By Karyn DuLaney

Biking:

Clinically, I often see bike-related injuries due to falls and crashes. However, sustained time in one position and the repetitive cycling motion can lead to pain in various places such as the knees, back, neck, and wrists. And, of course, the dreaded saddle soreness. A bike fit and adjustments to your bike setup can often alleviate this. Additionally, improved flexibility and muscle strength can help with position-related pain.

The following training tips can help prepare you for some of the AR-specific challenges the bike stage of your next race may entail.

1. Practice with your race pack on, as it may change your overall mechanics and balance on the bike. Subtle differences in weight distribution may impact how you handle obstacles and more challenging singletrack.  Your pack may also change how you distribute your weight on your bike seat, resulting in back or neck pain and saddle soreness. 

2. Know how to pick up and hold your bike for short bike carries. This can be easy to practice during or after a training session.

3.  Put your ego aside, go to that hill you can usually crush, and try pushing your bike instead of riding it. This is great for general strength training and to help prepare you for bike pushes you may encounter on race day (I fondly think of the Shenandoah Epic’s Veech Gap!)   

4. Strengthening your lower back can help you maintain posture and combat fatigue for longer rides, particularly when carrying a pack. My favorites for this are:

• Romanian Deadlifts

• Bent-over rows 

5. Consider a lightweight helmet if you tend to have neck pain while riding. While you still want to invest in safety features like MIPS, lighter helmets decrease pressure and strain on the neck.  Also, practice riding with your headlamp attached to your helmet, as the added weight of this may require additional strength in your neck and periscapular muscles. To strengthen these muscles, try the following exercises:

- Serratus punches (bonus if you do them in a plank position)

- Prone neck retractions 

- Prone T’s and Y’s .