Anyone here do long distance cycling? How do you fight the muscle fatigue afterward?


(Gus Garrison) #1

Just seeing what anyone else may be doing to replenish their muscles after a 50-100 mile bike ride. Seems it takes me a full week to get my legs back up to par after a 50 mile ride on the weekend, unless I load up on carbs before the ride. Legs so wobbly lol!


(Scott) #2

How long have you been low carb?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

Try a cup of salted bone broth about half an hour before the ride. As Scott mentions, the length of time you’ve been eating ketogenically makes a difference, because there is an adaptation period at the begining, during which your muscles need to re-tool to burn fatty acids instead of glucose. We enter ketosis as soon as our glycogen store is depleted, but keto-adaptation takes in the neighbourhood of six to eight weeks, occasionally longer. If you are new to this, you might want to cut back on the exercise until you achieve fat-adaptation. At that point, your performance will have returned to its previous level.

Carbohydrate will help with sprints, but if you’re after bonk-proof endurance, you want to keep your carb intake as low as possible. Dr. Stephen Phinney, one of the early researchers into this way of eating, is a cyclist and talks about these issues in some of his lectures, most of which have been recorded and are available on YouTube (the LCDU channel is a good place to start, or just search on “Phinney”).

Dr. Phinney and Professor Jeff Volek have written a book, calle The Art and Science of Low-carbohydrate Performance, which I understand is a pretty good resource for low-carb athletes.


(Gus Garrison) #4

Just passed 4 months of eating Ketogenically.I don’t know if it is important to mention that on shorter bike rides with high intensity, 5-10 miles of all out pedaling I don’t feel that way afterwards, for me its something about the extended time of riding. Thank you for that info Paul, I’ll check them out tonight! Love learning as much as I can about all of this :nerd_face:


(Joseph) #5

Hot bath. Honestly, I haven’t notice a big change in the quantity I eat after a big rides, just a conscience decision in what type of food I eat on and off the bike. After long rides, I get heavy legs but not soreness. Normally it’s gone after a day or two. After my first double century, LA Wheelmen Grand Tour on 6/22/19, it took me two weeks to get back into it. More of a fog, general fatigue, than sore muscles. I do get sore legs from higher intensity but short duration rides, but on long hauls I stay away from those intensities.


(Erin Macfarland ) #6

I’ve done the MS 150, around 75 miles two days in a row. Rode fasted both days, drinking coffee, water, pickle juice then ate in the evening. I’m not a cyclist really, but a runner. I think If you keep up the sodium especially along with potassium and magnesium it will help.


(Gus Garrison) #7

What you explained is what I felt. I assume it is probably normal especially if the distances are relative to fitness level, I am still fairly new to cycling, and at this time 50 miles is about the max distance I could consider. Good to know! Thanks for the feedback!


(traci simpson) #8

EAT and rest!


(Jamie) #9

Salt. And lots of water.

I just did the tour de cabot: an organized 3 day, 300km ride with 4086 meters of climbing.

I did it fasted (omad) on a fatbike.

Previous lo gest ride this year was 40k. Normal rides are 16-20 km