Get used to doing these really simple and fast stretches and you'll be amazed at how much better you feel; it will help you become a better rider.
Most cyclists put a huge amount of time into training to get stronger. And we tweak our bike positions constantly to make use more aero, more comfortable and more powerful.
We also agonise over the food we eat, as it fuels us for riding and helps us to recover. In a lot of cases, cyclists put life on hold to become better riders.
But one very neglected means of improving, and feeling much better generally, is stretching.
Riding can lead to tighter and shortened hamstrings – simply because when riding we never fully extend our legs.
You can incorporate your bike into stretching while out and about; maybe mid spin during a puncture stop. But stretching post spin at home is best.
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Tighter hamstrings definitely impact our ability to get very low on the bike; our body is simply not flexible enough to allow that few extra degrees of bend we’d need to get low.
And often after hard riding our muscles can feel tight and exhausted.
But building stretching into our training, preferably into our daily routine, can help in all of these areas.
A couple of us at stickybottle regularly do simple routines and we find our legs and lower back instantly feel less tired after a good stretch.
This can make us feel much more relaxed, enabling us get down to recovery a lot more quickly. We’re also convinced it makes us feel better in our lives away from cycling.
There are five simple stretches in the clip below. These are a great place to start.
Stretching video
