Whether you are cycling for fun or plain on competing in a local race you want to make sure you stay injury free. Understandably this choice of cardio can lead to a lot of injuries starting to plague riders.
These injuries can be broken down into two categories:

  1. Overuse injuries – these have a more gradual onset and often a result of the repetitive strain put through different parts of the body.
  2. Traumatic injuries – usually due to a crash or a fall.

It’s important to remember that these types of injury do not only affect the elite athletes competing in the Grand Tours, but even amateur and non-professional cyclists too.

Overuse injuries account for the large percentage of injuries presented to clinicians at Pure Sports Medicine; interestingly these are almost always due to either an incorrect bike set-up and improper training techniques.

So, what can be done to minimise the occurrence of these injuries?

Training Load Awareness

Engaging in sudden spikes in training with volume, intensity, distance or frequency can easily lead to tissues being stressed beyond their capabilities. This normally results in tendons, ligaments or muscles getting stressed, fatigued, inflamed and sore.

By utilizing training apps like Strava, you can help monitor your training stress and performance. This allows you to  consistently push your body and let you know when you are going into the ​red’, or whether you have a good training/​recovery balance.

Having a Bike Fit

Most bike shops we have a qualified bike fitters that can professionally assess your current bike setup. They can assess your current ailments while cycling and adjust the fit for your specific goals, whether it be more comfort or improved performance and efficiency. You’ll be surprised at how much more comfortable and faster you become by having your bike setup perfectly for you.

Get Regular Soft Tissue Therapy

Soft tissue therapy is also a key part of a cyclist’s recovery. Professionals get regular massage therapy after each day’s racing to help with the next day’s effort. It helps to maintain optimal flexibility, and helps to break down scar tissue, as well as improve circulation. Soft tissue treatment during a period of high training load or a lead up to an event has been shown to improve recovery and performance by significant amounts.

If you’ve caught the cycling bug and are looking to improve performance, comfort, and recovery throughout this year,

Contact Us:

To find out how sports medicine can help you reach your athletic goals, contact us at Peak Wellness office to schedule a consultation with someone from our team. Our team is here to meet your sports medicine needs as well as any other wellness services!