Help! I am a newbie road biker who really loves this sport but is suffering from intense neck pain while riding.
The bike is a Litespeed Capella that was carefully fitted for me at a local bike shop. The handlebar stem is a 70 mm Bontrager Race Light with a 7-degree angle.
My neck pain starts to kick in after only a few miles and gradually gets worse during long rides. It's in the back of my neck, toward the base.
Until I get more miles behind me, at least, should I switch the stem to one that's more upright? Maybe a 17-degree angle?
Would adding more stem spacers make a difference?
As background, I am a 48-year-old male in pretty good shape. I have run three marathons this year, plus a couple of half marathons, and I am not a wimp when it comes to a little workout pain!
But this neck pain is ruining my riding experience. On rides of more than about 10 miles, I am miserable long before I get to the point where my legs are tired.
My sincere thanks to all of you who take the time to read this and offer suggestions!

Generally speaking, a more upright position reduces the strain the neck must endure while riding a road bike. Anything you can do to raise your handlebar will likely help.

A 70mm stem is extremely short. I'm wondering if your bike fits you.

Another consideration is poor flexibility. I find stretching the hamstrings helps a lot of cycling pain. The bent over position of cycling puts a lot of strain across the hamstrings, butt and back. By stretching the hamstrings, you can rotate your pelvis forward a little, which will reduce the strain to the low back by helping it maintain its normal curve. This, in turn, allows you to rotate your shoulders and head back, and reduces the strain on your neck.

Do you have a visor on your helmet? A visor will make you lift your head just high enough to cause that pain you talk of. So if it is there try removing it and see what happens

Spent almost a year with intense neck pain while riding. The reason was the tags in my jerseys. Once I cut them out, the pain disappeared. Happened to me 1-2 months ago while wearing a new jersy without cutting the tag first.
Sounds silly, but the pain was so intense I could barely move my head.

As someone else said, unless you are quite small, a 70mm stem suggests an ill-fitting bike. That said, you might be just holding your head in one position too long and are not yet adapted to road riding. Try doing frequent head rolls while riding. Drop your head toward one shoulder, and then pull it up and back around to the other shoulder, then down and back again. I notice that a lot of people ride as though their neck bones were fused, not even being willing to turn their head to scan for traffic (or picturesque scenery). A sure recipe for a stiff neck. Keep things moving and see if that helps, and recognize that it will take some time to adapt to the new position.

If your seat is tilted forward it can cause you to carry more weight on your arms. Also, a seat that is too far forward will cause you to carry more weight on your arms. Either one of these can contribute to neck pain.

Put your bike in a trainer or have someone hold it. Start with your arms on the hoods and bent and then let go. If it is hard to hold your torso there without falling forward, your seat needs to be moved back or the nose of the seat is too low. You should be fairly well ballanced when sitting on the seat. At the point of falling forward but not quite falling forward.

But, like the others have said bars too low for your flexibility is most likely the problem. It takes awhile for the muscles to adapt to an agressive low position, and this is best done gradually.

Help! I am a newbie road biker who really loves this sport but is suffering from intense neck pain while riding.
The bike is a Litespeed Capella that was carefully fitted for me at a local bike shop. The handlebar stem is a 70 mm Bontrager Race Light with a 7-degree angle.
My neck pain starts to kick in after only a few miles and gradually gets worse during long rides. It's in the back of my neck, toward the base.
Until I get more miles behind me, at least, should I switch the stem to one that's more upright? Maybe a 17-degree angle?
Would adding more stem spacers make a difference?
As background, I am a 48-year-old male in pretty good shape. I have run three marathons this year, plus a couple of half marathons, and I am not a wimp when it comes to a little workout pain!
But this neck pain is ruining my riding experience. On rides of more than about 10 miles, I am miserable long before I get to the point where my legs are tired.
My sincere thanks to all of you who take the time to read this and offer suggestions!

Help! I am a newbie road biker who really loves this sport but is suffering from intense neck pain while riding.
The bike is a Litespeed Capella that was carefully fitted for me at a local bike shop. The handlebar stem is a 70 mm Bontrager Race Light with a 7-degree angle.
My neck pain starts to kick in after only a few miles and gradually gets worse during long rides. It's in the back of my neck, toward the base.
Until I get more miles behind me, at least, should I switch the stem to one that's more upright? Maybe a 17-degree angle?
Would adding more stem spacers make a difference?
As background, I am a 48-year-old male in pretty good shape. I have run three marathons this year, plus a couple of half marathons, and I am not a wimp when it comes to a little workout pain!
But this neck pain is ruining my riding experience. On rides of more than about 10 miles, I am miserable long before I get to the point where my legs are tired.
My sincere thanks to all of you who take the time to read this and offer suggestions!

I had exactly the same problem when I switched to a shorter stem on my bike, even though it was only 2 cm shorter. I put on the original stem and the problem was solved. See if your LBS can help you find your optimal fit or bike size, you can find general (but good) bike fit guidance in http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/Secure/Fitting/Height.asp

Hope that helps.

Many, many thanks to bsdc, gtscottie, Erik, Kerry Irons, bimini, 1-2 win, and everyone else who responded to my question and offered great suggestions! I have made some stem spacer and angle adjustments, and my neck pain seems to be going away. Thanks again, everyone.