Originally Posted by slickrcbd

I think people missed the point of my question.
How long can I not be riding before I need to stretch again? Often I'll take a 30-45 minute rest when riding more than 3-4 miles (yes I know, I've been trying for years to get back into shape but it seems every winter I lose 90% of all progress I made).
I know I need to stretch again after 45 minutes, but how long can I be stopped and either resting, walking around (aka shopping), or standing (aka waiting in line) before I need to stretch again?


I used to feel that way, until about 10 years ago when I started getting these cramps the next day after riding. I looked up recommended stretches for bike riders, tried them, and surprise, no cramps the next day.
After some experiments, I found that the if I stretched, I had no pain the next day, but if I did not bother stretching, I got horrible cramps.
Before I was 30, I never needed to stretch, even when I went 5 miles up hill to college that time when my car was in the shop after somebody sideswiped me (and the repairs were on their dime).

I should have mentioned that I do that too.
Not really relevant, Walmart isn't the only place I go, it was just an example. Still, it's about 2.5-3 miles, I never clocked it exactly.

I sometimes think I go overboard on staying hydrated, and cut back last year due to the water fountains being turned off due to COVID, but normally if I'm going more than a mile I carry two water bottles and do not hesitate to drink from them, refilling at practically every opportunity.Even when I'm going only a mile (which is frequent as the library and the shopping center with the bank, grocery store, and dollar store are only 1 mile away) I always fill the smaller 12oz bottle on the principal of "better to have it and not need it than need the water and not have it".
Being hydrated has no effect on the cramps, stretching does.
Again, I never needed to stretch before I was 30.