Injuries and pains

Long distance biking can be quite hard on your body, so let’s talk about pain!

Neck

In Swedish we say “vulture neck” for the pain you’ll get after long hours of biking with your neck bent backwards. I don’t think there are any simple fixes for this, just take regular breaks, don’t push yourself too hard and take rest days as often as needed. This isn’t much of a problem for me any more. I guess I have a few really pumped up weird muscles in my neck after 10 years of touring.

Wrists and palms

Resting your hand on the handlebar for hours and hours can give you wrist pains, but also pinch nerves in your palms. The wrist pain has never really been much of a problem to me, but pinched nerves can be very painful. The best remedy is to get bike gloves with padding on the palm side. They look funky, but don’t go touring without such gloves. You’d regret it!

Shoulders

Leaning forward against the handlebar for many hours can also give you sore shoulders. Fortunately, this hasn’t been too bad for me. I am unsure if this is a big problem for other people touring on bikes.

Knees

Knee pain always worries me a lot. I’ve had it a few times, and fortunately it can often be fixed by just adjusting your saddle a cm up or down. It seems weird that such a tiny change can make such a big difference, but try it out if your knees hurt! Before you go, take your bike to a professional and have the saddle positioned at the right height for your body. Then put a piece of tape on the saddle post to show how high you should raise it, in case you need to lower it for transport. Another option is to scratch the post with something sharp like a screwdriver, so you can see what the right position is.

Butt

A hurting butt can ruin the most glorious bike trip. It is a good idea to wear in your butt by biking a lot before you go bike touring. Even so you might end up with a lot of pain. But (pun intended) I’ve realized that the pain is often caused by wrinkled underwear. Adjust it properly and the pain just might go away!

Loneliness

Biking long distances is often done alone. My guess is that rarely do you find someone who have the time and means to bike with you the same direction, at roughly the same speed, and who you like. A few times have I met couples touring together, and it strikes me how incredibly lucky they are. But many, if not most, are touring alone.

Some are definitely loners, others are handling some personal tragedy by touring the landscapes of the world and don’t wish to talk to people much, but most of us are quite social and enjoy meeting other touring people, or just people in general. But you’re not going to enjoy touring for long unless you are reasonably comfortable with the fact that you may not have a meaningful conversation with anyone for a full week. It can be pretty lonely, even if you can handle it. It gets worse if you are pushing yourself physically by biking hard for many days without a rest. So don’t. Take a few rest days somewhere nice. Don’t do it in a tiny dead village, it just might make things worse. If you can afford it, stay in a better hotel, perhaps with a spa! That’s a few tricks I’ve used.

You can also download a dating app and see who is out there. I have received some very close friends this way, people with whom I have stayed in touch for over five years! Also, of course, stay in touch with your friends at home! Many are probably a bit worried about you, and yearn for the travel stories you have.

And finally, if your loneliness gets too tough, go home! 

Skin

Saving the most important to the end – biking in warm countries is bliss (writing this at the end of October in Stockholm) but skin cancer is a killer. A pretty close friend of mine died from skin cancer, and it is no doubt something that just might be the end of me too. I take this seriously, apply sun protection SPF 30 or higher in the morning. Scalp, arms, thighs, calves, ears, nose, chins, forehead, neck, lips. I then re-apply in early afternoon when the sun is as most intense. Do not ignore this!!