What should hurt???

I don't know any of the technical terms.

Really long rides, I get hot spots on the feet.

Knees only hurt if I have the cleats maladjusted.

Every muscle between the ankles and the glutes are sore after hard workouts. More in one direction or the other depending on the amount of climbing.

Lungs, diaphragm will get "tender" of sorts after long higher aerobic workouts.

Back, neck, shoulders - a lot less now, but when the bike was still getting adjusted to me you could pick any of them.

So, basically - it could all hurt.

In training I have been getting numb fingers and numb on the side of one foot. Had my first race last weekend and everything so much hurt, the numbness was not noticeable.
Try racing!
Halcyon1

Thanks for the responses guys.

Punisher92009 said:

So i have decided to start cycling. ...SNIP...Aside from some groin issues, both lateral heads of my gastroc's of are killing me. Is this normal? ...SNIP

I don't know where all that stuff is either, but because I started again recently after years off the bike I'll direct to to searching "overtraining" in these forums and in the articles on Active.com.

Everything should be a little sore but none of the pain should be alarming. I assume if you know all the names of the "places" you probably know what an "alarming" pain would be.

20+ mph is fast for starting out, and the stress got to me in my hips pushing gears (riding too fast) at a rate of abut 100 miles/week. Every ride to me was a race!

That was unfortunate because I had to lay back a little to heal some pulls in my hips & groin, and it sounds as though you know how long it can take for some muscles and tendons to repair. Sheesh.

I also hurt my back, which I couldn't just ignore - that cost me 3 weeks of training (not to mention the pain, mostly on my back).

Finally, after 100 miles/week plus and a couple of century ride events, I'm a little less enthusiastic about getting on the bike if wind conditions aren't "perfect" or I don't have something else "really important to do." This burnout, too, is a documented sign of overtraining.

Based on the reading I did while beginning and my hindsight now, I'd say that I was a classic example of overtraining this season (Florida's season is winter). No problem - I have one more charity event to do and then I can focus on FUN cycling again, and next season I'll be sure to watch it. If not for these forums and some great websites I might not even stick with it.

That's what I would advise to you: keep reading and researching online and talking to the trainers at your gym, but don't blow off learning about why moderation and rest make for better training programs.