Originally Posted by
smashndash
This means intensely stretching everything, every day. Twist your spine. REALLY stretch your hamstrings, especially after your rides. Do core workouts. Abs, obliques, even lower back. How long can you plank? How many sit-ups can you do? How good are your stabilizers? Can you balance on one leg with your knee at 60ish degrees? If you've done all this, and you think you can handle it, consider making your fit more aggressive to reflect your aggressive fitness. Drop your bars by one or two spacers. Get a saddle that allows for more hip roll. Tilt your saddle ever so slightly forward. Slide your saddle a bit forward (kind of like when you're on the rivet). Reconsider your saddle height. A higher seat means it's easier on your knees but it can mean a slower, less stable pedaling motion, less torque, and less hamstring and glute activation. There can be a huge dropoff with just a few mm too high of a saddle. If you're not feeling sore in your glutes and hams after a hard ride, you're leaving watts on the table.
Again, this is all from my short, personal experience. I would actually appreciate it if people could correct me if I'm wrong on any account because I'm trying to figure this stuff out myself.
I think the more experience you get, the more you can start experimenting with more aggressive positions. Looking at a cat 5 race and looking a p/1/2 race shows a world of difference because it seems like so many Cat 5s sit so bolt upright compared to people that have been training a lot more. So definitely think there's some stuff to be found there, and people usually get to it as they get more experience if performance is their goal.
I don't know about the last sentence, though. Sore glutes and hams and thighs from high exertion when you're new is pretty common. I don't think you should be sore from just going out on an easy ride, though, once you've been riding a while. Over time you'll stop getting sore at all and will just get stiff and fatigued after big days. Pain or soreness from the actual bike fit is something to be avoided. I wouldn't ride in a position that hurts.