I’m 53 coming on 54, and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis about 9 years ago now. Since that diagnosis I’ve managed to keep at it for almost a decade relatively pain free. OA is a more extreme source of keen pain – one that’s gonna be with you for a very long time, unless you get new knees – but the ways to go about alleviating the annoying and often debilitation pain is just about the same.

Before we get into it, let m,e just say that the best way to take care of an injury is not to get injured in the first place. Yeah yeah whatever – but no, really, stretch before and after rides every time you ride, it helps so much, and either study online about bike fitting, cleat position, how to sit, how to stand how to use the gears properly, and your knees will love ya!

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Let’s start by looking at the most common causes of knee pain: overuse or bike setup issues. 

There are 4 main pain areas:

– Front (anterior): pain under/around the kneecap — common from pedalling stress. 

– Back (posterior): usually from over-extension — often a saddle that’s too high/back. 

– Sides (medial/lateral): often due to bad cleat or foot alignment. 

– Iliotibial (IT) band: tight tissues on the outside of the leg can irritate as the knee bends. 

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Now let’s look at How to Fix & Prevent Cycling Knee Pain:

• Check your bike fit – Adjust saddle height, setback and cleat position so your knee tracks naturally through the pedal stroke, and consider a professional fitting if pain persists. 

• Pedal with smooth technique – Spin at a higher cadence (easier gears ~85–95 rpm) instead of mashing big gears. 

• Warm up & stretch – Light spinning before rides + stretching quads, hamstrings, calves, and IT band helps reduce strain. 

• Strengthen supporting muscles – Work on glutes, hips and core with exercises off the bike to improve knee stability. 

• Roll and massage muscles – Use a foam roller or soft ball on tight quads/hips to release tension. 

• Build up training gradually – Increase distance and intensity slowly to avoid overload.

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Stretch the bod, not your time – I hate stretching, in fact, I kinda dislike sitting in one place form more than. a few minutes unless I’m watching a good film. I once dated a yoga teacher when I was racing and things were not going so well. She told me she’d chatted with her friend who said ‘Well, I mean you’re not very well suited – your job is basically about being still, his is about going as fast as possible.’

I kinda like that.

But anyway, here’s a very easy and short workout you can do in 6-8 minutes. The key to this stuff is to be consistent, really, it’s as simple as thay.

Good luck!