Preventing cramping if you take a breather.

ProudDUB

Question from a newbie about cramping up, if you take breaks when out for a ride. Went on my longest ever cycle today - 40 kms. Stopped three times for about 15/20 mins each. The first stop was for a browse around my local bike shop, where I was standing up and moving about. Then I had a breather after the hardest 10 km stretch of the ride, with a mixture of moving around and sitting. The last pit stop was a 20 minute break, where I sat in a cafe and had a coffee and a sambo.

I was crippled when I got back on the bike, after the last pit stop. Should I not be sitting down? Should I make sure I am moving about and walking to prevent lactic acid building up? I just drank water. Is there anything I should be doing, eating and/or drinking to prevent cramping up? I'm just starting out. I do eventually hope to be able to go on long, non stop rides, but for now, I don't have the stamina to go flat out.

Daroxtar

I've had a few bad episodes with cramps. Hamstring and Quad simultaneously a few times. Unbelieveably sore and very hard to work out. Usually in colder weather, usually around the 3 hour mark. Can't say for definite what caused them but I probably didn't hydrate properly and overdid it a bit. You need to keep sipping a little fluid even if you don't feel thirsty. You will be losing some through sweat and breathing no matter what the weather is like.
Spinning the lower gears, 90rpm or above as opposed to mashing big gears helps me. On longer spins I try to just keep a nice steady pace a few km/h below my normal 2 hour speed. I flew off at well over 30 km/h for 2 hours in a sportive a while back and ended up doing the last 20 km at about 20km/h because I cramped up so bad. Last 100 I did, I just paced myself at 26-28 and hadn't a bother all the way home.
I used to take breaks when I started doing 50km+ but found myself cramping more shortly afterwards so I tend to stop only briefly now, maybe just a pee stop or to open a snack or take a photo and then continue on. Obviously fitness will determine how far you can go on but the farther you go the fitter you'll get.....

ProudDUB

Yeah, I think the weather may have played a factor, as it was late evening. By the time I set off on the last leg home, it had gotten quite cold. I was by the sea, so I was cycling against a very stiff sea breeze, which didn't help matters. I was going so slowly, I was barely able to keep the bike going forward, never mind warm myself and my muscles up, or even think about alternating speeds & gears.

Lumen

Even when you're fit, leg pain/discomfort after a coffee stop is normal.

You can probably do 40km non-stop if you cycle slower.

Oryx

Just keep cycling, the more you train the less of an issue this will be. I used to cramp on the bike, it was down to a lack of cycling fitness. And maybe dont stop so much, or for as long. Youre letting your muscles cool down.