It doesn't hurt on the upstroke at all. It hurts on hard grades where I push down hard and slow. I've been in need of a hip replacement for a bout 5 years, but I keep putting ot off. Due to the bad hip, I have to push my knee "outward" at the top of the stroke to avoid hip pain...then inward again as I push down toward the bottom of the stroke. Actually, the riding helps my hip and it is the reason I have been able to avoid replacement so far. I think the pedling grinds off the bad spots?

Anyway, I would say the hip is the cause, but I've been riding 100-120 miles a week with it for the last 5 years and no thigh pain. I would simply take a break for a week or two, but I'm going to ride the Century with my son-in-law (who lives in Utah) and being from California, the elevation always is an obstacle for me so I don't want to have to take a break unless absolutely necessary. I try to keep up with stretching before and after, but, again, the right hip makes it impossible to stretch properly.

I have a 9 degree cleat on my left shoe and a stationary cleat (zero degree) on the right to maintain my hip angle on the right. Like I say, I'd know my hip is the problem, but I've been set up screwy like this for a long time.