Cycling Technique

90 minute workout on the bike. The legs were tired still from the half marathon two days ago so it was a good opportunity to see if the recent technique changes would help out. They did! The leg muscles didn't get tired even though I reduced my recent best time for the circuit by over 3 minutes. The key is in how the femur is used as a lever to transmit power directly from the core. First thing was to have raised the saddle slightly again - this seems to make the mechanics even more efficient. It's probably the real reason for choosing the "toes down" way to pedal.

For anyone following the cycling updates this should be easy to understand. The pulling backwards of the hip during the initial push on the pedal gets the body aligned and primes the core muscles. Once this is all in place then the femur is rammed forwards and downwards like a piston - with the hip moving forwards and downwards and a rotation of the lumbar spine. The forwards action of the hip continues through the subsequent pulling up on the pedal - and the priming of the other side ready to fire in turn. I worked my hardest yet this year up the Granier climb even though my legs were sore and tired from running - but there was no giving in by the muscles and the time was the fastest so far this year - still a few minutes off my best ever but surprisingly good considering the situation - and without real tiredness at the top. The feeling is great and when done smoothly it really does feel like backwards pedaling with the hips. The motion is very strong, smooth and connected through the core. When the timing is slightly off you don't get this connection. There was no back pain or any other sign of strain because everything was aligned with the initial pulling backwards of the hip and then the core muscles were engaged for the effort coming through the centre - it isn't a rolling the whole body from side to side. 

This afternoon I watched Victoria Pendleton take her sixth Worlds title live on internet TV. When she put on the power it was blatantly clear that it was the upper body driving everything. She had much more motion of the upper body than anyone else around - incredibly dynamic with a big rotation of the spine and all the core muscles working.