BEAT BACK PAIN
At the time of writing, the defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal has just abandoned the race with back pain. I may be twice his age, and barely champion of my own bike shed, but I know how he feels… sort of. Whether it’s a dull ache that sets in towards the end of a ride, the odd twinge getting in and out of the chair at the coffee stop, or a raging sciatica that prevents cycling altogether, many of us have experienced some form of back issue. And the sad truth is, these problems often seem to be brought on – or at least exacerbated – by riding a bike.
You might be frustrated; you might be in pain; but one thing you certainly won’t be is alone. The UK Health & Safety Executive put the number of work days lost to back pain at 2.8 million in 12 months across 2018-19. More seriously, it’s not unreasonable to estimate that the number of bike rides missed runs to seven figures, or at least not far off.
Cyclists seem
