometimes have the saddle slightly upwards from the level neutral position.

My preference is to have a level position to avoid saddle soreness.

STEM LENGTH – when riding on the tops arms should be bent 65 to 70 degrees.

Stem height to saddle height should be 1-2 inches for a small cyclist and 4 inches

STRETCHING – the more you train the more stretching you should do.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON – Build up from your winters base to faster cycling under resistance otherwise you learn poor technique and end up not progressing throughout the season

TRAINING STRUCTURE– No training structure always training hard 11 months of the year.