Pedal Rotation

Today was a tough day in the saddle. I left home early this morning with a plan to avoid the rain, a forecast projected by The Weather Channel. 30 minutes in I realized that I was riding in a storm with strong winds and cold drizzle. I had a plan of 5 hours of pedaling so get comfortable with the conditions. It was a classic spring morning and these are the rides that make riders hard. 3 hours into the ride I joined a group of experienced riders, many who I race against. Each of us worked equally sheltering each other from the wind for enough time to recover to be exposed to the wind again. I noticed that every rider have their strengthes and styles of pedaling.

The pedal rotation is a push-pull effect that enages many muscles through the hips and lower legs. While one side is pushing the other is complimenting that downward motion with an upward pull. I was aware of the foot action through the hard effort that riders in front were doing. I thought to myself what is the difference between riding with your heel high versus lowering your heel in the pedal rotation. The efforts were hard and consistent here was a great time to test this pedal rotation theory. For years I have heard that pedaling with your heel down will increase power. I used my power tap to measure the effort and the effects to watts, heart rate and cadence.

Each time I took a turn at the front in the wind I lifted my heel in the upstroke and then followed through in the down stroke, bringing my heel down to a point where it was level to the ground. Cadence was pegged at 95 rpm. I noticed that when I followed through the pedal rotation my power was up by 10 to 15 watts. My intention was not to increase the speed dramatically because in a group their is an etiquette of pace, we were not racing to jam one another; we all want to get home. I noticed that the strongest and smoothest riders were the ones who followed through in the pedaling action. My biggest surprize was through the rest portion of the echeleon I recovered quickly. I know you are thinking that this is the effect of fitness but I was fatigued from 3 hours of solo effort.

My point to this entry is to experiment with your pedaling style to be aware of foot motion through the pedal rotation. Follwing through the last portion of the push motion will build strength and consequently produced greater speed. On your next ride into the wind and we all know that coming soon pay attention to your pedal technique and keep your cadence consistent. . Cylcing is game that involves the skills of technique, be aware of what you are doing, good luck and ride strong.