- I've got memories of learning to ride a bike
and once I found my balance, being told by my parents
to just pedal, well, that's what a lot of us still think
we need to do, and to a certain extent, we're right.
But there is actually some technique to doing it well.
So we're gonna be breaking down
the pedal stroke and showing you how to pedal like a pro.
(rock music)
For this video, we're gonna presume
you're already cycling clipped-in.
If you are relatively new to cycling with cleats,
then you might still be guilty
of just pushing down on the pedals.
But the advantage of riding clipped-in means
you can make that pedaling circle more continuous.
If you watch the pros, their pedal strokes look smooth
but the power isn't purely on the down phase,
it's also slightly into the back phase.
So you want to imagine your foot coming down
and then scraping backwards.
And also, try and picture lifting your knees.
Realistically, you're not gonna be pulling up,
but it will help you picture that smooth pedaling circle.
You need to avoid stomping on your pedals
as this wastes energy with excess movement
and ends up relying purely on your quad muscles.
So, try and picture drawing a circle with your feet
and then making it a smooth transition
that's seamless from left to right.
(upbeat music)
Having the correct saddle height
is important for efficient pedaling.
Aim to have a knee bend of about 25 to 30 degrees
when your foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
If your saddle's too high, then you're gonna be
compensating by moving your hips too much,
and if it's too low, you're gonna be limiting
the amount of power that you can put out.
When it comes to upper body, you want to remain
as still as you can, whilst importantly,
still being relaxed.
So, engage your core, and this will allow
your legs to work efficiently.
Any excess movement with the upper body
is just gonna be energy wasted.
Talking of saving energy, the same goes for your knees.
Now, they only need to move in one plane,
and that's forwards and backwards, not side to side.
If it helps, imagine having your leg between
two narrow panes of glass, and your knee facing forwards.
You don't want it pointing out, or in,
or moving laterally throughout your pedal stroke.
And if you're not sure if you've got the correct tracking,
try and get someone to film you from the front,
or prop your Turbo in front of a mirror
and you can see for yourself.
And if your knee is in a strange direction,
it could be due to muscle tightness or weakness,
but we'll be covering that in a moment.
If you have access to rollers,
then learning to ride on those
will naturally promote a smooth pedal stroke.
Anything less than that and you are quite likely
to end up on the floor.
But a more realistic option for most of us,
and a safer one, would be the Wattbike
as you can use that to track the shape of your pedal stroke,
and then you can compare your right and your left
and look at the transition from side to side.
And then when you head out onto the road,
if you are fortunate enough to have
a dual-sided power meter, you can compare the power
between your right and your left leg.
And hopefully, they'll be the same.
Heading back onto the safety of indoors
on the Turbo or the Wattbike,
you can do some single leg drills.
Or, if you're feeling confident, take them outside.
Now, the advantage of pedaling with one leg,
it'll naturally force you, and over exaggerate
a smooth pedal stroke, and will help you
to activate the correct muscles.
Another drill is to find a hill,
and drop your cadence right down to around 40 to 50 rpm
and this will identify any dead spots in your pedal stroke
and help you work out what you need to work on.
When it comes to riding out of the saddle,
you're not gonna be able to maintain that
scrapping back action and you are naturally
gonna move your upper body more than when you're sitting,
but still try and focus on keeping that pedal circle
and try to remain as smooth and effortless as you can.
Even if it doesn't feel it, or in my case, even look it.
We see a lot of the pros incorporating over-gearing
and under-gearing efforts in their training
and this helps activate all the muscles
and uses them in different ways and it also
can identify any weak spots in your pedal stroke,
so try and incorporate
both ends of the spectrum in your training.
For example, you can find a long steady hill
and work with over-gearing, aiming for around 60 rpm,
but don't forget to include some under-gearing as well,
maybe in your warm up, working at around 100 rpm.
Now, we have touched on cycling cadence for triathlon
in the past, and I personally like to try and match
my cycling cadence to my running cadence.
That's around 85 rpm, and it's thought that this
will help your transition onto the running.
Try and include the majority of your riding
to be around that rpm.
And on this topic, you obviously need
to be able to change gear smoothly
so it's important to read the road up ahead
to make sure you can continue to pedal smoothly.
(rock music)
There's plenty you can do away from the bike
to improve your pedaling technique
and your efficiency as well.
Let's start with the core.
Having a strong and engaged core
will allow your legs to work much more efficiently,
so try and fit in two to three core sessions a week.
I'm sure you've heard it before,
glute activation is essential.
Now, it's often thought of with running,
but can be overlooked when it comes to cycling,
but if your glutes are a little bit weak,
it can cause your knee to drop in,
and makes your quads do all the work,
so you want to get those glutes firing
with some good, gym-based exercises.
It's important to complement your strengthening
and activation exercises with stretching
and flexibility, especially around the hip area,
because being able to get into the correct position
and feel comfortable so you can hold it
for long periods of time, will make your pedaling smoother,
and as a result, you'll become a more efficient cyclist.
Whoever said riding a bike is simple?
Admittedly, changing your pedaling technique
is gonna require some patience.
Just think about how many revolutions
you would have done with your current style.
That said, a few tweaks here and there
both on and off the bike can dramatically
improve your pedaling efficiency.
Now if you've enjoyed this
and you want to catch more GTN videos,
hit the globe to subscribe.
If you want to see a video when we looked at the optimal
cycling cadence for running off the bike, that's just here.
If you want some ideas for some core exercises
to help your pedaling, that's just here.