{"id":160809,"date":"2017-08-10T13:09:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T13:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=160809"},"modified":"2017-08-10T13:09:58","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T13:09:58","slug":"creepiest-cycling-condition-shermers-neck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2017\/08\/10\/creepiest-cycling-condition-shermers-neck\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creepiest Cycling Condition: Shermer\u2019s Neck"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re all susceptible to what our bodies tell us. When there\u2019s a strange pain or sickness, our bodies are hinting at us that there should be something done about it. But what if you can\u2019t quite place the condition you\u2019re experiencing? And more importantly, what if you\u2019re in the middle of a 3,000-mile (4,828 km) nonstop journey at the very moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Paul Danhaus was about 1,000 miles (1,610 km) into\u00a0Race Across America<\/em>\u00a0(RAAM), a rigorous ultra-distance event spanning between Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland, when he felt a strange sensation. While riding the plains of Kansas in the 2009 edition of the race, his neck simply started giving up on him. “I just remember I was having trouble keeping my head up. I was thinking ‘Geez, I must be tired.’ And then it dawned on me.” Danhaus was having a case of Shermer\u2019s Neck.<\/p>\n

Simply put, Shermer\u2019s Neck is a condition where the neck muscles fail from fatigue and can no longer support the head. It is not gradual either; after feeling the first symptoms, the neck will usually stop functioning within two hours. Danhaus\u2019 neck gave him one-hour notice before leaving him with a flopping head with about 2,000 more miles to go in the race.<\/p>\n

\n
\"cycling-cities-worse-health-no-exercise\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Urban cycling<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

Cycling in These Cities Is Worse for Your Health Than No Exercise at All<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

RAAM has quite the history of cyclists affected with this ailment. Nowadays, the winners typically finish the 3,000-mile race in about eight days while getting an average of one hour of sleep a day. What started as a journey of four men in 1982 evolved into an exclusive endurance adventure that attracts hundreds of riders. One of the first four men, who raced the inaugural event from Santa Monica to New York City, was Michael Shermer. He survived the first year without an accident but year \u201983 saw him suddenly unable to hold his head up and he had to prop his head with the palm of his hand to continue riding. And thus the Shermer\u2019s Neck condition was born.<\/p>\n

\"\"
James Hayden fashioned himself a neck support from K-tape. Photo: Camille McMillan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s quite the rare thing to happen but it\u2019s been proven that it affects cyclists riding between 500 and 1,000 miles in nearly a single take, so the participants of races such as RAAM or Paris-Brest-Paris, a famous 1,200K brevet (745 miles) in France, are at greater risk of being ambushed by Shermer\u2019s Neck.<\/p>\n

\n
\"health-concentration-starts-with-breath\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Outdoor\/Mountain<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

Health: Concentration starts with breath<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Although it caused Danhaus some inconvenience, he was determined to see the finish line. Being 60 at the time, making him the oldest 2009 participant, he managed to get his crew to shift his aero bars above his handlebars, cover the tops with toilet paper, and duct tape it into a desirable shape, so he could put his chin onto this DIY brace and keep riding. In his case, there wasn\u2019t any pain involved and he described it as more of a bizarre than crippling condition. Danhaus finished the race in 11 days, 11 hours, and 51 minutes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Quick Google search gives us a few more peculiar solutions to work around the condition. A brace that’s wrapped around the cyclist’s torso, with a metal pole that goes up the cyclist’s back and attaches to the bike helmet. Duct tape braided into hair of a female rider, then attached to her bra or heart-rate monitor. Drug store whiplash neck collars. PVC piping construction strapped to head and back. And many more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re all susceptible to what our bodies tell us. When there\u2019s a strange pain or sickness, our bodies are hinting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":160814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332,328,335],"tags":[1241,583,1242,355],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-160809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","category-outdoor-mountain","category-safety","tag-health","tag-road-cycling","tag-shermers-neck","tag-training"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Creepiest Cycling Condition: Shermer\u2019s Neck - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019re all susceptible to what our bodies tell us. 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