CoachingAnswer

HOW DO I STOP NECK PAIN ON LONG RIDES?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

Neck pain on long rides is caused by holding your head in extension for hours — craning upward to see the road from an overly aggressive position. The fix is reducing the amount of forward lean: raise your bars 10–20mm, shorten the stem by 10–15mm, or both. Combine this with deep neck flexor exercises three times a week. Most riders resolve chronic neck pain within four to six weeks of addressing both.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Neck pain is almost always a position problem: too much forward lean forces you to hold your head up at an unnatural angle.
Raising bars 10–20mm is usually the most effective single change.
Deep neck flexor weakness allows the head to crane forward under fatigue — off-bike exercises fix this.
Wearing sunglasses with the correct lens tint for conditions reduces squinting, which contributes to neck muscle tension.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The rider with an aggressive sportive or race position

Pain that builds in the second hour and peaks on descents where you're most stretched out.

The rider who commutes or rides year-round

Constant riding volume without position review accumulates neck strain over months.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Neck pain on long rides is one of the clearest signs that your position is too aggressive for your flexibility. It happens because when you're stretched out low over the bars, your head has to lift further to see the road. For a 30-minute ride that's manageable. For a four-hour sportive it's a compounding problem — the neck extensors fatigue, the muscles at the base of the skull tighten, and the resulting headache or stiffness lasts days.

Phil Burt discussed this directly on the podcast: the hidden cause is often a combination of excessive reach and the body's natural response to fatigue. In the first hour you hold a decent position. By hour three, the torso has dropped, the reach has effectively lengthened, and you're craning even more. The fix starts with raising the bars — not as a compromise on performance, but as a recognition that a position you can hold for four hours is faster than one you can't.

The off-bike piece matters too. Deep neck flexors — the muscles that hold the head in neutral against gravity — are often underdeveloped in cyclists. Chin tucks, wall angels, and low-load endurance work for these muscles takes ten minutes and makes the bike position far more tolerable at hour three and beyond.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Phil BurtFormer Team Sky and British Cycling physiotherapist and bike fitter
Neck pain on the bike is a position problem amplified by muscular fatigue. The structural fix is reducing the demand on the neck extensors by raising bars and reducing reach. The conditioning fix is building the deep cervical flexors that support the head without transferring load to the superficial muscles.
Hear it: Hidden Cause of Back & Neck Pain in Cycling: How to Beat It | RDMN Clips
Daryl FitzgeraldWorld Tour bike fitter at Science to Sport
Neck pain in recreational cyclists is almost always the result of a position borrowed from race cycling that doesn't match the rider's flexibility or core strength. The race position is designed for a conditioned athlete with a specific mobility profile. Amateurs who copy it without that conditioning pay for it with chronic neck and shoulder issues.
Hear it: The 1 Bike Fit Change That Costs Cyclists Watts | Roadman Cycling

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Raise bars by 10–20mm immediately
Add a stem spacer or fit a stem with more rise. A 10mm rise reduces the angle of head extension needed to see the road by several degrees — small on paper, transformative over four hours. Do this before any other change and ride three times to assess.
Add chin tucks and wall angels three times a week
Chin tucks: sitting upright, draw the chin straight back (not down) creating a double chin, hold 5 seconds, repeat 10 times. Wall angels: stand against a wall, arms in W position, slide up to Y while keeping the back of the head touching the wall. Three sets of 10. These take 8 minutes and strengthen the deep cervical flexors that protect the neck on long rides.
Vary your head position deliberately on long rides
Every 20 minutes, briefly look down at your stem for 5–10 seconds to release the held neck extension, then return to neutral. Roll your shoulders backward occasionally. Small movements prevent any one position from loading a single set of muscles for hours.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKEAccepting neck pain as the price of a fast position.
FIXA position you can only hold for 90 minutes is not fast. A pain-free position held for four hours produces better average power.
MISTAKEOnly treating neck pain with massage and stretching.
FIXThese provide temporary relief. The structural cause is position; the conditioning cause is weak neck flexors. Fix both or the pain returns.
MISTAKEIgnoring how helmets and sunglasses affect head angle.
FIXA helmet that sits too low forces the head further back to see clearly. Make sure your helmet is level and your sunglass lenses have enough coverage that you're not squinting — both add to neck tension on long rides.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why does my neck only hurt on descents?

On descents you're fully stretched out in the most aggressive position and holding a fixed head angle for extended periods while scanning the road ahead. Your neck extensors are working at their maximum range with no relief. Raising the bars reduces how far you have to crank the head back even on descents.

Can a different helmet reduce neck pain?

Helmet fit affects head position. A helmet that sits too far forward forces the brim down, making you tilt your head back further to see. Make sure your helmet sits level on your head — if you had a proper fitting when you bought it, recheck that the rear retention hasn't loosened.

Is neck pain worse on gravel or rough roads?

Yes. Vibration from rough surfaces adds constant micro-load to the neck muscles as they work to stabilise the head. Lower tyre pressure, more compliant bar tape, and a position with slightly more elbow bend all help dampen that vibration before it reaches the neck.

Should I see a physio for cycling neck pain?

If pain persists for more than four weeks after position adjustments and conditioning work, yes. A physio can assess whether there's an underlying cervical issue and provide targeted treatment. But address the bike position first — physio without a position fix is managing a symptom.

Does aero position cause neck pain?

A truly aero position — low front end, long reach — creates the greatest neck extension demand. For time trial specialists who ride it for 30–60 minutes, it's manageable. For amateurs riding it for 3–5 hours, it's a recipe for chronic neck strain. Comfort and sustainability over distance will always beat pure aero for most amateur events.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

Hidden Cause of Back & Neck Pain in Cycling: How to Beat It | RDMN Clips

5 Bike Fit Mistakes | Roadman Cycling Podcast

The 1 Bike Fit Change That Costs Cyclists Watts | Roadman Cycling