Or was it?
I'm still a relatively new returnee to cycling having now had a Specialized Sirrus for 15 months after a 25 year break. I slowly upped my times and distances last year before having a break over the winter and am now building up again towards the RideLondon100.
I was out for a ride today and, perhaps for the first time, began to 'feel' the mechanics of the process. What I mean by that, less pretentiously, is that I began to fathom out some techinique that seemed to work better. This is probably cycling 101 stuff but no-one's ever taught me to cycle (not dince the losing stabilisers pase anyway.
The first thing I noticed is that by 'locking' my feet, I got far more efficiency from each revolution. What I mean by that may simply be the effect that one gets from road shoes with a rigid sole - by not bending my foot round the pedal (either heel or toes), the power is transferred more effectively into the pedals. The difference was quite pronounced and produced marked acceleration without applying more effort.
The second thing was by bring my knees further in (and presumably more directly over my knees) I was able to get more power through my legs for what felt like less effort - again it felt more efficient.
So, one of two things happened today:
1, I just discovered something obvious that everyone else already knew!
2. All of the above is just plain nonsense and I was kidding myself!
Hopefully, it's the first and it will help me build my performance on the bike!
I'm still a relatively new returnee to cycling having now had a Specialized Sirrus for 15 months after a 25 year break. I slowly upped my times and distances last year before having a break over the winter and am now building up again towards the RideLondon100.
I was out for a ride today and, perhaps for the first time, began to 'feel' the mechanics of the process. What I mean by that, less pretentiously, is that I began to fathom out some techinique that seemed to work better. This is probably cycling 101 stuff but no-one's ever taught me to cycle (not dince the losing stabilisers pase anyway.
The first thing I noticed is that by 'locking' my feet, I got far more efficiency from each revolution. What I mean by that may simply be the effect that one gets from road shoes with a rigid sole - by not bending my foot round the pedal (either heel or toes), the power is transferred more effectively into the pedals. The difference was quite pronounced and produced marked acceleration without applying more effort.
The second thing was by bring my knees further in (and presumably more directly over my knees) I was able to get more power through my legs for what felt like less effort - again it felt more efficient.
So, one of two things happened today:
1, I just discovered something obvious that everyone else already knew!
2. All of the above is just plain nonsense and I was kidding myself!
Hopefully, it's the first and it will help me build my performance on the bike!