@Pizzagirl, why not do an experiment? Put soap at the foot of the bed without telling him and then keep track of whether he continues to get cramps! 
I am a cyclist and when I enter organized, long-distanced rides, it never fails: around Mile 50 or so, I get severe leg cramps and have to stop riding until they go away. It’s a pain worse than child labor & I’ve done that twice!! I’ve tried hydrating more, slurping mustard packets (many cyclists and runners carry them in their jersey pockets – the theory is the sodium from mustard helps retain the water you’re drinking), etc., but nothing works. So I’ll try the soap thing – can’t hurt. But I’ll have to just rub soap inside my socks – can’t very well ride around on my road bike with a whole bar of soap in my sock/shoe! Any other suggestions on how to prevent leg cramps? I’ll try anything to avoid that pain – my next big ride is in September & that one will be a total of 62 miles (a metric century).
If it is the aroma of the soap, Calimom, you might want to consider " soap on a rope" and hang it off your bike
http://www.soap-on-a-rope.com/ 
Emergen-C works for me. It’s got loads of vitamin C which is not why I use it, but it also has electrolytes. Cramps for me can be because my electrolytes are out of balance; maybe I need potassium or maybe I need magnesium or maybe it’s something else. I drink the Emergen-C at the pool three times a week and now I rarely have cramps. The soap thing sounds unlikely.
I wonder if drinking a bottle of electrolyte water with dinner might help some people. You can also make it yourself. I think I’ve seen “recipes” for this online before.
@CaliMom0512 what do you use for drinks while biking and are you making sure you hydrate in the days leading up to the long distance rides? That’s just as important if not more so than while riding.
Works for my mom she wears 2 pair of socks with bar soap in between the socks. soap under sheets is not as effective. Make sure your kidneys are fine before taking extra potassium and magnesium.
My H is an avid, intense cyclist and that’s why he gets the cramps. He eats at least 1 banana a day, drinks Gatorade and salts his food. However, the potassium and sodium have a scientific mechanism behind them. There just doesn’t seem any plausible scientific mechanism behind the soap thing.
doschicos – I drink Vitamin Water (Zero version) & always carry two big bottles (as big that will fit on my bike frame) for a 25-30 mile ride. And I start super- hydrating all day, everyday about 3 weeks before a big ride. But maybe that’s still not early enough? I’ve also read that some people just cramp! But I will try the Emergent C Wellspring suggested too. Thx!
Sax – maybe I can get a cycling sponsorship from a Soap-on-a-Rope company! Lol!
CaliMom, try Endurolytes capsules.
http://www.hammernutrition.com
I like them because they do not have any added junky stuff like dyes and sweeteners.
I’ll try them!
@CaliMom0512 I am no athlete but I have a family member that will sometimes bike 100-150 miles in a day. After trying several products, his favorite is Nuun tablets as they are light and not sugary. http://nuun.com/ I’ve heard good things about hammer mentioned above as well which he has also used. But you are right, some folks are more prone to cramping than others.
For foot cramps I heard you can soak you feet in water with Epsom salt.
The soap at the feet totally works, but you need to karmically balance it with a dead rooster under your pillow. Make sure it was a free range rooster, ideally one that slept beneath a pyramid or a scale model of Stonehenge.
Alternatively, poke the bottom of your foot repeatedly with the blunt end of a pool cue.
Saying the Pledge of Allegiance 5 times widdershins works in a limited number of cases.
The rooster needs to have been dead for at least a week, too.
Count me among the pickle juice fans…I get foot and calf cramps during and after tough workouts and pickle juice cures them immediately…It’s scary how much better it works than anything else I’ve tried. I now order 2.5 oz. "Pickle Juice Shots"by the case from Amazon! It also seems to work as a preventative if used before a workout too.
Doesn’t pickle juice have a lot of sodium in it?
I stopped having them because of their high sodium content.
After years of devastatingly painful nocturnal leg cramps that just destroyed my sleep, I’ve become convinced that the very WORST thing for them is the adrenaline that comes from the panic that sets in when you are faced with an excruciating night of pain. Once the adrenaline starts flowing, you just can’t stop the spasms. I now recognize the earliest signs of twitchy muscles that are the first sign of the cramps and do whatever I can to stay calm and lower my heart rate. If they still do start up, I very slowly and calmly get up and walk (not stomp) around and use mindfulness techniques to stay in the moment and just trying to observe the pain instead of letting my mind jump to how the whole night is going to be wrecked. Once I get the first round to clear temporarily, I then calmly pile a giant pile of pillows and have my legs as vertical as possible and try not to move an inch and try to remain in the moment, observing the twitches and minor spasms without letting my mind say, “Oh my god, another round is starting.” When it comes to leg cramps, anxiety is enemy no. 1.
I think I will start saving those little soaps from hotels in case I need to slip one into my socks.