Alexander Technique to cycling
 

Quiet interesting and definitely applicable to folders seeing how our handleposts tend to flex.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...itness.cycling

Yeah, cool stuff.

My two cents: a proper-fitting bike will greatly help put the back into proper alignment. I disagree about drop bars (and note I don't use them)--you can still maintain a straight back (brought to you by the letter "I") instead of producing spinal flexion (the letter "C" in that article) even in a forward position and not a "begging" position.

I did find the foot stuff interesting. If you are on clipless, the pedal is generally on the balls of the feet, nowhere near the heel. You can drive through the heel to an extent, but not like doing a proper squat in weightlifting.

Opening the backs of the knees is great advice. If you are using the "scraping something off the bottom of my shoe" technique on the backside of the pedal stroke, that kinda happens naturally and you get a full leg stroke instead of a protracted and tight leg stroke. I bet the road forum has loads more info than I can muster from my readings.

Thanks for sharing!

Break like the wind (or is that ride like the wind?)

That's an interesting piece.

HERE is a recent article about posture for the bicycle industry, and a lively discussion about it on ECOVELO

and what's wrong in pics 1 and 2? Rounding of the back. The article points out that in athletes stronger muscles support a rounded back. Even with a forward posture, you can still keep a straight back. The one valid point from the article is neck strain. The rider in # 2 would need to lower his head a little bit to maintain a neutral neck position, which would be fine if s/he didn't need to see the surroundings. Sure, upright is best overall, but when is the last time you saw a Dutch 3-speed in the Tour DeFrance :)