HI,
Anybody have any ideas why my legs would get really sore following a hillclimb race..sore in a place that has never bothered me before despite training on the same hill, same bike for weeks preceeding the race? This one really stumps me. (no pun intended)

What got sore was the upper back of my thighs, just about where the crease (if you had one) would be where your cheeks met your thigh. Or about where your legs leave your saddle..I don't think the saddle caused it because I rode the same saddle that I've trained on for a few years and I didn't change anything for the HC. When I finished the race, we descended right away and when I bent over to remove my shoes, I almost couldn't get back upright..Weird! I had to pull myself up the steps into my camper using my arms, too. It felt like new muscles were called into play for just that race..

Never had that happen or even a hint of it...I climbed almost the whole hill seated, standing just a few times for maybe 30 strokes at at time. I climb with a slow mashing cadence, have done now for about a year after trying the fast spin cadence for a couple of seasons. I was sore all day until I finally went out and rode another 30 miles to loosen up.

Why would I be so sore just that one time when I rode the same hill training and racing my pals up maybe 20+ times in the past few months, without a hint of that pain? The hill is about 4000' vert. in 10 miles..took me an hour nine to climb it in the race, training I was doing repeated ascents at nearly that pace..
anybody wanna guess? Almost felt like charlie horses in both legs, but on the back side..
Don Hanson

HI,
Anybody have any ideas why my legs would get really sore following a hillclimb race..sore in a place that has never bothered me before despite training on the same hill, same bike for weeks preceeding the race? This one really stumps me. (no pun intended)

What got sore was the upper back of my thighs, just about where the crease (if you had one) would be where your cheeks met your thigh. Or about where your legs leave your saddle..I don't think the saddle caused it because I rode the same saddle that I've trained on for a few years and I didn't change anything for the HC. When I finished the race, we descended right away and when I bent over to remove my shoes, I almost couldn't get back upright..Weird! I had to pull myself up the steps into my camper using my arms, too. It felt like new muscles were called into play for just that race..

Never had that happen or even a hint of it...I climbed almost the whole hill seated, standing just a few times for maybe 30 strokes at at time. I climb with a slow mashing cadence, have done now for about a year after trying the fast spin cadence for a couple of seasons. I was sore all day until I finally went out and rode another 30 miles to loosen up.

Why would I be so sore just that one time when I rode the same hill training and racing my pals up maybe 20+ times in the past few months, without a hint of that pain? The hill is about 4000' vert. in 10 miles..took me an hour nine to climb it in the race, training I was doing repeated ascents at nearly that pace..
anybody wanna guess? Almost felt like charlie horses in both legs, but on the back side..
Don Hanson

I had something similar and it was saddle too high. I would lower it by ~3mm and see.

I had something similar and it was saddle too high. I would lower it by ~3mm and see.


Interesting..I was thinking it could have something to do with the saddle position. So, I did drop the saddle a mm or two and also brought it forward a mm. a few days after that HC. Seems to be OK to ride there (the newer position) and I haven't had the pain again. Guess I will have to do another uphill time trial, just to make sure..hee hee. I did do a 3000' climbing club ride last weekend, at race pace for me, with some of my training partners being stronger, and I didn't "seize up" like after that race...
Thanks for the input,
Don Hanson

I'm guessing you would have figued out saddle height/position after doing that climb 20x? I mean 4000' in 10 miles is a climb for anyone. If you didn't have it figured out after the first climb I think you'd have noticed?

Anyway, were you standing or siting during the race a lot more than when you were training the hill?

I'm guessing you would have figued out saddle height/position after doing that climb 20x? I mean 4000' in 10 miles is a climb for anyone. If you didn't have it figured out after the first climb I think you'd have noticed?

Anyway, were you standing or siting during the race a lot more than when you were training the hill?

I climb mainly sitting. It surprised me, too, to be so "differently" hurting after all the training rides I'd been doing, up that same pass, without that particular type of pain. I did knock off 4 minutes from my last season's time at the same hillclimb event and my training rides prior to this race were at best, done near last year's pace. Training, I obviously was not 'bearing down' quite as relentlessly as I must have done to take 4 mins off my previous best..I was Zoned going up that climb this time..

I pretty much sat the whole race, standing maybe just 2 or 3 times for very short 'stretches'. I can just watch my HR climb higher when I stand up and maintain the same speed as when I was sitting..or I can stand and maintain my HR, but my speed has to go down to keep from redlining when standing...

I am coming to think my saddle was very slightly too high..I took it down a few cms and it feels ok (now that I've ridden there for a few days)

Don Hanson