Shaking off Cramps?

On 2/21/2011 5:35 PM, AMuzi wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
On 2/21/2011 4:51 PM, SconnieRoadie wrote:
snippage of something DR scribbled not necessary to repeat but funny
in a 6th grade sorta way

Mmmmmmm.... pickle juice. Saved my bacon more than once. Apple cider
vinegar in a pinch... Never tried mustard, but that would prolly even
be more palatable than the pickle juice.

V-8 (a very salty tomato, mostly, drink sold in the US) is the
randonneur's beverage of choice. Fairly nasty, but way better than
pickle juice or cider vinegar. Turkey meat has tons of potassium. I
hate bananas.


I usually get it from the sartorius. Nasty little band of fire that
wraps around the inside of your thigh, spiralling down from the top
front of the thigh toward the knee.

At least that's what my buddy says is the name for it.

Sconnie


I think you mean psoas. If they get tight, things can hurt. It's one
of the few times I've found regular stretching to help.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2067121_stre...as-muscle.html

Or Sconnie's muscle:
http://www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscu.../tutorial.html



You're right, I should have read more carefully. I guess I have psoas on
the brain.

On 2/21/2011 5:25 PM, thirty-six wrote:
On Feb 21, 9:28 pm, wrote:
thirty-six wrote:
On Feb 20, 2:08 am, wrote:
Why does it help to shake your legs at the onset of cramps? It makes a big
difference for me and I have even seen the pros do it on TV--after a long
descent. But what does the shaking actually do?

Suspect it clears the nerves of false stimuli from metabolic waste
building up around the nerve tissue. I've found that a few massage
strokes behind my knees is more effective in warding off and
preventing spasm in my calf muscles. This is probably not best done
at speeds over 40mph, hence waggling the legs. I've always found that
turning the pedals every minute on a descent (if not actually cycling
down) to also be important in prevention. Eat a good curry in the
preceding 48hrs and you will likely have less problems.

Curry? Chilli in particular? What about garlic and onions?

Seriously, I love a good bit of Indian or Thai, and I seem to ride well
the following day, but the morning after the night before can be a
dangerous time.

JS.

There is a partucular ingredient I have identified works well for me
which is not always present but all curries contain warming herbs and
spices which generally help circulation and nerve function.

Plus they taste good.

On 2/21/2011 9:51 PM, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 2/21/2011 3:28 PM, James Steward wrote:
[...]
Curry? Chilli in particular? What about garlic and onions? [...]

Garlic repels vampires.


And republicans.

On 2/22/2011 6:17 AM, Peter Cole wrote:
On 2/21/2011 9:19 PM, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 2/21/2011 1:45 PM, Peter Cole wrote:
[...]
To clarify, I think that cramps are a result of muscular fatigue, but
can be triggered by cooling the muscle. In most long distance rides,
there's a tendency to employ both more power and higher muscular force
when climbing. I go longer without cramps if I try to minimize my peak
efforts, which means "soft-pedaling" the hills a bit. More of an attempt
at constant power than constant speed.[...]

Unfortunately, most bicycles are over-geared for their riders.


I don't know what most people ride, but my brevet bike is a triple with
an 11-32 cassette. That gives me a 1:1 low, something I've often had to
resort to when dealing with leg cramps.

Too many riders are afraid to be seen with a triple or anything bigger
than 23-T in back. Machismo over sense.

For long rides, I like to be able to spin at 100+ rpm on the steepest
climbs, which translates to a low gear of 15-20 gear inches.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

On 2/22/2011 7:53 AM, Duane Hebert wrote:
On 2/21/2011 9:51 PM, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 2/21/2011 3:28 PM, James Steward wrote:
[...]
Curry? Chilli in particular? What about garlic and onions? [...]

Garlic repels vampires.


And republicans.

What I wrote.

(Assuming Duane means USian Republicans™, and not republicans as in
eliminating hereditary titles.)

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

On Feb 21, 2:23 pm, Peter Cole wrote

V-8 (a very salty tomato, mostly, drink sold in the US) is the
randonneur's beverage of choice. Fairly nasty, but way better than
pickle juice or cider vinegar. Turkey meat has tons of potassium. I hate
bananas.

In the summer in the US Southwest I used to carry 2 or 3 water bottles
on a long ride. Back before the days of ERG and other kinds of
electrolyte replacements, I used to make up a mixture using a 6 ounce
can of tomato paste (170g of stained tomatoes reduced to a very thick
paste) mixed with water in one of my water bottles.

Tomato paste contains some sugar, sodium, potassium plus a small
amount of other electrolytes. It seemed to help prevent the bonk and
cramps a little.

35 years on, I've been experiencing cramping problems again after a
lot of climbing. My cardiologist who is also a cyclist suggested that
I try taking potassium and magnesium tablets before riding. This has
worked for me most of the time. Other things that I've tried are
vitamin E, calcium. They probably can't hurt in moderate doses, so for
avoiding cramps especially when honking out of the saddle is worth it.

Funny story about the tomato paste mixture, it was over 100° in
August on a 100 mile race in New Mexico. A hot shot racer pulled up
beside me and grabbed one of my 2 water bottles off of my handle bars.
He doused himself with the tomato paste mixture. That was the last
time anyone ever touched one of my water bottles!

Chas.

On 2/22/2011 10:20 PM, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 2/22/2011 7:53 AM, Duane Hebert wrote:
On 2/21/2011 9:51 PM, Tºm Shermªn™ °_° wrote:
On 2/21/2011 3:28 PM, James Steward wrote:
[...]
Curry? Chilli in particular? What about garlic and onions? [...]

Garlic repels vampires.


And republicans.

What I wrote.

(Assuming Duane means USian Republicans™, and not republicans as in
eliminating hereditary titles.)


Yeah those. Distinguishing between Republicans and vampires is like our
sometime discussion about whether riding in the wind sucks or blows.
No offense intended to any vampires out there.

On Feb 22, 7:17*am, Peter Cole wrote:

I don't know what most people ride, but my brevet bike is a triple with
an 11-32 cassette. That gives me a 1:1 low, something I've often had to
resort to when dealing with leg cramps.

Most of my bikes have a low gear even below 1:1. (Touring bike is 24
front, 32 rear.) But my strategy has always been to never use the
granny chainring unless I'm on tour with a load (or on the tandem).

That way, I figure I'm building muscle during regular rides. But when
I'm on a tour, I dump to the granny at the slightest urge. That's
when I want to relax, not push myself, and enjoy the ride.

Unfortunately, in the last couple years I've had to hit the granny a
few times on unladen rides. I can see that's only going to become
more frequent. :-(

- Frank Krygowski