New Rider - Burning In The legs?

jnutella said:

I a practicing for a long distance ride and my legs start to burn or be sore after a short time.

Is there anything i can take before and during the ride to help this?

Sure! There's a wide variety of "dope" you can choose from. Some don't taste nice while others will turn you into a hulk. 😉

jnutella said:

...I a practicing for a long distance ride and my legs start to burn or be sore after a short time.

Is there anything i can take before and during the ride to help this?...

You can take your time and slow down to a managable pace. If your legs are burning and getting sore prematurely you're pushing a pace you can't sustain. Cycling fitness and speed take time, you can't cram for it by pushing big gears or trying to ride anaerobically without a solid aerobic base. Back off your pace a bit to the point where you breathe steadily but in control and ride gears you can spin at a moderate to high cadence while doing focused but not painful efforts. Give it time, train steadily but not everyday so your legs and body have a chance to rest and rebuild.

From a nutrition standpoint make sure your diet includes plenty of carbs (endurance sports and low carb diets don't mix very well), plenty of water and a good variety of nutrients (think lots of fruits and vegetables). Be sure to consume some carbs and a bit of protein in the first half hour after returning from each training ride. Your body is much better at replenishing spent muscle glycogen in that first half hour than it is later on, miss that window and it will take longer to recover for your next training ride. Be sure to eat and drink on any rides over an hour and a half or so since most folks run out of stored glycogen in two hours or less when training moderately hard. An energy drink like Gatorade or Cytomax or hundreds of others can help keep you hydrated and fueled but include some solid food like banannas or energy bars for longer rides.

Good luck,
Dave

Hi jnutella,

First of all, congrats on making a start.

I'd review how you are positioned on the bike, and maybe get some experienced help from a bike shop or fitter.

If your seat is too low it will work your quads and knees a lot harder than in a higher position, possibly leading to knee problems. There is a limit to how high you go, too, above which you start rolling your hips which then leads to back and pelvic problems. Hence the need in my view for professional and informed assistance if you are older and/or planning on being more than an occasional rider.

As to training the most effectively, I'd either engage a coach or buy a copy of Joe Friel's The Cyclists Training Bible. I've found it to be excellent. It will help you achieve the best result in the time you have, and help keep you away from the dreaded overtraining syndrome - which leads to fatigue, illness, and becoming an ex-cyclist.