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Herniated Discs Are a Common Cycling Injury—Here’s Everything You Need to Know (Bicycling)

Posted: Feb 11, 2026 in In the News

This article originally appeared in Bicycling on February 11, 2026.

Sometimes it happens with a bang, like when former Tour de France pro Marty Jemison was racing Tour of Flanders in the late 1990s. His saddle slipped to be nose up. He thought “no big deal” until one of the steep cobbled climbs, where he was in the saddle cranking out maximum wattage.“And my back just popped,” he says...

You also can protect your spine by doing core-strengthening exercises several times a week. Brodie recommends what are known as the ‘big three’ exercises for spinal stability, developed by renowned back pain expert, Stuart McGill, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. These exercises stiffen the musculature throughout the core in a way that enhances stability in the spine. How to do these exercises: The American Council of Exercise recommends performing three sets for each using a reverse pyramid rep/set scheme. Start with a higher number of repetitions for the first set, then decrease by 2 to 6 reps, then decrease by another 2 to 4 reps on the last set. So you might start with 8-6-4 reps and work your way up to 12-10-8 reps as you get stronger and build endurance. Hold each exercise for no more than 8 to 10 seconds...

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