7 ms·

Injuries though, don't disregard them ... Cycling's a lot easier on the joints I guess.

by stef25 5y ago

de_keyboard 5y ago
Injuries are best prevented by slowly ramping up the distance. Many people see rapid progress in cardiovascular fitness but neglect strength work, quickly increase the distance and it results in injury. This is particularly true if you have led a sedentary lifestyle for years and decide to get fit!
sb8244 5y ago
It's certainly easier on the joints, although you're right about injuries. Knee pain regularly takes out professionals. Really important to know when to stop pushing. Lachlan did a full 10-12 hour day in sandals because he was having knee pain starting.
- alisonkisk 5y ago
  Why do sandals help knees?
  - tentboy 5y ago
    normal cycling shoes have a cleat you lock into the pedal with that allow very little movement. sometimes just a few mm of position change is all it takes to relieve a nagging ache and im guessing he found it easier to get comfortable with a shoe he can move around on the pedal. I've stopped mid ride to adjust my cleats just a smidge when i was feeling discomfort. you don't want to mess around with knee pain especially when riding 12 hours a day
    - sb8244 5y ago
      I suspect you're exactly right. I actually wish he would've said why the sandals specifically helped him because my immediate reaction was also, "what?" Here's the article about it that has a picture of his sandal setup: https://cyclingtips.com/2021/06/lachlan-morton-just-rode-two-tour-stages-in-a-day-wearing-sandals/ https://cyclingtips.com/2021/06/lachlan-morton-just-rode-two...
      - vbsteven 5y ago
        In an interview with Sporza he said on day 1 he had knee issues because his cleat slipped. On day 2 he rode through the pain. On day 3 he wore sandals on his trip to a shop and noticed his knee didn’t hurt. So he bought flat pedals and continued on those using the sandals. He also said the shop did not let him buy only the pedals so he bought the whole bike just for the pedals.
    - mikeryan 5y ago
      I have a pair of these SPD/flat pedals on my cross bike (it’s a light cross so I use it on road and even to commute if I need). Nice to be able to switch based on the ride. https://www.rei.com/product/668198/shimano-m324-spd-pedals https://www.rei.com/product/668198/shimano-m324-spd-pedals On my mountain bike I clip in but use a shimano saints pedal that has a wide base so you can distribute weight off the clip a bit.
  - bazzargh 5y ago
    the sandals helped his blisters, but also he switched to flat pedals from clipless. That gives you extra freedom to move your foot to find a comfortable position, which can help with some joint pain. Me, I find saddle height is the biggest influence on my knee pain (too low, patella pain, too high, popliteal pain; my experience is from cycling from here in scotland to Corsica and back touring around france, among other tours. I'm a lot older and slower than Lachlan, tho)
- stef25 5y ago
  Currently I've been "out" for almost a month cause of a few runs I did on a beach (usually I run in the forest). Obviously sand works your muscles in different ways but I didn't expect it to hit me this hard. Super frustrating.
  - sb8244 5y ago
    oof, I remember trying some runs in the sand before and had to stop much sooner than I would've liked. It really worked my calves in a way that I was not used to.
  - Pokepokalypse 5y ago
    You can somewhat mitigate this by running down on the apron, close to the water. (though; I assume maybe that's what you did because running/hiking in dry sand is damn hard).
rday 5y ago
I just finished a ride from outside DC to Pittsburgh over 3 days, ~365 miles(587km). So 10% of Lachlan's ride. I had saddle pain after day 1, so I stood on the pedals more. This quickly became knee pain, due to the extra exertion on my joints. So I transitioned between standing and sitting, and then my shoulders and arms started hurting :) Mark Beaumont[0] has said something along the lines of "fix every problem early". I should have gotten chamois cream instead of standing up. Anyway, all that to say I have no idea how Lachlan could do this without falling apart. Really incredible. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Beaumont_(cyclist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Beaumont_(cyclist)
- throwaway6734 5y ago
  Did you take the C&O to the GAP? If so, very nice work doing that in 3 days! The climb at the start of the GAP is quite a workout
  - rday 5y ago
    I did, and it was! I was short on time. I think stretching to 5 days would be perfect. I missed a lot of really cool towns due to time constraints. But that just means I can do it again and have a totally new experience :)
- de_keyboard 5y ago
  If you are experiencing saddle pain after only one day (even a big day like you did!) of riding, it might be that your ride position needs some tweaking. A smooth pedal stroke will have you bouncing on the saddle less.
- hondo77 5y ago
  You set out to ride 365 miles without chamois cream? Ouchie.
  - zikduruqe 5y ago
    Brooks B17, plain street shorts, no chamois... it is like sitting in your favorite easy chair.
Pokepokalypse 5y ago
>Cycling's a lot easier on the joints I guess. murder on the perineum though.
- hondo77 5y ago
  Not for me anymore: https://www.sellesmp.com/en/pro.html https://www.sellesmp.com/en/pro.html ymmv
- ubermonkey 5y ago
  I get that people think this, but it's really not true. With a good saddle that fits you on a bike that ALSO fits you, and good quality biking shorts (or a good quality bib), perineum pain doesn't really enter into it.
- corny 5y ago
  Takes some practice but very comfortable: https://spongywonder.com/ https://spongywonder.com/

Injuries though, don't disregard them ... Cycling's a lot easier on the joints I guess.

by stef25 5y ago

Injuries though, don't disregard them ... Cycling's a lot easier on the joints I guess.

Injuries are best prevented by slowly ramping up the distance. Many people see rapid progress in cardiovascular fitness but neglect strength work, quickly increase the distance and it results in injury. This is particularly true if you have led a sedentary lifestyle for years and decide to get fit!

sb8244 5y ago

It's certainly easier on the joints, although you're right about injuries. Knee pain regularly takes out professionals. Really important to know when to stop pushing. Lachlan did a full 10-12 hour day in sandals because he was having knee pain starting.

alisonkisk 5y ago
Why do sandals help knees?
- tentboy 5y ago
  normal cycling shoes have a cleat you lock into the pedal with that allow very little movement. sometimes just a few mm of position change is all it takes to relieve a nagging ache and im guessing he found it easier to get comfortable with a shoe he can move around on the pedal. I've stopped mid ride to adjust my cleats just a smidge when i was feeling discomfort. you don't want to mess around with knee pain especially when riding 12 hours a day
  - sb8244 5y ago
    I suspect you're exactly right. I actually wish he would've said why the sandals specifically helped him because my immediate reaction was also, "what?" Here's the article about it that has a picture of his sandal setup: https://cyclingtips.com/2021/06/lachlan-morton-just-rode-two-tour-stages-in-a-day-wearing-sandals/ https://cyclingtips.com/2021/06/lachlan-morton-just-rode-two...
    - vbsteven 5y ago
      In an interview with Sporza he said on day 1 he had knee issues because his cleat slipped. On day 2 he rode through the pain. On day 3 he wore sandals on his trip to a shop and noticed his knee didn’t hurt. So he bought flat pedals and continued on those using the sandals. He also said the shop did not let him buy only the pedals so he bought the whole bike just for the pedals.
  - mikeryan 5y ago
    I have a pair of these SPD/flat pedals on my cross bike (it’s a light cross so I use it on road and even to commute if I need). Nice to be able to switch based on the ride. https://www.rei.com/product/668198/shimano-m324-spd-pedals https://www.rei.com/product/668198/shimano-m324-spd-pedals On my mountain bike I clip in but use a shimano saints pedal that has a wide base so you can distribute weight off the clip a bit.
- bazzargh 5y ago
  the sandals helped his blisters, but also he switched to flat pedals from clipless. That gives you extra freedom to move your foot to find a comfortable position, which can help with some joint pain. Me, I find saddle height is the biggest influence on my knee pain (too low, patella pain, too high, popliteal pain; my experience is from cycling from here in scotland to Corsica and back touring around france, among other tours. I'm a lot older and slower than Lachlan, tho)
stef25 5y ago
Currently I've been "out" for almost a month cause of a few runs I did on a beach (usually I run in the forest). Obviously sand works your muscles in different ways but I didn't expect it to hit me this hard. Super frustrating.
- sb8244 5y ago
  oof, I remember trying some runs in the sand before and had to stop much sooner than I would've liked. It really worked my calves in a way that I was not used to.
- Pokepokalypse 5y ago
  You can somewhat mitigate this by running down on the apron, close to the water. (though; I assume maybe that's what you did because running/hiking in dry sand is damn hard).

rday 5y ago

I just finished a ride from outside DC to Pittsburgh over 3 days, ~365 miles(587km). So 10% of Lachlan's ride. I had saddle pain after day 1, so I stood on the pedals more. This quickly became knee pain, due to the extra exertion on my joints. So I transitioned between standing and sitting, and then my shoulders and arms started hurting :) Mark Beaumont[0] has said something along the lines of "fix every problem early". I should have gotten chamois cream instead of standing up. Anyway, all that to say I have no idea how Lachlan could do this without falling apart. Really incredible. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Beaumont_(cyclist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Beaumont_(cyclist)

throwaway6734 5y ago
Did you take the C&O to the GAP? If so, very nice work doing that in 3 days! The climb at the start of the GAP is quite a workout
- rday 5y ago
  I did, and it was! I was short on time. I think stretching to 5 days would be perfect. I missed a lot of really cool towns due to time constraints. But that just means I can do it again and have a totally new experience :)
de_keyboard 5y ago
If you are experiencing saddle pain after only one day (even a big day like you did!) of riding, it might be that your ride position needs some tweaking. A smooth pedal stroke will have you bouncing on the saddle less.
hondo77 5y ago
You set out to ride 365 miles without chamois cream? Ouchie.
- zikduruqe 5y ago
  Brooks B17, plain street shorts, no chamois... it is like sitting in your favorite easy chair.

Pokepokalypse 5y ago

>Cycling's a lot easier on the joints I guess. murder on the perineum though.

hondo77 5y ago
Not for me anymore: https://www.sellesmp.com/en/pro.html https://www.sellesmp.com/en/pro.html ymmv
ubermonkey 5y ago
I get that people think this, but it's really not true. With a good saddle that fits you on a bike that ALSO fits you, and good quality biking shorts (or a good quality bib), perineum pain doesn't really enter into it.
corny 5y ago
Takes some practice but very comfortable: https://spongywonder.com/ https://spongywonder.com/