Road Cycling - analyze my pedal stroke

looking at the pic of lance's new bike, and comparing it to a pic of myself in a race on sat, i noticed that my foot position at the top of the pedal stroke looks quite different from Lance's. at the 2 o'clock position of the stroke, my toe is pointing upwards, while Lance's toe is pointing down at the same position.

So I'm surmising that the right way to pedal is to have your toe pointing down most of the time, with your foot reaching horizontal probably only for the 3 o'clock position.

actually, i did explore this "pointed down" method on my saturday race... and i felt my calves flex much more than they usually do while i was doing it. it just didn't feel very natural to me.

so what do you think? is thing something to work on??

lance

The reason the "pointed down" method felt unnatural to you may be because your saddle is way too low to accomodate that pedaling style. If you really are striving for less "ankling" which is where heel drops below the spindle on the downstroke and gets pulled above it on the upstroke (this is what you are doing quite extremely in your pic) then you ought to raise your sadle and perhaps push it back on the seat rails as well.

Although Lance doesn't do much ankling, LeMond did it big time. Just because you pedal differently from Armstrong, doesn't make his method better for you. Different strokes for different folks.

- Maurizio

I agree with Maurizio with the seat height and setback options...I'd also look where your cleats are and see if they can be moved back...(further away from the toes)

Also, it seems in your picture you are almost getting ready to stand as an incline is aproaching? Whereas in Lance's pic he is in the drops pushing a bigger gear on a downhill...which IMO would equate to a slightly different pedal stroke anyway depending on the incline of the road...

Also, Knowing the effort he puts into things...he could be pulling the pedal UP!

hey... check this out!!

http://www.tri-ecoach.com/art13.htm

what they said about seat height. looks like you could maybe bring it up a scooch if you're worried about that heel drop.

<treadjack>
i really just wanted to say how sweet the new postal scheme looks. much better than the last two years, imo. and what's up with his cranks/big ring? is that the '04 dura ace that velonews just previewed? interesting looking...
</threadjack>

actually, i got on my bike today and watched my feet as a pedaled.... and i do pedal with toe pointing down.... i think i dropped the heel in that pic cuz I was about to get off the bike in the transition area so I was slowing down...

or perhaps you were subconsciously lifting your heel b/c you were worried about it??? who knows, but if it's comfortable and seems efficient to you, i wouldn't worry about what it looks like.

Is it just me, or does lance's bike look too small for him in that picture? It looks like he is awful cramped. maybe his seat is low? something doesn't look right in that picture...

I was thinking that, too! But maybe he's just staying low on purpose. Looks REALLY uncomfortable to me. But he's probably going 35 mph or something, so what do I know?

Originally posted by Phatman
Is it just me, or does lance's bike look too small for him in that picture? It looks like he is awful cramped. maybe his seat is low? something doesn't look right in that picture...

not too bad, greg lemond wrote in his book, "you want to ride the smallest possible frame that you are comfortable on, to race" so maybe that is the theory there..

as for pedaling, I found out that for a while I actually had my seat too high which caused me to have pain in my ankle, so forcing yourself to go toe down could actually hurt you rather than help. your best bet is to figure out what your seat height should be and try small adjustments.

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#height

delirious,

I wish you specified what you were doing at the moment on your bike. Where you chasing the pack? Or where you just taking it easy?

The issue of whether you should point your toes down for 'striking' or keep you heels flat 'mashing' is down to two things: 1. where your cleat is positioned relative you your ankle
2. at what cadence you want to go.
These two variables have a direct effect on your pedalling style in the end.

For the first one there is a rule, which stipulates that the shoe cleat should be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the foot in such a manner that the ball of the foot (the metatarsal head) is exactly above the middle of the pedal axle. (Whether the riders subscribe to that is a different matter) But what's important is that this adjustment of the foot stimulates the process of "ankling", which results in a regular cycling pace and an effective position of the pedal in relation to the position of the crank (see the pic below)

When the ball of the foot is placed in front of the pedal axle, the effective leverage from the ankle to the pedal axle is reduced. In that way it is easier to stabilise the foot on the pedal, and it leads to a decreased tension on the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles. Some triathletes and time trial cyclists choose for this option because the increased stability of the foot enables them to shift up into a higher gear. The possibility of achieving higher pedalling frequencies is limited by this adjustment and the ankle pattern is a lot less regular, in particular in the upper and lower positons, because the possibility of deviation in the ankle joint is limited.

When the ball of the foot is placed behind the pedal axle, the effective leverage is enhanced, which makes it more difficult to stabilise the foot on the pedal. The consequence of this position is that the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles are under increased strain in order to be able to maintain sufficient rigidity of the foot. This method is sometimes adopted by track cyclists because it enables them to achieve a higher pedalling frequency. In that way it'd be mighty difficult to do what you see at the picture with Lance you've attached. He must be revving in at 90+ rpm there. When you find yourself pedalling flat it may well mean that you do it unconsciously in order to facilitate the ability of using larger gears over a longer period of time.

The power distribution, or to be more precise, the power tranfer, to the pedal in both the above instances would differ of course.

It goes without saying that the most efficient position ánd the position that leads to the most effective exercise of power do not necessarily have to coincide. Where exactly to find the optimum between the two is still a matter of research and debate. This optimum is likely to vary, depending on the cycling event and the type of cyclist. For cycling competitions lasting more than one day the emphasis tends to be on an efficient position on the bicycle, whereas in time trials the aspect of power is given a higher priority. Cyclists with a relative "slow-twitch" physiology of the muscles will choose for power, while cyclists with a "fast-twitch" muscle physiology are more likely to opt for suppleness and flexibility.

Something similar can also be said about crank length. Longer cranks lead to more power, but decrease the number of pedal rotations per minute.

For the moment the aspect of power maximalisation will remain a matter of trial and error, with biomechanical elements as well as elements of injury prevention and physical straining.


Den Brewers

The cowards have invented the brakes.
We've got to thank the women for the invention of rear mirrors.

Originally posted by Phatman
Is it just me, or does lance's bike look too small for him in that picture? It looks like he is awful cramped. maybe his seat is low? something doesn't look right in that picture...

I could be wrong on this, but I read somewhere (?) that Lance has very long legs for his body.

Also in that picture, it is hard to tell but it looks like the handlebars and stem are elevated, probably to compensate for the rise in seat height. If his legs are too long for his body, and he were to fit his bike by seat tube length, the top tube would be too long.

I also read that Lance's favorite bike is a production-line Trek. This could explain the funky looking setup. This would also counter the retort of, "Wouldn't Trek build him a custom fit bike?"

Me? I suffer from the same feature. I am 5'10" with a 34 1/2" inseam. My seat is jacked up just like Lance. The sad thing is that unless I get a custom ride, I have to fit my bike by top tube length. I have found a couple of frames that work, but bikes like Lemond which have stretched out top tubes are too long for me.

It's that darn compact geometry I'm tellin yah.

Compact, ha! Giant really gave that name to a trend!

deliriou5, go with what's comfortable. I do suggest raising your saddle up a bit (1/2 an inch). I don't subscribe to large changes at one time, especially for multisport athletes. Most people have to get used to that 'aero' position on a bicycle, and that takes time, and plenty of miles. Raise your saddle, get 100 miles in or so, and go from there. Your body has to acclimatize to the new position slowly, as new muscles develop.

I wish you well...

Originally posted by Phatman
Is it just me, or does lance's bike look too small for him in that picture? It looks like he is awful cramped. maybe his seat is low? something doesn't look right in that picture...
i think so too.