-
Thanks for your advice.
I suspect I probably do look out of the top of my eyes. Might this contribute to it? I did wear the race cap but the peak was up most of the time unless the sun was especially bright. Presumably you mention this because with peak down it makes you hinge your neck.
Helmet weighs 280g. I have a helmet light mount but only attach the light when stopped and setting up bivy stuff.
Some exercises were specific to neck, others for overall body strength.
I slept around five hours a night, three on one occasion but I had little or no sleep the night before the race for sone reason!
I have had a bike fit which mainly related to shortening the stem, they didn’t go into reducing the weight my head was holding.
PBoynton-
I suspect I probably do look out of the top of my eyes. Might this contribute to it?
No, it should help, because you can drop your head and still be looking up the road.
Yeah, wearing caps can force you to lift your head up to see further down the road so it can contribute. Same with glasses that force your head up.
280g seems ok. Mine was 350g without a light on it. But I'm a meathead.
Not sure what else you can do other than make your position a bit more upright and maybe see a physio with Schermers experience. Also, consciously relaxing your neck and changing your neck position during the race should help. You want to try and remove the strain on your neck muscles.
hippy
Do you look out the top of your eyes? How much does your helmet weigh (ooh nurse)? Do you wear a cap? Do you use a helmet light?
Sounds like you're doing lots of what I'd try already but there must be something that can do done to sort it.
Were the strength exercises specific to your neck or just overall body strength?
How much were you sleeping? Have you explained your problem to a bike fitter to see if they can work to reduce the weight your neck is holding?