Cycling Articles

Good article about cycling injuries
Cycling Injuries

Cycling is a hugely popular sport across the world, but if you are cycling on the wrong size of bicycle or with the bikes saddle and handlebars set at the wrong height, you may tire sooner and get all sorts of aches and pains.

Your handlebar on a your bike should be about 3cm lower than your saddle, maybe a cm lower still on a mountain bike or if you are racing you could go lower still for comfort and streamlining.
This said, feel free to raise the handlebar as much as you'd like, just don't raise the bar so much that the warning marks on the stem show, you could break the bike or yourself! Check that the saddle on your bike is level. Your crotch should be cupped by the ends of the saddle. If you are sliding forward, you'll be putting too much weight on your arms, which will have to be supported by your back. If the seat is tilted backwards, your posture will be bad and you might strain your lower back.

Sit on your bike with your hands on the brake hoods, with your arms in a natural and unlocked position, your line of sight through the handlebar should bisect the front wheel's hub. If your handlebar sticks out too far ahead, you'll be straining your back. You'll have to buy a shorter stem. This is a very common problem with women, who often have shorter torsos. If your stem is too short, you'll be sitting more upright than you probably need. While this shouldn't hurt your back, you might not like the added wind resistance.

Cycling requires you to ride bent over the top tube while keeping your back straight. If your back is not stretched out, you'll be riding hunched over the top tube. That will cause back pain. This is a very common problem for beginner cyclists who get a bike set up for racing. Their bodies just aren't ready to assume that position and they could injure themselves, the racing position should be moved into gradually.

Try these exercises once a day to stretch out your muscles and make assuming the best cycling position easier and more comfortable.

Lay down on your back. Pull your knees to your chest while keeping the small of your back on the floor. Straighten your legs at the knees. You should feel it pull on your lower back. Stop straightening your legs before it becomes uncomfortable or painful. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

Abdominal Crunches

Lie on your back, with your knees up and the small of your back on the floor. Lift your shoulders off the floor. Breathe out as you come up. You should lift by squeezing your lower abdominal muscles. Don't lift with your arms or your hips. Lower yourself back down and repeat. Try 2-3 sets of 30-40 repetitions or more. Do them at least 3 times a week.

This works your lower back. Lie face down on the floor. Put you open hands, palm down, under your face. Keep your feet, knees, and hips on the floor. Lift your arms and shoulders in one motion off the floor while breathing out. Lift with your back, not your head. Do 2-3 sets of 15-30 repetitions 3 times a week.

More specifically, what to do in case of a cycling knee injury

# posted by Lukaslo @ 1:37 PM 0 comments

The Tour De France is not only the most famous cycle race in the world, but one of the best known and most gruelling races of any kind. This year marked the 93rd race, running for 23 days across 20 different stages making a total race distance of 3,657 kilometres across France before finally finishing in Paris at the Champs-Elysees on Sunday 23rd July.

Starting in Strasbourg the race managed to cross most of France, with 9 flat, 4 medium mountain, 5 mountain and 2 individual time trial stages, before reaching its climactic conclusion in Paris: the Tour De France is a truly punishing event.

This year British sports fans who took a flight to France in order to see the race were met with one of the most exciting events for many years including plenty of controversy, an unforgettable race, and a free three hour long 10,000 seat concert in Landes.

Even before the race started there was excitement and controversy with a series of pre-tour doping scandals which lead to the withdrawal of the two favourites, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso of the T-Mobile and CSC teams. The retirement of Armstrong meant another leading player was out of the running. While many worried that this would lead to a lack lustre event, the reality was one of the most enthralling, unpredictable and closely fought Tours in recent memory.

The eventual winner, Floyd Landis, produced an amazing performance especially in light of being in pain the entire time and needing to undergo hip replacement surgery due to advanced osteoarthritis. Despite walking with a limp and being unable to cross his right leg over his left, causing him to have to get on his bike by putting his right leg over first, Landis managed to keep his condition secret from fellow riders until a week into the start of the Tour. Whether he will be able to cycle professionally again in the future will be determined by the results of this operation.

The announcement that following his win, was that Landis has now tested positive for elevated levels of the male sex hormone testosterone, has lead to his suspension pending the results of his B sample analysis.

A statement by The Phonak team read that they where, “notified on Wednesday by the UCI of an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France". They also stated that, "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.”

Phonak have already announced that if the second sample confirms the positive test, Landis will be sacked. Race authorities have since tried to contact Floyd directly as well as through his agent and the team, however there has so far been no response and the rider has subsequently disappeared.

Labels: cycling, tour, tour de france

# posted by Lukaslo @ 11:33 AM 0 comments