big john

The Redlands Classic stage race is ending today. 5 stages for the pros, amateur racing and kids racing, too. A friend lives in Redlands and the Kelly Benefits team hung out at her house. They made her grandson a team helper and he had a great time.

BillyD

Very high up on my favorites list.

BillyD

Did you use the shovel for any of the landscaping work? That would have given it an off season reason for existing, and for paying the top-notch security forces tasked with keeping it safe.

DougRNS

naw, that would be like wearing the awesome Marigold jacket in 70 degree weather. Not gunna do it wouldn't be prudent.

Eric F 

It was a spectacular weekend for Elite and U23 American MTB racers at the first round of the World Cup in Brazil - 3 wins, and 8 total podium placings. The last lap of the men’s XCO was incredible!

TMonk

Heck yes, I'll watch some footage! I managed to catch the last couple laps of the U23 women's XCO live

TMonk

Light TT adaptation ride today, 1 hr of z2/3. Weather is nice, and it's a weekend (low traffic), so I thought this time that I'd venture out to a local frontage road near my place, instead of doing it on the trainer. There are a couple overpasses that I could use to stitch together a ~1 mile segment of road. TBH, the thought of riding up and down the same road a bunch of times sounded about as much fun as riding the trainer, but to my surprise, it was actually a ton of fun!

One of the offramps has a really tight bend in it, and feeling some G's going around it in aero was fun. There is also a big dip in the road about halfway through each straight stretch, so that kept the pace and power a bit dynamic as well. On the southern end, the left at the top of the offramp as a bit sharp, so that would serve as the end of each lap, as I needed to leave the aerobars and grab some brake.

Riding on the trainer (or Fiesta Island) is a bit of a slog, with nothing really to break up the pace, it's just you and your power. I excel at technical time trial riding and look for opportunities to do it (like the new VoS course). Next time I am looking to do one of these rides on the weekend, I think I will head back out here!

datlas 

We had a good and fairly hard ride today. On longer rides I sometimes have had issues with muscle cramps....

I am fairly confident my muscle cramps are NOT due to issues with calcium/magnesium/sodium/potassium or hydration status. They still might be, but I am pretty sure my cramps come under the classification of "muscle overuse cramps" as they happen despite adequate intake of fluids/electrolytes.

I know some of my club-mates SWEAR by using pickle juice or mustard packets for cramps. I am also aware of the "HotShot" product which is $$$$ and allegedly works but I have not tried it.

My understanding is that eating something that is spicy/bitter/sour triggers the autonomic nervous system and reflexively relaxes cramping muscles, at least that's the theory. Maybe MoAlpha can comment/confirm.

Anyway, at about mile 70 on today's ride I started to have some early signs of cramps. I used two strategies, and both of them SEEMED to work...

First, I figured I needed to eat something very bitter/sour and did not have anything handy, but I realized that there are dandelions EVERYWHERE and I am aware that the dandelion greens are edible and also quite bitter/sour. I was rolling along so I did not pick them right away, but simply IMAGINED I was eating some of them and other unpleasant sour food....and it worked!! The cramps went away. A few minutes later, I crested a hill and stopped at the top to pick a handful of dandelion greens, which I held onto for a few minutes on the downhill, but for the next climb I wanted to push myself to test the theory, so I ate the greens (they were indeed bitter!) and pushed my pace well into the zone where I would ordinarily cramp up, and guess what? No cramps!!

Clearly today's experience is NOT science but anecdotal....however, I am optimistic I might be onto something.

Comments??

TMonk

Hmm, interesting. Never hard the spicy/bitter/sour nervous system theory before. IME and AKAIK, cramps are due to electrolytes, or just plain old fatigue. I think I recall someone telling me recently that the electrolytes have little to do with it, and it's mostly just due to fatigue and conditioning. Certainly not an expert on physiology though.

datlas 

Usually fatigue.

Here is some interesting reading material….although it’s advertising so be a little skeptical.

https://teamhotshot.com/pages/science

BillyD

I don't get cramps when I work out. I get them at night when I'm asleep and they are virtually always due to inadequate fluid intake.

DougRNS

I decline to opine.

TMonk

Pretty into this combined formula and breastfeeding thing we've been doing. Lilly developed some GI irritation a few months ago so we had to drop the EBF thing due to some protein intolerance or some other sort of food allergy, maybe dairy passed through mom. We've started to ween her on breast-milk again and it's quite convenient overall.

Formula: Lilly doesn't need to be near mom or a frozen bank of milk to feed. I can feed her anytime, any place with canned formula. Mom can be away from home for a while without needing to pump or feed.

Breast-milk: Lilly gets the micro nutrients from a bit every day. Plus, if she wakes up a little hungry or fussy in the middle of the night, we don't have to prepare a bottle. Just stick her on the boob and she'll be back asleep in no time.

DougRNS

can we say that? I know we can say a$$ but please decorum.

TMonk

Also into my storage solution for tools/supplies on my MTB. Frame strap for tube at bottom of DT, Wolftooth axle handle multi tool, small pack for CO2, inflator, multi tool bits and tools. The WT axle handle tool is sweet, has a step/down 6 to 5 mm, then the other side serves as a lever/driver for other bits in the bag. Cute.

Stoked to ride it tomorrow before work!

TMonk

prudes around these parts!

LAJ

Gadgets are cool

Trsnrtr

I read an article on cramping in the last year or two. they could make elite cyclists cramp by working them to exhaustion with little fluids and some heat. Even us mortal cyclists know that. Then t hey screwed with the variables and couldn't get consistent results. The gist of their final conclusions was who knows. Cramps are one of those mysteries. They could find no magical to predict or stop cramps reliably.

I know in my own case, I get cramps sometimes at the oddest times. I recently did a 35 mile ride with strong headwinds. Sure, we were working hard but the temps were perfect and even though I had a good breakfast, drank two 20 oz. bottles of water, had a gel halfway through the ride and some sort of low level energy drink. I cramped up shortly after getting off the bike, specifically along the shin and ending at my toes. I had a heck of time getting it to loosen. No equipment changes or anything over the last 1200 miles but on this day, I had a major cramp attack. Haven't had one since.

DougRNS

There was mulch again today.

MoAlpha

Yeah, the leading theory is a spinal reflex mechanism. They definitely break with passive stretch, which stimulates in-series receptors in the tendon, which, in turn, inhibit spinal output to the muscle, but that’s about as far as the evidence goes. Anecdotally, I have found resistance training helpful in preventing them.

Havent tried the strong taste thing, but I believe it.

DougRNS

They split a 4 game series on the road to playoff team. I'll take it.

datlas 

Can you say teat? Breast? Nipple?? It’s what the thing is designed for.

Both our daughters were breastfed for a year. When Hannah was 4 months old Mrs datlas went back to work 3 days/week so she did have to do some pumping at work.

seedsbelize2

It’s been a long long time since I’ve tasted dandelion greens in the flesh, but my mouth tells me I tasted them just now. And, I am experiencing no cramping. Scient prroif!

seedsbelize2

Pot calling the kettle black? Just yesterday you were stinking up the place.

seedsbelize2

The only time I ever cramped was after an imperial century in hot weather. Never during a ride; only after and only sometimes. Almost always on the back of the thigh. What is that muscle called?