First Ride,,, what am I feeling??

linck said:

My first ride on my new bike was today, I went 10.75 miles it took me 38:29 to do it. avg speed 16.8 MPH, avg cadence 93 RPM's. I am an avid runner so no biggie really. Except for the weird pain. First my calf musles started cramping about mile five not to bad just enough to notice did not really slow me down or anything just odd that I would cramp. That doesn't happen to me ever. I ran ten miles on monday. No cramps. and I am well hyrdrated. secondly my tail bone has some significant pain. kind of sharp right at the top of my butt crack. is this normal pain for cycling and on average how long does it last.

I have a trek 1000 with the stock saddle a bontrager race basic lux.

Different muscle sets for cycling and running, so it's not that suprising that your body doesn't react in the same way, to a similar level of exercise.

I have a Trek 1000 as well, which I find to be very comfortable, even with the stock saddle. But, everyone's different when it comes to saddle to posterior contact. Before trying another saddle though, I'd be willing to bet that your cycling shorts probably don't have enough (or good enough) padding in them. That's usually the point where the comfort plot breaks down.

Assos shorts probably have the most comfortable padding in them. They're brilliant, but they are not the least bit cheap either.

Great first bike choice though.

linck said:

My first ride on my new bike was today, I went 10.75 miles it took me 38:29 to do it. avg speed 16.8 MPH, avg cadence 93 RPM's. I am an avid runner so no biggie really. Except for the weird pain. First my calf musles started cramping about mile five not to bad just enough to notice did not really slow me down or anything just odd that I would cramp. That doesn't happen to me ever. I ran ten miles on monday. No cramps. and I am well hyrdrated. secondly my tail bone has some significant pain. kind of sharp right at the top of my butt crack. is this normal pain for cycling and on average how long does it last.

I have a trek 1000 with the stock saddle a bontrager race basic lux.

First time always get a bit of pain. You'll get use to it. 😉

any tips on the calf cramps. maybe I'm using the wrong technique when pedalingi noticed that when I lead with my heel on the down stroke it relieves the cramping but it is hard to lead with the heel when climbing. any suggestions?

cleat positioning, important.
.

linck said:

any tips on the calf cramps. maybe I'm using the wrong technique when pedalingi noticed that when I lead with my heel on the down stroke it relieves the cramping but it is hard to lead with the heel when climbing. any suggestions?

you don't want to put your heel down. you lose stroke efficiency. as for the calf cramps... its because they are being used differently or you are not hydrated enough...

I still get them when I change my mileage (from 15 - 27 miles for example) but
the last time I made a jump like that with an extra water bottle, I didn't have the problem...

same thing happenede to me, i just started road cycling last year, the pain does hurt, but it'll go away

how often do you drink water on my ten mile ride I don't drink at all.....Logic I don't drink water while I am running my average run is 3 to six miles sometimes I'll do a ten. So how often should I drink. and do you suspend while drinking, or continue pedaling. should I drink going down hill or on a straight away. Man I feel ignorant. I have alot to learn about cycling. second ride today 10.64 miles time was 36:43

"First my calf musles started cramping about mile five not to bad just enough to notice"

Glad you posted this, atleast i know its not just me!. Always happens to me after about 6 miles or so, quite painful, however it dies down after a while.

Concerned me a little but this thread put me to rest, thanks!

linck said:

how often do you drink water on my ten mile ride I don't drink at all.....Logic I don't drink water while I am running my average run is 3 to six miles sometimes I'll do a ten. So how often should I drink. and do you suspend while drinking, or continue pedaling. should I drink going down hill or on a straight away.

Figure on somewhere between two thirds of a liter and one liter per hour. A large bottle an hour is good mark to shoot for. Alter the amount with the temperature and your own personal needs.

For short rides like you are doing, drinking is not really necessary, but it is refreshing. It is good to keep good habits so when you go longer drinking will be second nature.

linck said:

any tips on the calf cramps. maybe I'm using the wrong technique when pedalingi noticed that when I lead with my heel on the down stroke it relieves the cramping but it is hard to lead with the heel when climbing. any suggestions?

You are not cycling a far enough distance to have cramping from hydration or electrolyte problems. Your muscles are probably just not used to cycling. Give it a couple of weeks and see if things get better.