Stay injury free this Cycling season: The eight most common Cycling Injuries, what to do about them and how to strike a balance between your body and your bike.
- Sabreen Qureshi-Hitchens
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Cycling is more popular than ever. Many of us are getting back on two wheels for fitness, freedom, and fun. At Active Physio Clinics, our goal is to get you cycling at your best, and to stay free from injury. Our clinical approach combines Body Alignment, Hands-on Physio, Rehabilitation Exercises, Clinical Pilates, and Body-Aligned Bikefit.
The Tour de France and Summer cycling fever is upon us. Now is a great time to talk about the eight most common cycling injuries and what can be done to to prevent them.
Why Cycling is brilliant (but not always easy on the body)
There’s a lot to love about cycling. It’s low-impact, heart-pumping, great for mental focus, and gives you the freedom to explore. Whether you’re training solo, riding with your club, or chasing big goals like an Ironman or endurance race, cycling really does offer something for everyone.
But like all sports, it’s not always completely injury-proof.
One week you’re flying through intervals, the next you’re feeling a twinge every time you push through the pedal stroke.
Sound familiar?
Where Cycling injuries come from
Cycling injuries tend to fall into two categories:
🛑 Sudden Impact Injuries
Crashes, falls, and collisions - things like broken bones, road rash, or concussions.
🔁 Overuse Injuries (The Sneaky Ones)
These are much more common. Niggles and pain creep in over time - often from:
Repetitive movement
Muscle imbalances
Suboptimal bike position
Poor recovery or training load spikes
You don’t have to be a beginner for these to show up. Even experienced cyclists with top-tier gear can find themselves sidelined if something’s off.
A Ferrari on a Ford chassis?
Imagine strapping Ferrari horsepower into a misaligned frame - it’s only a matter of time before something breaks down.
Same goes for your body.
If your Pelvis isn’t stable, your Core isn’t firing, or your Glutes aren’t doing their job, you’re going to leak power, compensate, and eventually pick up an injury.
Our A-B-C Formula for Injury-Free Cycling
At Active Physio Clinics, we use a three-part framework to keep cyclists strong, efficient, and pain-free:
A – Alignment
We start with your body. Posture, foot mechanics, flexibility, leg length, movement control - we assess it all. Then we build a personalised physio plan using Manual Therapy, Clinical Pilates, and Movement-Specific Rehabilitation to get you centred and balanced.
B – Bikefit
Your bike should support your best-aligned self, not compensate your imbalances.
Rather than standalone Bikefits, once we’ve corrected any body alignment issues, we make targeted bike position adjustments as part of your treatment.
We fine-tune your cleat position, saddle height and setback, then assess how your handlebar reach and height interact with your new posture, recommending a stem change as needed.
Body-Aligned Bikefit is our unique approach that blends our deep clinical knowledge with practical bike setup to get you riding at your best.
C – Conditioning
Now that your body is aligned and your bike is set up correctly, we focus on building your strength, control, and resilience. The primary areas to improve are your Core, your Hips and your Muscle Length. Utilising our Clinical Pilates approach, we aim to keep you powerful and injury-free, no matter how many hours you're in the saddle.
The eight most Common Cycling Injuries (and what to do about them)
Our free downloadable guides cover the top cycling injuries we see in clinic. Each one gives you practical advice on:
* Recognising the signs early
* Managing symptoms
* Adjusting your body and bike to prevent future flare-ups
👉 Download your summary here: The eight most common Cycling Injuries and how to avoid them
👇 Click below to download more detailed information:
➡️ Knee pain
➡️ Hip pain
Optimal Loading and Recovery
Your muscles, tendons, and joints are adaptable - but only when they’re loaded correctly and given time to recover.
Ramp up your training too quickly, ignore niggles, or ride with poor alignment, and your muscles can start to fatigue and break down: some are working too hard, and others, not hard enough.That’s when overuse injuries take hold.
The key? Smart training, proper recovery, and a body-bike setup that works with you - not against you.
Don’t wait for Injury to stop you
Like any repetitive sport, cycling comes with its fair share of aches and pains. But most injuries are predictable and preventable. Know what to look for and get the right advice early on.
At Active Physio Clinics we give you that advice and knowledge.
Want to ride Stronger, Smoother, and Pain Free?
Book yourself our Body Alignment with Cycling Assessment. We will place you physically in control of your stronger and more stable body, ready to succeed on your next Cycling goal.
📍 Active Physio Clinics is based in Hove, East Sussex
🏅 33+ years of elite-level physiotherapy experience
💬 Message or call 07801 163512
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