At the beginning,when I started cycling,i am the cycle trader,

what I looked forward to most every day was seeing the numbers on the cycling app increase.

I rode 50 kilometers on the weekend and posted it on my wechat post. Next weekend， I rode 80 kilometers and posted it again. Seeing others sharing 100-kilometer routes， my heart started to flutter. I was thinking that next time, I definitely have to exceed this number.

That period was really exciting. I felt that the farther I rode, the stronger I became. The number of kilometers completed was proof of my strength.

At the beginning

One day, the right knee began to ache slightly.

At first, As a cycle trader,

didn’t take it seriously and thought it would get better with just a two-day rest. But as I rode more, the pain got worse. Eventually, even going up and down stairs became uncomfortable. I went to the hospital for an examination, and the doctor diagnosed it as iliotibial band syndrome. In simpler terms, it’s caused by riding too hard and having an incorrect posture, which damaged the knees.

At that moment, I finally realized what I had been doing in the past six months.

The doctor advised me to stop riding for two weeks to allow my injury to heal properly.

During that time, I read a lot of materials,

also chatted with some experienced cyclists who had been riding for many years. Gradually, I came to understand one thing:

When it comes to cycling, quality is always more important than quantity.

Previously, I only paid attention to the mileage. I never bothered to adjust the height of the seat cushion. When the car dealer helped load the car, he casually asked,

“Is this height okay?” I said “Yes”, and that was it – I never changed it again. Later, I learned that even if the height of the seat cushion was just a few centimeters higher or lower,

the force on the knees would be completely different.

The riding posture is also the same. Previously, in order to ride faster,

I always hunched over and exerted force by pedaling hard, thinking that this way I would have more strength. In fact, this way of exerting force is extremely harmful to the knees,

and the more you ride, the more tired you get. The correct riding posture should be to use the core muscles for the force,

and the legs merely transmit the force,

not forcefully pushing against it.

And there’s the cadence. I never paid attention to this data before. I just kept pedaling hard.

Low cadence with heavy gear forces knees to overcome resistance.

If you keep doing this for a long time, it’s no wonder if you don’t end up okay.

When decided to learn

cycle trader, my website:https://www.eastorly.cn

It was only after I had been riding these things for six months that I began to notice them.

Now when I ride my bike, I don’t pay much attention to the mileage anymore.

Before setting off, we will first check the condition of the vehicle, including the seat cushion, handlebars, and tire pressure. Make sure everything is in good order.

While riding, pay attention to maintaining the cadence of pedaling, and try to make your legs move smoothly and lightly instead of pushing down hard.

The most important thing is that I began to learn to listen to my body’s signals.

My knees feel a bit uncomfortable. I’ll stop immediately to adjust my posture or take a rest. If I’m tired, I’ll slow down. I won’t force myself to keep going just to reach a certain number. Sometimes halfway through the ride, I feel my condition is not good, so I’ll turn back and go home. I don’t feel ashamed.

After riding like this for two months, my knee gradually recovered.

Although the distance I could ride each time was not as far as before,

I no longer felt sore all over after riding, and I could continue riding the next day.

What’s even more amazing is that I found myself riding faster than before.

because the posture was correct, the efficiency of exertion increased, and the energy consumption actually decreased.

In the past, when I was focused on the number of kilometers, after riding I felt only tired. Now, after riding, I feel a kind of comfortable and refreshing tiredness.

It’s great to be able to ride 100 kilometers or 200 kilometers,

but this is only possible if your body is well-prepared,

your riding posture is correct, and the settings of your vehicle are appropriate.

If these foundations are not laid solidly,

and one rushes to pursue distance without proper preparation,

sooner or later one will end up paying the same price as I did.