Glutes (?) sore after hard efforts?

I notice that my glutes (or whatever muscle I’m partial sitting on) feel totally shot immediately after I finish a very hard seated effort (vo2max and above) that takes me near or to my limits. What’s the deal with that? They feel better after spinning lightly for ten minutes or so, but it would mean the end of a race for sure.

Am I pushing too many watts at too low of a cadence? Do I need to stretch more? Or do I need to work them some more to achieve balance? Or is that just how it goes when you go all out?

Have you tried using a foam roller on your glutes? It might be worth a shot. I don’t know what hard efforts have to do with sore glutes, but see if a foam roller helps.

Very hard or maximal?

If it’s truly maximal, ATP/PCR reconstitution for full recovery is around 3 minutes, plus whatever recovery you would expect from a maximum aerobic effort (usually around the duration of the effort), so it’s not surprising it would hurt.

If it’s very hard (i.e. what should be a regularly interval), then there may be something else at play.

as hard as I can possibly go, or close to it (e.g., a short Strava segment, riding with a group WAAAY above my ability level).

I just find it weird that a specific part of my legs hurts so bad compared to the rest of it.

yes, but they don’t really hurt by the time I get home… it’s not so much that they are sore, rather it’s that I can’t pedal hard for a good long while afterwards.