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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

1131.0. "Ankle Tightness" by WITNES::HANNULA (Well, you see, I have this cat.......) Tue Apr 25 1989 12:47

    Saturday I went out on my first 20+ mile ride of the season.  At
    about 20 miles, with a couple of miles uphill left to go, my ankles
    felt like they were tightening up.  
    
    I've never had this problem before.  So, does anybody have any ideas
    on what I may have done "wrong" for this ride.  I was using the
    same bike and same equipment as last year and I have made no
    adjustments to seat height or toe clip adjustment or anything. 
    Any ideas?  Could it have had anything to do with the weather.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1131.1pace and temp...EUCLID::PAULHUSChris @ MLO6B-2/T13 dtn 223-6871Tue Apr 25 1989 15:0010
    	Well...Patriots day I did my first long ride this year - about
    50 miles, on the Avatar. Easy pace, no problems.   Saturday AM doing
    errands in Harvard, I broke the seat on the Avatar. 
    	Saturday PM on a 17 mile club ride, on my old diamond frame,
    in the cold, amongst 'animal' riders, I finished with:
      Sore feet, tight ankles, sore calfs, sore knees, burning quads,
    sore hip joints, burning lungs, sore arms, sore neck, and a runney
    nose. From 17 miles!  
    	Don't feel bad about tight ankles. 10 deg C or 2 mph can make
    all the difference.  - Chris
1131.2Same thing only differentMCIS2::DELORIEACommon sense isn'tTue Apr 25 1989 15:5916
    
>>    I've never had this problem before.  So, does anybody have any ideas
>>    on what I may have done "wrong" for this ride.  

	I had the same problem last year. The year before I had really gotten
into cycling (+5000 miles). Then the following spring, I went out on the road
with the same GUSTO I had at the end of the year before. That night my knees
felt stiff. My muscles felt fine, just my knees hurt. I guess the muscles
around my knee needed to be built up before I could put that much stress on the
joint. Talking to racers, I found they stay out of the big chain ring in the
spring and use a bigger freewheel. This will keep the joints from being over
stressed.
	Sure enough, if I didn't push too hard, stayed off the big ring,
my knees didn't hurt. After a few weeks of this my knees felt better and my
spin improved. Maybe the same will help your ankles.
Tom
1131.3Take it easy in the spring, unless...NAC::KLASMANTue Apr 25 1989 16:2018
< Note 1131.2 by MCIS2::DELORIEA "Common sense isn't" >
                         -< Same thing only different >-

I agree with Tom.  If you're not going to workout, even semi-seriously, during 
the off season, then you have to take it very easy when you do start up again 
(this is a general comment... I have no idea what you have or haven't done :^)

The conventional wisdom is 1000m in the small chainring.  That strikes me as 
very conservative, and probably only appropriate if you vegged out all winter.

I've proven to myself how much one can accomplish during the offseason.  I did 
weights (mainly legs) pretty regularly and rode a lot indoors this winter and 
I'm already riding as fast and as far as I did at the end of last season.  
Probably a little faster.  So if you don't want to lose a lot of time when the 
weather starts to get warm,  I'd recommend maintaining your fitness over the 
winter.

Kevin... your mileage may vary...
1131.4SYMPTOMSWMOIS::C_GIROUARDTue Apr 25 1989 16:2315
    All the points are good ones. Cold weather plays a mojor role in
    how muscles, tendons and cartilage reacts. The other major pieces
    are conditioning and workouts. Did you use trainer this winter or
    blast onto the road at full tilt (or something less than a reasonable
    start) and do you pay attention to some "spinning" as well.
    
    If the symptoms do go away, get to a doctor. If they go away you
    just weren't ready for the degree of intensity you started out with.
    
    Sounds simple, but believe me, I do understand. I have one speed
    too, hard and intense!
    
    Good luck!
    
    Chip