Welcome to the "Keep it Simple Newsletter". With an unbelievable amount of information bombarding us from every direction these days, the goal of this weekly newsletter is to present a simple common sense tip that can be applied to your daily cycling.
Ride safe, strong and be healthy!
Improve your Pedal Stroke
The pedal stroke is one of the most overlooked areas of cycling fit and performance. Cycling is a "supple" sport. It's about a smooth and even pedal stroke that minimizes fatigue and improves your power. Think about how many pedal revolutions take place in just a two hour ride. A supple pedal stroke can help take your cycling performance to another level and eliminate common foot issues like pain and numbness.
Here's how to improve your pedal stroke:
Bike fit is a crucial and first step in acheiving an optimal pedal stroke
Think smooth and even strokes and eliminate any "pounding."
Try not to "bottom" the foot out, but think of the bottom of the pedal stroke as a very light feathering step
Mentally, start your pedal stroke at 11:00 o'clock on the 360 degree circle.
Don't pull up on the back side of the stroke
Relax the overall body and feel the bike, letting it do what it's suppose to do
The tool available to help you improve
You think you have torn meniscus in your knee, but you aren't sure. There is only really one thing to do, you must go to the doctor and get an MRI. The doctor can then make a recommendation for rehabilitation.
The same can be said for your pedal stroke. You may think one side is more dominant than the other, but there is really only one way to find out. Or, your data shows a percentage of left versus right. But what is contributing to that imbalance?
Torque Analysis - A collection of the actual force applied to the pedals at multiple points during the pedal stroke, indicating exactly what measure of force is applied at each point to give an understanding of how balanced the entire pedal stroke is. Utilizing this tool, you get a visual of your unique stroke in real-time, versus guessing.
