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Cramp

I've been feeling strong in a race, writes James Beaumont, but then, as if struck by lightening, my leg muscles have got muscle cramp. So what causes cramp and what can you do to prevent it?

It can happen to anyone: Brad Wiggins was setting the fastest time in Stage 18 of the 2009 Tour de France only to cramp in the final five kilometres and slip to fourth place.

What is cramp?

A cramp is an involuntary and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. If you haven't experienced it, count yourself lucky. Try clenching your thigh muscles. Then imagine squeezing them so hard it hurts and holding them like that for a minute. Cramp locks up your leg in a painful grip, you certainly can't pedal. Sometimes, you'll get a small cramp where you can soft pedal but if you're racing, the chances are it's game over as you're not going to be able to force the pace much and often this small tension is a sign that you're going to cramp up a lot.

What causes cramp?

Suprisingly, nobody knows as the exact cause has yet to be determined. However, there are lots of hypotheses so when it comes to preventing cramp, using these it is possible to take steps to stop cramp.

How to avoid it:

Since the cause of cramp is not known, there is no single answer. But think about the following:

Hydration
For me, drinking a lot of water can help. Sometimes when I feel cramp coming on I reach for my waterbottle and down it fast. It works, especially on long races. Maybe I don't drink enough during a race and should be drinking more during an event.

Fitness
Cramp can happen because your muscles are too tired. Often this can happen in the early season races when you are not sweating much and lacking fitness. Simply put, you are over exerting yourself and the muscle says it's had enough. As you can appreciate, you'll often push yourself harder in a race than training, so train harder and concentrate on giving your leg muscles a hard workout from time to time. Don't just do short, intensive rides and long steady ones, aim for a good two to three hour ride at warp speed from time to time.

Ergonomics, Part I
Some say it can be because your shoes and cleats are set up wrongly, especially if your calves are getting cramp. Make sure the ball of your foot isn't ahead of the pedal axle.

Ergonomics, Part II
Have you changed anything on your bike, in particular raised the saddle? Or do you train and race on different machines? If yes, then remember that you're asking your muscles to do a slightly different job than they're used to.

Salts
Many swear by salt, saying they're missing the electrolytes they need and so take steps to avoid this. Some say you should be adding table salt (sodium chloride) to your food on the day of a race, even taking salt tablets in a race. Others say try to have a balanced diet, for example eat bananas as they're naturally rich in a range of minerals, not just sodium.

Stretching
Quite a lot of literature says you should stretch your muscles. Do a variety of exercises to stretch all the muscles in your legs and keep this up during the racing season. I found this worked for me but it could always be a coincidence.

Eat
Make sure you eat enough in a race. Some studies point to inadequate glycogen reserves so make sure you keep the energy reserves topped-up.

Gearing
Once cramp has struck, I've had to soft pedal. Indeed, some say you must pedal smoothly to avoid tiring your muscles. However, racing abroad I got cramp and was told by a rider in my group to use a bigger gear. The cramp faded. Find out what works for you.

Quinine
Doctors often prescribe quinine tablets to the elderly as they are prone to getting night cramps. You can take quinine by drinking tonic water which often contains some of this. Let me know if it works for you but taking medicine isn't the way to go.

Stiff upper lip
Oddly, running websites say some swear by pinching the upper lip. Who knows, it may work for you!

Conclusion

Having scoured the internet for an answer, I found there was no magic answer. It's suprising that modern medicine still does not know for sure what causes cramp. For me, I've found drinking a lot, stretching frequently and being on form cuts my chance of cramp. But that could just be coincidence, I think sports science often suffers from big problems with induction. Yet it makes sense to eat and drink plenty in a race and following the measures above won't do you any harm. Let me know what works for you.