[jangdika]

I sometimes experience a headache after intense cycling. Does anyone have a similiar experience and have tips to prevent it?

 

[jon248]

I also have expierienced headaches after intense rides or long races, my cure is to pop two aleve before going for an intense ride. This does wonders for me, but I am unsure of what the cause is (dehydration maybe?) and if anyone has a better solution I'm all ears.

 

[nc-rider]

I think that it has something to do with dehydration and your body's change in chemical balance. Putting out that much effort for an extended period of time releases mass amounts of things into your body, and totally depletes others. Just getting proper liquids and getting some sugars into the system generally helps me out, but it takes about half an hour to work itself out. The Aleve idea seems to be a good one for prevention.

 

[zerordl]

I used to get terrible headaches after races. They kind of felt like the type you get from being out in the sun too long. They completely went away when I started drinking a sports drink (Cytomax) instead of water during and after competitions.

 

[BruceBrown]

I sometimes experience a headache after intense cycling. Does anyone have a similiar experience and have tips to prevent it?

Exercise headaches usually are not serious and quite common. I say usually because, as always, seeing your doctor is always the best advice.

What does the Mayo Clinic say about them?:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-headaches/DS00641

You know exercise is good for you. But did you know that exertion can leave you with a pounding headache?

Headaches triggered by any form of exercise are known as exertional or exercise headaches. Strenuous activities such as running and lifting weights are common culprits.

Exercise headaches have no underlying cause other than exertion. Although annoying, exercise headaches aren't serious. (rest of article at link above...)


Other sources to read about exercise headaches:

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/exercise-induced-headache.html

http://www.achenet.org/articles/83.php

I do, on occasion, get them following hard efforts on the bike or running.

BB

 

[desmo13]

I sometimes do during these onths, riding in the cold and rain, I forget to drink enough water.

 

[Shiva]

Many causes for headaches. My headaches came from the aggressive set up of my handlebars and the length of time riding. It caused my neck and shoulders to knot up which then caused severe headaches.

Solution: better stem angle and riser bars. Then made sure to take frequent brief breaks during the ride to stretch out my neck. Weights helped strengthen my uppper back and neck which helped a lot. I can now do a 2 hour race and not have any headaches.

 

[The_Boy]

Many causes is right. My headaches seem to be prevented (mine occur after my ride) if I restock depleated supplies right after my ride (I use a recovery drink). The use of gels during my ride seems to help also. I plan to do some trial and error testing to narrow it down this spring.

 

[aranya]

For me the same problem. I try to solve it drinking water before, during and after the race. I also take a paracetamol pill after the race.