Caring for Your Knees
by Karl Etzel, Silicon Valley Cycling Center
Knee injuries are one of the most common problems experienced by long-distance bike cyclists, which is not surprising given the demands placed on this joint. Here are a few tips to keep your knees healthy and happy in the cooler, wetter months of fall and winter which present extra challenges for this important joint. This assumes that you have the basics like bike & cleat fit figured out, as well as proper cadence & pedaling form.
- Keep your knees covered below 65 degrees. Yeah I know, this is warm enough to go outside in shorts & a T-shirt. Doesn't matter. Knee joints don't get the same blood flow that your muscles get, and they have little to no insulation on them. You'll have time to work on your tan in the summer when it is warmer.
- Use a high quality warming rub on the knee and surrounding muscles to help you stay limber & aid blood flow. Ozone and Hibros are two of our favorite brands.
- In wet racing situations, use a heating oil lieu of leg warmers, which get heavy & wet in the rain (if you are chicken legged like me they also wind up around your ankles). When you see European pro road racers in cold conditions with "bare" legs, they are in fact loaded up with these heating rubs. An easier to find alternative is a thick layer of Vaseline over a coat of Ben-Gay or Icy-Hot, but you should really use this as a fallback. Now your starting to see why shaving your legs is a good idea, aren't you? Having these coatings on your legs will collect a lot of dust & can be messy, but in a racing situation it is well worth the hassle. For day to day training stick with the knee & leg warmers.
- Make sure your cleats are in good condition, as too much wear can cause undesirable foot motion, leading to knee problems. In fact most knee pain starts as a foot or hip problem, and the knee is just where it shows up.
- Take time to stretch periodically on the bike once you get warmed up, and stretch after the ride as well.
Your knees take a lot of strain as a cyclist, and even though cycling is generally a very joint-friendly sport you need to give them the proper TLC.
