Stretching Before Cycling Still Optional?

QUESTION: I’ve never been much of a stretcher — always figured it didn’t really do anything. But I tweaked a hamstring during a treadmill push at Orange Theory the other week, and now I’m wondering if maybe I should be doing something before I ride. Is it finally time to start stretching, or is that still optional for cyclists? —Louis T.

RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: With a recent hamstring tweak, stretching is definitely not on the menu for you at the moment. A hamstring strain involves some tearing of muscle fibers. Stretching those torn fibers at this point can be like pulling on a frayed rubber band and can interfere with the healing process or even cause further damage. While I am not a medical professional, I understand that it takes an average of 20 days to recover from a pulled hamstring and even after that, there’s a 30% chance of re-injury in the first two months. If you want to ride, start gently with light, easy pedaling to get the blood flowing to your legs before increasing intensity. 

Regarding your larger question about whether you should be stretching before cycling (after the hamstring is healed, of course), the current advice from Road Bike Rider contributors is mixed. Medical doctor and cyclist Gabe Mirkin, who regularly shares his columns with RBR, says plainly “Stretching Doesn’t Deliver.” Citing medical studies, he says stretching 1) does not lengthen muscles, 2) does not prevent sports injuries, 3) does not prevent delayed onset muscle soreness, 4) does not warm up muscles and 5) actually weakens muscles.

The advice about stretching from the late Coach John Hughes, who was a long-time contributor to RBR, is more nuanced. In his column “Why Stretching May Help You,” he points to the word “may” as a qualifier and says that your exercise goals should determine whether you stretch or not. As an example, he refers to an older rider named Jay whose goal is an age-group medal in a time trial. Jay isn’t very flexible, but if he were, he could ride with a flatter back, be more aerodynamic and go faster. So in his case, regular stretching so as to touch his toes might help him achieve a flatter back and thus slip through the air easier and have a chance at the age-group medal.

You can get more perspective on stretching by perusing the many readers’ comments at the end of Dr. Mirkin’s article. Some of the readers testify about specific cases where stretching has helped them. For example, Larry Hedgspeth, 70, says that “by post exercise stretching, I’ve been able to decrease nerve impingement issues related to arthritis. I’ve also noticed that after a ‘hard’ ride, I have less muscular soreness and am less prone to cramping. if I stretch immediately after the ride.”

Reader Bill Wightman says that while “studies have not found it helps much before or after hard exercise. … it is quite important for relaxation, toning and preventing shortening and tightness. I used to get pain in my gluteus maximus muscle near the hip joint when doing TT position. The tight muscles were generating inflammation in the outer muscle covering. Laying on my back and stretching those muscles by pulling my knees to my face fixed that immediately. I still do that as well as stretch every other muscle I can imagine using free form Tai Chi motions mostly from a standing ‘Horse’ position.” 

I was especially interested in the comments from a reader identified only as Winnie. In response to Dr. Mirkin’s claims, she says “It just isn’t that simple. Perhaps the problems here are 1) that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether stretching can improve anything, and 2) perhaps it can help in areas other than improved strength and race results. As I have learned, some people are born with loose, limber bodies, others (including me) more tightly knit frames. In my case, the static stretching involved in yoga and dance classes keeps me far more comfortable all the time (resting, walking, running, cycling, truly any type of movement or rest) than anything else I have found. And yes, I suspect I have tried it all.” 

Winnie goes on to say, “On the other hand, people I know with more limber frames are often hurt by stretching; they do not always have enough strength to support themselves if they are born with the flexibility of a contortionist. And for me, although I agree that static stretching is not a good way to start an activity involving strength, failing to stretch after a hard ride or run is almost sure to leave me leaping out of bed in the night to get rid of the cramps that follow. Finding proper ways to stretch, and to use that invaluable foam roller, have changed my life. I am 68 and move comfortably through long multi-day rides and just about anything else that comes up.” 

My own experience with stretching, which I tried before several rides a few years ago, was that it didn’t add anything to my ride experience, and I eventually discontinued the practice.

That’s probably a good thing. I currently ride often with a man named Rich, who is a few years younger than I am. We start many rides in the early morning hours directly from his house, and I drive there to meet him. When I arrive, Rich, who is a perky morning person who does no pre-ride stretching, is ready to ride and takes off lickety-split almost as soon as I have my bike unloaded and am mounted. It’s often not full light yet when we start, and one morning, after Rich launched, I realized I had forgotten to turn on my tail light. It took me a few seconds to do that, and then it took me the next five minutes to catch up with him. Glad I didn’t have to take time to stretch as well!

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.