#1

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#2

I did quite a bit of cycling. 5 RAGBRAI’s (That’s a bike ride across Iowa ~350 miles in 6 days). Also several centurys and a 150.

No knee arthritis. N=1

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#3

Well done! I’ve never heard of these - are they fun? I’m doing century’s in California, but just metric lately.

The History of RAGBRAI – Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa!

In the beginning, when a few friends got together for a casual bike ride across Iowa in 1973, no one imagined that a tradition would be born, let alone that it would become the longest, largest and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world.

Website: https://ragbrai.com

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#4

I got in to cycling after Soccer related MCL grade 3 tear exactly for rehabilitation reasons per ortho recommendations… so that makes sense.

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#5

Yes, it is fun. My kids are going on them now. It was a little better when it was smaller I think, now over 10000 people per day and when they hit the small towns the cell phones don’t work. They get overloaded.

Churches and anybody else put out a spread wherever you are for fund raising and it’s a little high, but not that bad. Friendly. Lots of beer, some say the B in ragbrai is for beer. I was in the best shape of my life after a RAGBRAI. Raced with a local club all summer and lost over and over, went on RAGBRAI and it was a completely different experience.

One of the few things Iowa does.

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#6

Look into the “triple Bypass”. It’s an amazing day of beautiful and hard cycling over 3 mountain passes in Colorado from Evergreen to Vail: 120 miles and 10k feet of climbing. If you are bold you can do the double triple (go back to the beginning the next day). And they treat you very well if you want to take your time: good food, plenty of bathrooms, repair cars, and vans to get you when you just can’t go any further.

Here’s a trip report from my first “triple bypass”. I was very bold and totally not ready.

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#7

I don’t know, Joe. I think the altitude might get me. I would need more than one day extra to acclimate. You know it’s illegal to fly an airplane over 9500 ft for over a half hour without oxygen. 12000 is illegal for any amount of time. It’s because if you’re not used to it, your brain doesn’t work as well. But it might be worth it just for the pictures. Beautiful.

You’ve got me thinking though.

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#8

I have friends who do RAGBRAI yearly. They say it’s a great party but not particularly healthy (lots of eating and drinking, not that big a workout for a decent cyclist).

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#9

It is known for at least 40 years, because that is when I learned it. It keeps moving the knee joints without much stress, flushing the joint surfaces with fluids. And it works! When I cannot walk, because I walked too much or too little, or had to stand for 20 minutes, I ride a bike. Then the pain goes away. And I can ride for 30 km or more without problem, but not stand for half an hour. That is arthritis, a little weird.

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#10

And just to be the devil’s advocate, I think Alex H. missed point (d), which is “reverse causation”, those whose knees have less osteoarthrits cycle more and upon examination have, duh Sherlock, less osteoarthritis than the guys who cycle less because they have more osteoarthrits and upon examination, duh, they have more osteoarthritis. Amazing scientific deduction. Also look up the twin studies from Finland, where reverse causation fully explained the glorious benefits of exercise.

Cycling is great and enjoyable, can be even more enjoyable when combined with social interaction, all very good for the brain, never mind the knees. Those in wheelchairs can watch from the sidelines. And after a full day of such fun, the men can sit down - or stand over - the toilet and calculate the benefit ratio of possible good knees offsetting possible bad prostate cancer. Another day, another article, a real knee slapper, nuance only a distant memory.

#11

Or you could take hyaluronic capsules derived from plants.

https://www.greeniuronic.com/

#12

But you are quite wrong with this one. I, like my father, cycle a lot because we have arthritic knees. I do not think we are alone with this among sufferers of rheumatic conditions.

#13

It is hard to draw solid conclusions from any observational studies. Is exercise good for the knees? Yes, but how much and what kind? Is rest and recovery important? Of course. Blood flow to the knee cartilage is poor even in healthy knees. This is part of the reason that reconstruction is so difficult. Cyclists tell each other to spin rather than mash. They also say to climb a lot of hills to improve, but a certain amount of mashing is involved. Mark Rippetoe’s observed that the hamstring tension protects and stabilizes the knee at the bottom of the squat when done correctly. Cycling can be thought of as thousands of partial squats and this can be hard on an unstable knee. Combining correct squats with a cycling regimen seems ideal.

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#14

Right. I do think that cycling is probably quite healthy for the knees, nonetheless I think that article is poorly reasoned.

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#15

I remember years ago reading about the benefits of cycling for knee OA. For me, I found it made my knee worse, swelling the next day, while at that time I could still jog without issues. So am cautious about survivorship bias for this one.

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#16

That is very strange indeed, @S_LSS ! Cycling is far less stress on the joint than jogging. Is your saddle properly adjusted (high enough, many have it too low) so that the knee fully stretches? I am tall, so at times have to ride a bike where the saddle cannot go all the way up, and then it is also problematic for my knees.

#17

You would think that, but everyone’s anatomy is a little bit different.
Cycling feels harder on my knees than jogging (though I no longer jog) because my knee joints seem to heat up when I cycle. (I still do some stationary cycling.)

#18

I should clarify. When I say riding a bike is good for my knees, I mean spending a day out with my dogs, see whether I find a path I have not gone before. That can go on for 30 km, but is of course different from, say, high intensity cardio on an exercise bike in the uphill setting.

On different anatomy of knees(???), I think technique varies more. Jogging for example can be a careful movement soft on the knees, or one where every step is an impact shock slowly destroying the joint surfaces.

I am curious why you do no longer run but still cycle although you say jogging is better than cycling for your knees?

#19

I also found high rep body weight squats did the same, I think it was related to my knee bending more when cycling than jogging (the stress through the knee was greater the more bent it was). Can’t jog now as the force through the knee is too much.

#20

There is a lot of evidence as to the benefits of 3mg Boron. I would not say it is “anti-aging”, but it seems to help with joints.