Cycling might give you the cardiovascular system of someone 10 years younger, but if you want to carry on riding injury-free into your dotage, you need to look after your back.
“Most cyclists think you can just jump on a bike and go, when that’s far from the case,” explains Dr Michael Lanning, a chiropractor who specialises in cycling-related joint and spine injuries. The back, he says, or more properly the abdomen, is by far the weakest link for the majority of riders.
“Cyclists have huge leg muscles but don’t have the torso strength to support and resist the tremendous forces which the legs can generate,” he explains. If the torso is weak, he says, that force doesn’t go into the pedals but is dissipated in flexing of the abdomen. “Look at tired riders — every stroke generates an ‘S’ curve in the back, causing fatigue and muscle spasm.”
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No rider will ever develop a sufficiently strong torso through riding alone, says Dr Lanning. “Riding with undeveloped abs is something like riding a bike with a cracked frame — all the energy gets dissipated in flexion, and doesn’t get you down the road.”
Here then, is how to prevent that happening, or, if you’re already suffering a niggle or two, how to get back on your bike and stay problem-free through every season.
Neck and upper back pain
Neck and upper back pain is most often caused and exacerbated by riding position and technique, explains elite cycling trainer Andy Wadsworth. Riding in drop handlebars for long periods will not only increase the load on the arm and shoulders, it will also hyperextend the neck.
Lower back pain
Workouts
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