If I had numbness i an extremeity and was concerned, I would probably see a neurologist.

How about another fitting, and another saddle? Were you on the aero bar, horn bar or drop bar most of the time?

Key to know if you were on road bars or aero bars. In either case, there are areas where you can put key nerves under serious pressure. The heel of your hand is a bad area for prolonged pressure which you can get from a long ride on road bars. Those same nerves come through the elbow area and can be put under pressure by certain aerobar armrests/positions. Sometimes subtle changes can relieve the symptoms. The classic thing most folks will tell you if you're riding a standard road bike is to figure out how to reduce the percentage of your body weight being carried by your hands. Sometimes this is as simple as moving the nose of the saddle up a bit. With aerobars, experiment with moving pads forward or back, and consider aftermarket pads like CeeGees that offer more cushion.

I was going to suggest that it's a bit of carpal tunnel or something similar. I assume you've been rolling, flexing, and stretching your wrist...I would be...any direction feel particularly bad? Regardless, if it doesn't feel like it's been getting better since the end of your ride, you might want to have it checked out. That's a pretty long time to have a tingling sensation.

I too was a "1 Day Rider" on Saturday and still have some numbness that concerns me. Although mine is in an area that is far greater importance to me.

I have also delt with hand and feet numbness in the past and in my experience the issue was normally further up the arm and or shoulder than you'd think. I can move around on my bars all I want but the feeling doesn't come back until I actually sit up and ride with no hands. The feeling usually comes back almost instantly. It could be that a muscle that is slightly inflamed could be stressing or compressing a nerve. The problem could be all the way up in your shoulders and neck even. Holding your head up for 10 hours is a lot work for those muscles, especially in the aero position. Hope this helps and keep me posted.

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I am exactly where every decision that I've made and every action that I've taken has put me.

Too much weight on the hands.

Tip up the saddle nose a hair or change how aggressive your position is on the bike. Could be as easy as bringing up the hoods on your bars just a bit too. You will need to play with it.

I got this when I did a bike camp trip on my Surly. I had the pain/numbness in the same area you describe for a week.

Could be injuries such as this.....(yes, its mine)

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

You have ulnar neuropathy. It's caused from putting too much pressure on the ulnar nerve on the outside of your palm. If you've inflamed it good, it'll take a while to go away but should subside eventually. It'll heal more quickly if you let it rest (i.e. not riding), but who's really gonna do that? If it doesn't happen on rides of your normal length, then I wouldn't worry about any long term changes to your position or anything like that. The next time you're going for a longer than normal ride (like another 200 miler), you can take a little pressure off of your hands by flipping your stem up; also, try to move your hand position around alot so you're not putting too much pressure on the ulnar nerve.

Good luck.

EDITED TO ADD: I wouldn't necesarily worry about getting thicker gloves or adding more bar wrap. Sometimes all that extra padding actually exacerbates the pressure on the ulnar nerve.

Matt - numbness is pretty common in endurance cycling. Typically, the nerve supply to the palmar side of the hand is as follows: median nerve (carpal tunnel nerve) thumb, index, long and half of the ring finger. Or, the ulnar nerve which feeds the other half of the ring finger in most of us and the pinkie. Since it sounds like this is a first time for you, and only in the longest of rides, I would consider just watching it or, at most, having enough padding for your palm (gloves and bar tape) changing the position of your hands frequently, shaking out your hands occasionally, that sort of thing. If the problem recurs/persists talk it over with the folks at your LBS before seeking medical assistance.

John

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John H. Post, III, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Charlottesville, VA

I have persistent numbness in both hands, but..

Right hand. I was hit on the wrist with a 14lb sledgehammer when holding a stake in the ground, years ago. Ouch. Turns out I have nerve damage, similar to carpel tunnel. bummer

Left hand. I bruised a bone in my wrist, had a bone graft and arterial transplant. Ouch. Now I have to do pushups using dumb-bells on the floor as I can't ben my wrist past 45 degrees. Bummer

My solutions have evolved to the following.

Gel inserts on my handle bars. (2 layers)
Up to 3 layers of foam cork bar tape
Change hand postions often
Raise my bars slightly, to reduce weight on the hands
Ride often, but less distance each time
Best gel gloves I can find.
Type at my computer less :-)

since you only got it once, on an uber long ride, I wouldn't worry too much. symptoms are probably temporary. If not, see a doctor.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Thanks for the input. My pinky and ring finger are the worse for wear. I believe you are correct. My typical ride is 40-70 miles and this has never happen before. It is scary but I hope it will heal soon. I still have three races left this year and would hate to miss to much time on the bike. I will switch back to my road bike for a while and raise the bars...

Thanks again.

I know the answer: You rode 205 miles.

Seriously, that is like 2 months worth of riding for me.

Mattrad, I see this on a regular basis. Sure it can be CTS and other bs diagnosises, but most commonly it's a slightly misplaced carpal bone and cervical vertebrae. Find a local Chiro that adjusts extremities and uses a specific cervical corrective technique for the neck. Say bye, bye to the numbness!

That seems a bit dramatic, probably better to see a bike fit specialist. All that distance on poorly fitted bars is going to leave numb hands neurology most likely not required

Ulnar neuropathy occurs when there is damage to the ulnar nerve. This nerve travels down the arm to the wrist, hand, and ring and little fingers. It passes just under the surface of the skin near the elbow. So, bumping the nerve there causes the pain and tingling of "hitting the funny bone."
change the height of the bars maybe, angle them up maybe, put more weight on your bum and feet.
Good luck, its hard to rest and not ride, but also maybe that...

Imho, describing "other bs diagnosises (sic)" from people who know what they're talking about is at best, disrespectful.
As for these symptoms being caused by cervical vertebrae displacement, I think you need to share the background, to enhance your credibility.

The ulnar nerve damage described (see @tkeru408 post above) is often suffered by those who ride long, and suggestions for avoidance/minimising have been usefully and constructively offered above (several of which I follow).
I'll add considering shifting the saddle back as, counter-intuitively, that reduces the weight taken on one's hands.
Another physical activity is short sessions, lengthening, riding on the turbo no hands yet leaning forward, to exercise and strengthen your core. Then, during long rides, include the intent to keep your hands 'light' on the hoods. Spend time on the drops.
A ride with poorer road surfaces creates more vibration and more likely to cause this damage. A wider tyre on the front is a sensible measure.

I average at least one 1000km plus ride each year (eg LEL, PBP) and have never managed completely to avoid this (left hand (ring and little finger) more liable to suffer than right - maybe the right is being used more for mechanical gear shifts). I'm always OK up to 400km.
For the OP, the nerve damage you've suffered takes a long time to grow back. After an August long ride (and you're not going to let finger numbness from stopping you complete a ride), I'm normally OK by Christmas. Patience.

I had terrible hand numbness. The other week I used an old bike with a bar (Deda 215) with more reach and drop The shifters are set up a few mm above the horizonal bottom.

My hands didn't go numb using these bars....