Cycling Tiredness

[Randomnerd]

Sore legs?
I would check your bike fit first, and attend to your cadence so you're never grinding, always spinning freely. Ensure your machine is super comfy by doing a comfort check ride - stop and micro-adjust things like saddle fore and aft, cleats, bar angle - fiddle about to find best set-up (if you already haven't). Nicely oiled clean chain and cassette?
Sleep well before a ride. As @Heltor Chasca said, I often get nerves before a long ride thinking about a new route, and wake up tired before the off. get a good sleep and good food the day before.
Drink fluid during the ride, but try not to overdo caffeine and sugar: natural snacks are best for you. Do all your thinking on the ride, and ensure that you spend the last bit of the ride just unwinding and mentally unhooking - don't ride like your racing to a line.
Try milk right after a ride. Works for me. Need to get your recovery foods in within 30 mins of stopping.
No cold showers for me. Warm bath, no telly, no gadgets. Early to bed. Sleep of kings.

 

[gbb]

For me at the moment it is absolutely ZERO cycling, the reason being is that I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia and only yesterday the quack told me that it could be as long as 9 months before I am able to do any physical exercise let alone pushing myself into that beautiful grey mist of pain !!

It' different for everyone of course but having had TB and pneumonia (althouh the pneumonia MAY have been mild) once through my 6 months of treatment I didn' feel physically terrible but I did struggle with feeling generally down and lost my mojo altogether. North sure mine was bronchial, the x-rays showed fluid between the lung and pleural lining, it may have been different to yours. The all encompassing tiredness and night sweats I suffered almost daily did go once the treatment was ongoing did go but left me somewhat drained to say the least for a few months...but this may have been psychosomatic (if that's the right word...all in the mind) Look after yourself and ask the docs if even light cycling is appropriate, the mojo is a terrible thing to lose.

 

[buzzy-beans]

@gbb thanks for that, I actually had 2 of the quacks thinking it could possibly be the big 'C', but then that was knocked into touch (I hope).

My worst problem is that even when I start to think about anything such as going up stairs I start to feel like I am hyperventilating along with strange, almost fluttery feelings across my chest and in my throat............ oh and then I go out for a very gentle walk and more often than not it feels almost like my heart has gone into overdrive, but when I test it, it is normal. All in all for someone like me who has almost never been ill throughout my life, I can assure you that I find my current inability to do almost anything to be more than a tad perplexing!!!!!

 

[poemcycle]

you got to recover when ill. no good pusing it. one step forward and 4 tracks back. take it easy.

 

[buzzy-beans]

you got to recover when ill. no good pusing it. one step forward and 4 tracks back. take it easy.

Many thanks indeed....................... I only went to see my GP last Thursday and she gave her opinion that as I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia it could take me as long as 9 months before I am back in the saddle and pushing hard and I can assure you all, that hurt me far, far more than feeling ill in the first place !!

 

[User16625]

Are you drinking enough?

I usually have about 7-9 pints every friday night plus shots

 

[ChrisPAmbulance]

I used to get this regularly when I first started cycling seriously, really painful spasms in my legs that lasted for hours, I couldn't sit still. I started drinking a recovery shake the moment I came of the bike and it seemed to stop after that. I still get minor ones after a long ride if I have spent a few weeks off the bike. I think it's a combination of fitness and hydration. Try drinking more and perhaps something for recovery afterwards. It does clear after a while though.

 

[GuyBoden]

I rode four rides last week, three were well over 100km, on the last ride I was tired and the legs were fatigued....as I expected.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

My system is to have a break with an energy bar at some point, keep drinking water with a couple of electrolyte tabs in every few minutes, then stretch and eat ASAP after getting home. If I don't eat very soon I get dopey (not much change then) and am tired for a couple of days. I'm doing up to 18 milers on the MTB at the moment.
Drinking wine by the way keeps me awake as the alcohol seems to go to sugar very fast in me.

 

[Welsh wheels]

This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.

In the hot summer days, all you want is a cold shower

 

[bigjim]

I've been riding 28 miles three times a week and Sunday 70 to 100 mile club rides when I get chance. I can never sleep well after the club run. The next day I am exhausted at it is at least Tuesday before I am over it. I have never found out how to solve it and I think I have tried everything. I have no problem physically with the extended Sunday ride. I'm fine with the weekday 28s. I'm now wondering, if it is been out, breathing in that pollution all day that is the problem. I'm 69.

 

[buzzy-beans]

I've been riding 28 miles three times a week and Sunday 70 to 100 mile club rides when I get chance. I can never sleep well after the club run. The next day I am exhausted at it is at least Tuesday before I am over it. I have never found out how to solve it and I think I have tried everything. I have no problem physically with the extended Sunday ride. I'm fine with the weekday 28s. I'm now wondering, if it is been out, breathing in that pollution all day that is the problem. I'm 69.

Your the same age as me bigjim.
I haven't been able to ride my bikes at all for over 6 months because of breathing difficulties as my body continues to recover from the darned flu, followed by a heavy cold which then turned into bronchial pneumonia! The quacks are suggesting it could take more than 12 months for my body and more importantly my lungs to fully recover!!

Have you by any chance been to see your doctor and if so have you asked them to give you a spirometry test? Even better would be if you were to go and see a specialist sports physiologist so as to put you through the mill.

Good luck
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