Originally Posted by
topflightpro
Going back to the first page, Brian and Campag were both correct.
The glutes are the most powerful muscle in the legs, and as such offer the most potential force. But, many people do not actively engage their glutes, and it takes effort for most people to learn how to maximize their glute usage in a pedal stroke. Hence, they end up relying predominantly on their quads, which are not as powerful.
The key is to learn how to maximize the use of glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors AND quads. Glutes push the pedal down, hamstrings pull the pedal back, hip flexors pull the pedal up, quads push the pedal over the top. This is why one-legged drills are so important.
This. The OP reports leg burn. Bet it's just a quad burn. Activate all the pedaling muscles.
An odd addendum to all the above discussion . . . I am also a believer in specificity. However my wife and I just did a 10-day unsupported backpack in the Cascades, came back, rested for two days, then went on a 50 mile group ride and set 6 PRs on Strava segments on our tandem. Totally did not expect that. Strava showed about a 20 watt increase in team power.