With Rapid Training Coach Dave Hewson
‘Why do I get aches and pains riding on twisty, fun roads?’
Q I HAVE NOTICED that I seem to get aches and pains in my neck and shoulders after riding on twisty roads, but not when I’m cruising along the motorway.
Is this normal? If not, what can I do about it? I ride a BMW R1200GS, so I don’t imagine it’s the bike’s fault.
Norman Kelner, email
A FIRSTLY, NO, IT’S definitely not the bike. Secondly, what you describe is normal for a lot of riders, and it can be a serious problem that holds back a lot of people. But you can crack it.
Before we get to that, it’s worth explaining why tension can be such a nightmare on a bike. Those aches and pains are caused by hours of muscle tension in your shoulders, neck and arms, and this seriously impacts steering. If you’re tense, you can’t make the firm, swift input to the ’bars that’s needed to initiate the turn. Meanwhile, tension in your neck will hinder you looking through sharper corners. Both of these issues are likely to make you more tense because the bike won’t go where you want.
The next problem is that, because you’re clinging on to the ’bars, you can’t let the bike steer around the corner properly. After an initial push on the inside bar, bikes are designed to track smoothly round a bend with no input from the rider, so tense arms and shoulders will trash your bike’s steering. Again, this is likely to make your tension even worse.
Then there’s the fact that being tense is knackering, so you’ll get tired quickly and your concentration will start to fade. Plus, if you’re tense, any bumps you ride over will go straight through you and make your life even more unpleasant.
So, all in all, tension can be a serious problem. To fix it, you first need to work out why you’re tense. For example, does it feel like you’re constantly approaching corners uncomfortably fast? If so, th
