I biked 50 miles yesterday and although I feel fine today, yesterday was a different story. So, for the bicyclists on the board, I ask:

- What stretches/exercises are good for sore back, legs and hands/wrists? Either for before or after biking.

- Do you use energy supplements? If so, what do you use and when do you use them?

- Would I be a huge asshole if I got one of those canned airhorns to use when cars are swerving into me and pedestrians are walking into the bike lane?

- What's good to eat when your energy is low? At the halfway point, I made sandwiches with this weird protein bread, hummus, tomatoes and cucumbers, and ate some graham crackers and a nectarine.

i biked about 20 miles saturday and 15 miles yesterday. PERFECT biking weather. both days after I felt fine. no soreness at all.

I don't normally do any stretching before riding. i probably should, but I normally just hop on and go.

Never used energy supplements

I'd opt not to use an airhorn. just bitch em out

I just take a bottle of gatorade with me and make sure i've eaten before hand

granted, i'm probably more of a casual rider than some people here and I imagine these answers aren't really what you're looking for

you should always take time to stretch.
for back, i usually will just keep my legs shoulder width apart and slow lower myself [dont bounce!] as far as i can go comfortably and then give myself an extra little push to strech out. or to loosen my back up, lay on the floor, pull both knees in, and slowly roll from side to side.
for legs, i usually stretch hammies in the seated position [stretch along the legs one side at a time works both back & hamstring for me],
for lower back , when laying down, pull knees in to my chest one leg at a time and stretch acoss myself [opposite direction] while keeping the small of my back on the floor.
those are 2 basic ones i do on a pretty consistent basis.

energy supplements? nope. lots of fruits & veggies, & if you need an extra boost the potassium from a banana works pretty well. i hear if you drink seltzer with it, it speeds up the absorption, but cant confirm.

i personally dont have an airhorn/whistle/anything like that. i think it would be more of a distraction, when i need my hands to be focused on keeping me in one piece. then again, in nyc, who the hell is going to pay attention to one random airhorn?


edit: also have to say i just got a pair of padded gloves and it's a great investment - limits the amount of shock and definitely helps with the wrist soreness. you should also be moving yr hand position around every so often to prevent numbness.

hey jas, I don't know all the names for the stretches, so I'll try to describe what I do after long rides:

1. sit on floor with legs apart, with left arm, reach over to right toe, and hold for at least 30 seconds. Stretches out the muscles along the side of your back and your hamstrings. Do it on the left leg as well.

2. Sit with legs together, straight out in front of you. Lean forward and grab your toes (or if you're like me and super-inflexible, touch your toes). Hold for 30 seconds.

3. Sit with legs forward, together. Bring right knee up, keeping right foot on floor. Swivel your torse to the right, putting your left arm on the right side of your knee, balance with right hand on floor behind you. Look toward the right, hold for 30 seconds. I'm sure you've seen this stretch before. Do both sides.

4. If I'm having a particular sore back day, I'll lie flat on the floor, bring my knees to my chest, and just hold.

5. Thought of another one! We actually do this in spinning class too... Hold on to something, like the back of a chair, or a wall, or whatever (or if you're very good with balance, don't hold on to anything). Standing up, cross one leg over the other knee (so your ankle is on the top of your thigh/knee), and then bend to a sitting position. Do it with both legs. It's really great for stretching out the hamstrings.

As for energy supplements, I almost always carry Luna bars with me to eat on the ride. You should probably be eating something every hour. I also take along gatorade on longer rides, and I know Clif makes a drink mix that's pretty good too. Also, Clif Bloks are pretty tasty and easy to eat while riding. On the last metric centruy I did, I took some pills called Strong Legs, and they really helped reduce the lactic acid buildup, and thus, reduced soreness in my knees later.

As for airhorns, why? People are gonna be assholes anyway. Why piss them off further with an airhorn?

For low energy, again, bring something with you like a Clif bar or something. Most organized rides have rest stops with good stuff to eat like bananas, peanut butter, bagels, candy/sweets (truly, during a long hot ride, sometimes a Coke is the best thing to drink-- even the pros do it), salty chips and pretzels.

Good job on the 50 miler! That's awesome! (Me? I haven't ridden in a week, but I got a full century coming up on August 27)

jesus its terrible that i havent been on the bike in probably 2 weeks- I feel terribly guilty leaving the twins and wife and going out, not doing work, not unpacking boxes from the move (not to mention the hills in CT are going to kill me).

Anyhow, Im jealous about the 50mi - the closest I got to a bike was watching the alcatraz tri on TV yesterday.

oh and
Stretching is good- airhorns bad, bring little baggies of decaying vegetables instead

i have a water bottle of accelerade (protein based) - good stuff

i bring an energy gel packet as well (only use if i get bonked)

As far as stretches go, I'm in the camp to stretch as much of your body as you can. I find if I lack on upper body, the next day my shoulders feel tweaked.

I usually throw a few of those gel packets in my camelbak. Can't remember the name of the brand but it has a roadrunner on the packaging, and has a yummy orange flavor. I try to eat something before hand that can boast me as well.

Airhorn: because I want to annoy people as much as they annoy me. Or at least I feel like I do.

August 27th is the day of the tri that I'm doing. Ugh, you send good vibes my way and I'll send 'em your way!


Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I bought a bag of those Clif jelly block things a couple of weeks ago, but haven't seen them anywhere other than the hiking store. They're tasty.

One more question, is it possible to overhydrate? I know that hydronephrosis is a threat, but I think that's with severe over-hydrating like when you drink too much alcohol. Two of my bicycling coworkers make fun of me because I can go through 140oz of water in a 12 mile trip. I feel like that's even too little to drink. What say you?

i rode my bike for about 5 miles the other day and i was exhausted. i need to remedy this.

I rode a little over eight miles on sunday morning. I had to stop by work briefly, but left within a half hour. I never stretch, but I'm not a serious biker either.
I never get mad at people on the bike paths unless they are in the wrong lane going the opposite direction. I usually just quickly zip into the other lane and pass people. I know I make people mad occassionally, since I don't hear some of the hardcore bikers coming up on me as I listen to music.

I used to do a lot of biking when I lived in Richmond and I greatly valued the bell I put on my bike (not air horn but wee bell). Usually, at the moment I would notice someone about to open their door on me or oblivious people walking in front of me, I would start ring ring ringing my bell. The bell I got was loud enough to be noticed and is fairly "polite" and cute in a European sort of way, heh.

Regarding food, I would recommend bananas because potasium helps with preventing leg cramps (though I'm not, nor have I ever been, a long-distance biker...more of a mountain biker...ok, more of a slightly pitched dirt hill biker).

Also, make sure the distance between your handlebars and pedals is correct as that affects your back and wrists. Here is an article (and I'm sure there are tons more to be found on the subject):

http://www.coachcarl.com/training_articles/bike_fit.htm

I should learn how to ride a bike.

Are those the things with the wheels and stuff?