Back pain is one of the most common complaints among cyclists, especially those tackling long distances and ultra-endurance events. Dr. Stuart McGill, a leading spinal biomechanics expert, breaks down the specific mechanisms behind cycling-related back pain—from disc bulges to spinal instability—and shares the precise assessment and training strategies needed to build resilience and keep riding strong.
Key Takeaways
- Back pain has multiple pathways: disc bulges (from repetitive spinal flexion) and spinal instability (often from crashes or poor lifting form in the gym) are the two most common issues affecting cyclists.
- Anti-rotation exercises like side planks with rotational taps and bird dogs are more effective than generic core work because they train your spine to resist the twisting forces that leak energy with every pedal stroke.
- The assessment must be individual—bike fit, training load, movement symmetry, and even psychosocial factors all play a role, so cookie-cutter solutions don't work for back pain.
- Endurance training for spinal muscles works best with interval-based holds (10-20 second contractions with complete relaxation between) rather than long time-under-tension, because the capillary bed in muscles clamps down after 3-4% of maximum contraction.
- Extreme endurance events (like Unbound's 12-15 hour efforts) are difficult to train specifically and may only happen once or twice in an athlete's lifetime—focus instead on getting stronger in the 4-, 6-, and 8-hour ranges.
- Poor lifting form in the weight room (rounded-back squats and deadlifts) is often the culprit that turns general cycling discomfort into a serious injury, so technique matters as much as the bike setup itself.
Expert Quotes
"Back pain is only a symptom and there are many many different causes and pathways—in order for us to have a discussion that is consumable by a cyclist they need an assessment to understand what their specific pain pathway or pain mechanism is."
"The cure is to not flex the spine—if you have a disc bulge, you'd shorten the steering stem or move the saddle forward to keep the spine more neutral, but now you've lost the performance enhancement of the full tuck position."
"It's a very difficult thing to train for—I would put endurance in the same category as a world record squat. Someone who's gone to the extreme of what their body can put out in endurance may only have one of those in their body in their life."