Originally Posted by
YWoodman
So...yes, the poor schmuck is trying to jut the bicycle underneath him out in front of him so as to hit the finish line earlier than he otherwise would, if not for the jutting action. This makes it appear as if he is trying to transplant the saddle into his gut. It is, of course, based on the same notion as the track runner who learns his chest forward in order to break the tape a bit sooner than he would without the lean.
Of course, they are NOT AT ALL the same thing. The runner's lean is sensible and works. This is because the finish is, by rule, only official once the athletes chest has crossed the line...and because the chest is a part of the runner's body and that body can be leaned forward, i.e., extended into the future from the waist.
It does NOT, however, work with bicycles. And it is amazing to see these idiots actually trying. See, the bicycle is in motion, just like your automobile...rolling along
There exists no force, attached to the vehicle, than can cause it to jump forward. It cannot extend itself from itself. It can only move faster via moving its wheels faster.
A cyclist can do to nothing to improve his position except pedal. This is as absolute as the soundest laws of physics. Pushing a bicycle forward, while attached to it, is 100% impossible.
That riders so often attempt it is nothing short of displaying their incredible ignorance and unthinking stupidity to everyone. Not to mention the complete morons their coaches, trainers and loved-ones must be to have said nothing sensible enough to them to stop this wholly cartoonish finish-line spectacle. It amounts to nothing more than a fine example of the superstition that drives, still, a great deal of human behavior.
...
The levity lies in the fact that, because they go through a pushing motion, riders only end up pushing themselves backward.
It certainly does work for cyclists, which is why the technique is used in the case of very close finishes. To the extent that the rider pushes himself backward he must by Newton's Law of 'equal and opposite reaction' simultaneously be pushing the bicycle forward. The speed of the center of gravity of the bike+rider will not be changed by this action, but for a very short time the rider can move his own mass backward relative to the bike and so for that moment he moves slower and the bike moves faster. The result is that the front wheel of the bike can cross the finish line just a bit earlier than it would if the rider stayed in his normal position on the bike.
The opposite effect can frequently be observed in a tight paceline when the grade increases and riders stand up on the pedals. Even though they continue to exert at least as much force on the pedals, the riders directly behind will notice that their bike momentarily slows down as they move their mass forward relative to the bike and therefore cause the bike to move backward relative to themselves.