Three
Essential Techniques for Roadies
By Fred
Matheny of www.RoadBikeRider.com
Pro athletes develop simple
techniques that become automatic. A three-point shooter’s follow through or a
golfer’s silky stroke are techniques they’ve honed until they no longer think
about them.
Pro cyclists, too, develop
characteristics that separate how they look on a bike from the rest of us.
It’s not simply a matter of appearance. Unlike golf, when you’re riding, you
can get scuffed up out there. Looking like a pro means safety as well as style.
Want the look? Master these
three techniques and you’ll be on your way.
1. Relax.
Great athletes in any sport let it flow, making impossible moves and extreme
effort look easy. Here’s how to be loose as a goose on the bike:
·
Face Off. If your facial muscles are tight, your whole body follows. Consciously
relax your face and neck. Loosen your jaw muscles. Don’t clench your teeth in
grim-faced determination.
·
No Turtles. Tense riders hunch their shoulders until their ears disappear. Drop
your shoulders and relax the muscles that run from the top of the shoulder to
your neck. Don’t look like a turtle hiding from danger.
·
Get a (Light) Grip. Bend your elbows slightly and relax your forearms and hands. If you
hit a bump or get bumped, loose arms absorb the blow without affecting the
front wheel. You keep your line and stay in control.
2. Pedal Smoothly. It’s
easy to spot the smooth pedal stroke of a pro compared to a novice’s lumpy
plodding. Here’s how to get supple stroke:
·
Practice Slowly. A rapid cadence of 90 to 110 revolutions per minute is efficient and
stylish. But it’s hard for your brain to keep up with your feet going that
fast. Practice at a slower rpm of 60 to 70 so you can concentrate on your
stroke all the way around.
·
Remember Mud. Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond first gave us this tip in
1985, and it’s just as helpful today: When you pull your foot through the
bottom of the stroke, imagine you’re scraping mud off your shoe. This will
help you pull your foot through smoothly with added power. Try it and see how
well it works.
·
Knee the Bar. As your foot comes up and over the top, pull your knee forward like
you want it to touch the handlebar. This adds power to the weakest part of
the stroke.
3. Recover Fast.
Pro riders can do a three-week race and go just as hard on Day 20 as in the
prologue time trial. Here’s how to recover like a stage racer:
·
Pump Fluids. The loss of as little as one percent of body weight as sweat can
compromise your performance. So drink at least one bottle of sports drink
each hour you’re on the bike. After the ride, drink more until your weight is
back to normal. If you aren’t getting up twice each night to urinate, you
aren’t sufficiently hydrated.
·
Replenish Glycogen Supplies. A 150-pound cyclist needs 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrate in the two
hours immediately after riding. An energy bar contains about 40 grams of
carbo, a bagel and banana about 60.
·
Rest. Pros sleep
nine or ten hours a night and often take an afternoon nap after training. We
can’t do that because we have real jobs and the boss would frown. But because
sufficient rest is crucial to recovery, try to fit in at least eight restful
hours of sleep each night and catch a 15-minute “power nap” in the afternoon.
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