Originally Posted by
CTAC
Muscle works like a spring. It pushes pedal down and pushes body up. Have you heard about Newton laws? If force is greater than the body weight you are just bouncing up. Yes, you can compensate for that with your arm holding handlebars tight, but not by much.
As for the Robbie, he is faster *average* moment is greater then yours, not maximum.
A spring functions by kinetic energy only, whereas a muscle functions by transferring chemical energy. There can be an argument made for the muscle elasticity, however.
For your comment about Newton, presumably you are referring to his 3rd law, in which case, if the
sum of the forces applied is greater than weight, the pedal then pushes the rider in the opposite direction in which the rider pushes the pedals in such a manner that the rider rises if the transfer of that energy is not inelastic.