Originally Posted by
jlippinbike
This will be my first post to this bike forum where I'm asking a question. Over the past two years I have not been riding a bike. I've had a nice break from being a very active RUSA randonneur from 2017 through 2019. But I'd like to get back into cycling again, and maybe take on another 1000k or 1200k RUSA event. But I'm wary about riding too many miles during the year “training” because I've read (and been told) that too much distance riding creates way too much oxidative stress in my body which can lead to cancer and other unhealthy conditions. Have any of you considered how it is possible to be an active randonneur while maintaining your health, i.e, avoid overloading on oxidative stress? Oxidative stress involves the body's overproduction of free radicals eventually leading to many chronic diseases, including cancer.
I'm thinking that riding with my local bike club on weekends for 8 or 9 months a year will not cause me health problems. And then increasing my mileage for 3 or 4 months (June – Sept?) so I'd be up to doing a grand brevet sometime in late August or early Sept. I'm hoping that would not be too unhealthy. What do you think?
I don't want to come down with cancer AGAIN. Just had surgery to remove an ocular melanoma from my left eye this past September. If I can get cancer once, then I can probably get it again. And I don't want to get it again!
I doubt you can find a single longitudinal study which backs up that contention. AFAIK, it's BS. Post the study if you find it. Try wearing darker riding glasses. I've been amazed at how dark a glass I can wear even on a cloudy day.
There are riders (or is a rider) who completed 1,000,000 lifetime miles. I don't know of a single cyclist who maintained their cycling life-long who had cancer. I'm sure they're out there, but it's much rarer than in non-cyclists.
It's a bit unscientific that there's all this emphasis on anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants. Those reactions in our bodies are built into our DNA for very good reasons, That's not a mistake. We need those reactions to speed healing. Take too many anti-inflammatories and your legs stay sore longer. If one believed in God, one could say that anti-inflammatories are blasphemy.
