Is it Just Me?

Why is it that i feel so sore and achy when "riding season" ends? I would think that taking a little break after riding 4 to 5 days a week would make you feel better, but i feel worse. I guess it just goes to show how important it is to keep that blood flowing and those muscles loose. A couple of comments I overheard at the Sisson Highway ride; "I think I forgot how to ride a bike." and "I can't believe how out-of-shape I feel." I felt the same way.

No, not just you. I often remark that I feel worse after a rest day than after a hard ride. I think earlier in the season, rest days felt better, but once I passed July, they didn't seem to do much anymore. Maybe the body acclimates to riding and that becomes the new normal?

I must say, however, that climbing stairs during ride season is always a painful affair. The one thing I look forward to in winter is being able to run up stairs again...

Totally not just you Frank. Even on "off days" after a tough ride, I have to get out and do 12 miles of rollers (moderate effort, they don't have much flat in my neighborhood) or walk the park or something. I always, always, always feel better after getting some exercise in. I'm afraid I'd cease up without it. My grandfather had really bad arthritis and his theory was to just keep moving and it wont bother you. I don't think I'm quite there yet but I have no interest in getting there either.

After recently going nearly two weeks with no running or biking, I was experiencing a general achey feeling in my legs. Unfortunately, that's not an unfamiliar feeling ... too many lapses in training over the years! Through the summer I was managing to run or bike two or three times a week (5-mile runs, 10- to 20-mile rides), which was sufficient to maintain fitness. I am new to consistent cycling, and happy to discover that age 55 I can cycle hard with no residual soreness (can bike consecutive days). Even 5-mile runs require a full recovery day or two, it seems.