Managing injuries during ultracycling races: Prevention, response, and recovery

Participating in an ultracycling race like BikingMan requires a solid understanding of injury risks and how to anticipate and manage them. Axel Carion and Adeline share their tips to help you prevent injuries, understand their causes, treat them effectively, and continue your adventure safely.

1. Causes of injuries: Understand and anticipate

• Overtraining: The primary cause of injuries in long races is sudden overload that the body hasn’t yet adapted to. Issues such as patellar syndrome or Achilles tendon pain often stem from a rapid increase in effort or intensity.
  To prevent this, follow a slow and steady training progression, gradually increasing workload and intensity to allow your muscles and tendons to strengthen sustainably.
• Bike positioning: Neck and back pain are often caused by improper bike adjustments (e.g., cleat alignment, saddle height). Proper adjustments are essential to reduce strain and ensure optimal comfort.
  Caution: Never change your bike setup just before a race without testing it for several months. Your body needs time to adapt to these changes to prevent discomfort.

2. Preparing with tailored training

• Test your equipment in real conditions: The key to avoiding overuse injuries or irritation is to test your equipment in real-life scenarios. Plan intensive training weekends (“shock weekends”), with two to three consecutive days of riding to test your bike, bib shorts, saddle, and other gear.
  These tests help identify potential discomfort, adjust your setup, and validate your endurance capacity before the race.
• Gradually increase volume: Adapting to ultracycling involves progressively increasing your mileage and elevation gain.
  If your weekly training volume is limited, start with shorter sessions and gradually increase them, especially by incorporating elevation gain to strengthen your muscular and cardiovascular preparation for the race terrain.

3. Responding to injuries: Strategies and recommendations

• Active rest over complete rest: When an injury occurs, complete rest is rarely necessary unless you have a fracture. In most cases, active rest—gentle movement of affected muscles and tendons—is recommended to maintain mobility without worsening the injury.
  For example, with tendinitis, reintroduce gentle movements to gradually strengthen the injured area and stimulate healing. Seek guidance from a professional to ensure proper rehabilitation and avoid complications.
• Listen to your body: Pain and fatigue are the most reliable indicators of your body’s state. If pain persists or you feel unusual fatigue, reduce training intensity to avoid further injury.
  Taking three to four days of rest won’t negatively impact your preparation; on the contrary, it allows your body to recover and regenerate more effectively.

4. Practical tips for physical and mental preparation

• Maintain confidence and motivation: Injuries can be opportunities to better understand your body and adjust your approach.
  By viewing an injury as a lesson in listening to your body and practicing patience, you’ll strengthen your mental and physical preparation for future challenges.
• Plan recovery periods: Recovery is an integral part of ultracycling preparation. Respect your body’s signals and schedule recovery breaks to prevent injuries and optimize progress.

These tips for injury prevention and management in ultracycling, based on Axel and Adeline’s experience, provide a comprehensive approach to optimizing your preparation and minimizing injury risks during long races.

Remember, the key to sustainable success is a gradual approach where listening to your body and adapting are essential to safely achieving your goals.

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