Two Wheel Blogs

I have been trying something new lately. Over the last couple days I have been adding notes to my journal and thought I would try to transform it to the blog...perhaps you find it interersting.

em•bro•ca•tion [ èmbr? káysh'n ]
noun Definition: lotion: a lotion or liniment that relieves muscle or joint pain

In cycling, you sometimes hear it referred to as Belgian leg warmers. Basically what guys do is rub this stuff on pre ride/race and it keeps their legs warm without using bulky clothing that seems to slow us all down.

How does it work? Well if you look at the ingredients in many common cycling embrocations you will tend to find capsicum (the stuff that makes peppers hot), menthol, or other odd ingredients that would seem to provide a burning sensation. As I understand things, these ingredients when rubbed into the skin, stimulate the nerves and in turn more blood flows to the area (instead of nature’s first reaction to cold which is to constrict vessels in the extremities to keep the core warm).

Some of these things are said to work better when they get wet. I suspect that moisture increases solubility of the ingredients and cause more sorption through the skin. I recently bought a “medium heat” product to try out and figured I would report my findings. This ought to be fun since I know very little about this stuff as applied to cycling. I do know a bit about the human body, so I thought I would provide a little explanation of that is going on when you use this stuff. I am not a doctor, so do not sue me if I get it all wrong!

Now before anyone gets any bright ideas, allow me to point out an obvious danger. This stuff will not actually make you warm! It only redirects blood flow to the areas where it is applied. This is not a big deal if you are generating a fair amount of additional heat through vigorous activities, but if you are sedentary in the cold weather this stuff will act to lower your core temperature. You can get a similar effect by drinking alcohol (booze dilates blood vessels and allows blood to flow to your extremities and your hands will feel warmer at the cost of your vital organs which cool as the cool blood returns to your core…can lead to hypothermia which is bad!). For most cyclists our core gets plenty warm, but the legs often feel “dead” in the cold weather (probably because of this vascular restriction reducing blood flow).

With some disclaimer out of the way, let’s play with the stuff. Before I started typing I rubbed a little onto the back of my hand and immediately noticed the smell but little else. This stuff I bought smells of eucalyptus oil. I thought perhaps it would work better if I rubbed it in really good…it did. I tried some on my arm where more muscle is present and got an even bigger effect but came to the following realization. If I put this stuff on my legs, I am going to have to start shaving again (the hair pulling associated with rubbing this stuff in will suck otherwise). After a bit more time, my hand feels warm and tingly the way it might if I were soaking it in warm water (the blood flow to the area apparently has increased a bit).

So how do you use it? I have researched a bit. This stuff is like saddle sores I guess (people are not really quick to share their experiences with it for some reason). I found some people use about a spoonful per leg and rub it in really good. For added warmth on the coldest days some guys still wear tights over prepped legs. I bought this stuff so I could avoid wearing the tights as often…so that is what I am going to try.

I am going to rub about one teaspoon full into each leg about 15 minutes prior to starting my ride. From the reports I have read, I should require less warm up before my legs are ready to hammer. To me this is the biggest factor in me trying this stuff. I could ride without legwarmers or tights most of the time if I could hop on and hammer straight away. The problem is my legs are cold so I have to warm them up slowly so my muscles do not tighten up and become sore…but when it is cold, I can never warm them up fast enough so I feel cold the whole ride.

Fast forward a couple days….

I have now done a couple test rides with this stuff and have learned a few of the finer details. Yesterday was what I would classify as the ultimate test (mid 20s sleet/snow mix and moderate wind). Basically yesterday was the worst conditions I can see myself riding in before I opt out for indoor activity (the conditions were pretty bad by my standards).

Here is one little gem of a tip! Put on your bibs *before* you apply. Pull the legs of the bibs up, apply, then pull the legs back down. This may stress your leggings a bit, but I have found no way to pull bibs over hot embrocation without getting some on the chamois…you do the math. The first time I used pre ride embrocation, I noticed one specific area getting warmer than any other part of my anatomy…now I put my shorts on first.

When you put this stuff on and rub it in, it feels good. I feels like rubbing oil into your muscles. After a few minutes your legs should start to tingle a bit. I did not notice heat, but an odd tingling sensation. Once I started doing some moderate activity to warm up the muscles, I noticed heat. A small amount of effort results in a feeling like a warm/hot tropical breeze on the muscles producing the effort. Keep that in mind because you may not be using as much of your leg muscles as you think until you stand up and hammer out of the saddle (that seems to get my legs warm all over).

So, as I said, yesterday seemed to be the ultimate test. I rode outside in effort to see what this stuff will allow me to do. The first thing I noticed was that my legs were ready for action before I even got out of the garage. In seconds I was hammering out of the saddle and felt like circulation was at peak. I wore the typical clothing above the waist to stay warm, but below the waist I wore only bibs, wool socks, and shoes with no toe covers (should have worn some shoe covers).

Everything that was exposed (except my legs) was cold! My face was miserable unless I was conducting a very hard effort with a tail wind (headwinds sucked hard). My gloves and shoes were inadequate for the conditions. A few times I was unsure if my legs were cold so I tested with an effort (every time they responded as if they were ready for anything and immediately felt as if I was standing near a fire). The precipitation yesterday was solid (sleet), so there was no additional warmth associated with moisture hitting my legs.

Post ride is what I think I like best about embrocation. The shower is exciting to say the least (think sports rub and hot water). But after the shower, I toss on some sweats and hit the couch for some recovery and enjoy the warmth and what feels to be improved circulation.

I must admit I am enjoying this new found joy. I have even started to use additional sports rub post ride as I enjoy the warmth and speedy recovery my muscles feel when I use it. It does seem silly to ride hard this time of year, but I am really just doing what works. I can ride indoors (in which case I ride easy, and it sort of sucks), or I can burn some match sticks outside and enjoy myself. The way I see it, burnout should be easier to avoid by riding the way I like (outside). But if I am riding outside, I have to go hard to stay warm. It is not all bad.

Oh, the photo? No, obviously those are not my legs. I lifted this photo for use here because when I use embrocation my legs feel like these look (lean, mean, and ready for action).