Hi, I was diagnosed in Jan 11 and am now 53. Always been active, training for the London marathon and currently for the London duathlon.

My running has been affected by toe curling and this has been going on pre diagnoses but recently I have noticed I am challenged getting through relatively smal gaps like foot bridges when cycling - this is affecting my overall cycling confidence. Other than that (plus the trembling and writing difficulties) my symptoms are quite mild (luckily!)

Has anyone experienced these cycling problems and if so what are you doing about it?

To be honest I don't know if this is a Parkinson's issue or psychological but would really appreciate any advice.

I have problems getting through small gaps and am less confidant cycling close to others.

Hi,

Difficulty getting through doorways is quite a common experience. Spatial awareness is something to with it but quite how this translates into this particular difficulty is a bit puzzling. I can't reverse park a car with the radio on and this was one of the funny things I noticed prior to dx. There is a school of thought that regards cycling as very good for Parkinsons so keep up the good work.

Best wishes

Hi,
I do a lot of cycling. in fact I am hoping to get a new 'go faster' machine soon!!

I know exactly what you mean about footbridges - I now have to get off and push my bike. I also find it difficult to ride along very narow paths. Weird isn't it. On the whole I wold say that cycling is the easist exercise for me now. I used to do triathlon and still swim but don't run any more. I could but have back trouble.

I am now 63 by he way.
Keep up with the exercise - I am now in mmy 11th year with this this 'visitor' and am convinced exercise is the key to keeping it at bay.

Good luck
Janey

i believe the 'gaps problem' (even more serious when driving) may be related to a loss of flicker and contrast sensitivity. When rapidly moving towards a gap the brain has to calculate the size of the gap from the difference between two 'snapshots' of the environment. If there is less information in each snapshot there is less for the brain to use in its calculations. in particular if there is a longer gap between 'snapshots' there is not enough time to recalculate.
I have experimented with rapid blinking - this forces (or thats the theory!) a new 'snapshot' to be taken. I think it might work when i tried it but i would be interested to know what others think. (no responsibility taken for cycling into trees, streams etc)
i also think the same phenomenon is associated with freezing. has anyone who has freezing tried closing their eyes (thus clearing the snapshot that is in a circular process) and stepping forward? (no responsibility etc etc.)

hi,
i was diagnosed in 2010 with this "unwanted visitor.". I have always loved cycling but I too have realised that for some reason my confidence is low. If a car is behind me i would rather stop the bike and let him pass because i tend to "wobble"as soon as i hear a car coming. My husband does not understand he thinks it is because i dont want to cycle anymore because of the PD but this is not the case. It is good to know that other people are the same I thought maybe it was an age thing aswell (58) but now after reading what other people have written i am sure it is due to my unwanted visitor.

It Is reassuring to hear another people's opinions - it's not just me then.

I am going to try the blinking idea.

Has everyone seen this film called " Ride with Larry" - I found it helpful - google it and have a look. interesting that he uses a recumbent trike.

Hi all,
We posted this on Twitter earlier today. Because of the topic of this thread, I thought you might be interested.

parkinsonsuk: Great interview with former US cyclist Davis Phinney on living with Parkinson's & how cycling impacts his symptoms http://nbcnews.to/OuOdXc

You can find the original message on Twitter here:
http://bit.ly/ObVTYu

Hi, tried blinking idea and it was a success! Still a bit nervous but better than before - thanks for the tip.

your the first person other than myself to try that! glad you didnt run into a tree.

am very pleased it worked