For about a year now, I’ve been conducting an unofficial toll of endurance riders. When asked what kind of pain troubles them most, the majority cite muscle soreness. (Joint pain comes in second, followed by exacerbation of chronic injuries or medical conditions.)

There was a time when I could ride 100 miles and get sore, but not…you know, SORE. When I returned to riding longer distances in my mid-40’s, however, I discovered that was no longer the case. 

In fact, I was soooo sore after riding Tevis in 2024 that I took a deep dive into the science of delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. I wanted to know what, if anything, could be done to prevent or treat the condition.

To be clear, I’ve been into fitness and riding way too long to believe that eliminating DOMS altogether is possible. Nothing I’ve ever read — and I’ve read a lot — suggests that is the case.

However, there are a surprising number of strategies we can use to minimize DOMS. The most effective among these fall under the header of prevention, rather than cure. For example, did you know:

• Your nutrition choices and timing during an endurance ride affect how sore you’ll be afterward.
• The type of exercises you focus on to prepare for endurance rides — not just general fitness — make a big difference.
• Many of DOMS’s supposed causes and cures are just myths.
• Most supplements, topicals, and devices don’t help…but some actually do.