Mark's Blog

Dude, track riders have, like, solid tires, single speeds, aerodynamic bikes, no need to brake, shaved legs, and dust-free tracks. If you keep trying those speeds on the road, you'd better shave your legs too. Not to go faster, but to make the road rash easier to clean. Ride safe.

Also, track riders do what I thought was called "spinning" but must be have another name. The technique is to give a extra little push with your foot to the pedal as each foot goes down and if your clips allow it, a little pull as that foot goes up. You are essentially getting a little extra power out of muscles many amateurs doen't think to use when cycling. Some people set their seats a tiny bit higher so that their ankle flexes a few degrees, thereby making that extra muscle power add to leg power instead of relieving it.

Hmm, after a bit more googling, I found what I describe is called "ankling," and it's been discredited, though its benefits remains an urban myth. This includes one data point that says it is dangerous, though I would suggest it is a case of degree. The musles to move your ankle do do work while cycling, and if you build them up slowly, you can probably use them safely up to a certain degree. The links:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_an-z.html#ankling

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/ankling.html

Then again, about.com sanctions the practice of ankling(http://bicycling.about.com/cs/skills/a/pedalpower.htm). Also on about.com is an article about how to pedal (http://bicycling.about.com/cs/skills/a/pedalcircles.htm) that I find interesting. Contrary to the Brandt link above, they seem to imply that your pedal motion is not like your gait and can stand modification and improvement. It's another domain in physiology that I've always wondered about from watching people whom I think hike badly. Do people naturally find the ideal motion (walking, hiking, cycling) for their unique body dimensions (height, bone density, muscle mass, tendon strength), or is there such a thing as a bad motion habit. Do those who seem to perform better have something to teach us that can safely improve our efficiency and output? And after answering that question for the static (as in unchanging) body, what about growing or adapting one's body out of the bad habits and into the seemingly better "configuration" of winning athletes.

Coincidentally, "spinning" is actually a technique where you use gears to always have a high cadence, even on climbs. I've always heard that high cadence avoids putting too much pressure on the knees. The following article explains it physiologically as the contraction of muscles moving blood, requiring your legs muscles to be in sync with your heart rate to avoid micro-backpressures in your veins:

http://www.cobr.co.uk/e-cobr_information/n_and_l_cyclists_section/sections/cadence.shtml

But it also says the ideal rate is 92, which makes me wonder: does the body naturally find the rythms that are mechanically ideal? Do people notice those rythms as "easier" paces or hard-to-break barriers (ie hard to push the body to go inefficient).

In the category "tout et son contraire" the same web-site says 80 is better that 100 for climbing:

http://www.cobr.co.uk/e-cobr_information/n_and_l_cyclists_section/sections/hill_climbing.shtml

If you google "spinning" you will also find it is the trademarked name of stationary bike aerobics that uses high cadences.

I hope this is not all old news to you.

Ankling sounds crazy. When I watched the track races taking place in Bordeaux I didn't see anybody doing anything like that. Perhaps you adjust your ankle angle as your foot goes around, but nothing unnatural as far as I can see.

Spinning, as Sheldon Brown opposes to mashing, it what I was aiming to do. Yet Joe Friel says sprinters typically handle cadences of 140+ smoothly. The article you point to on Pedaling Smooth Circles says:

A serious cyclist should be able to hit 130 rpm, ideally getting closer to 150 rpm (although you may want to start at 110-115).

I'm thus just a little bit more experienced than a beginner. People probably do not each naturally find the ideal pedal stoke or gait for high speeds. I don't think that's due to some failure in the human body, but due to the fact that most people don't train hard. Instead they enjoy just getting out and riding or running, rather than trying to push their limits.

Having tried cadences around 92 but also higher, I'm not convinced that 92 is best for me. I do better with a slightly higher cadence, especially up hill.

Try spinning next time you're out riding hard (as long as you have clipless pedals or toe clips). It's harder to have a smooth round stroke than it sounds. I ought to try the one legged techniques from the article you mention on pedalling in round circles.

Bouncing by the way is something to be avoided both in running and in cycling. When running, try to find a gait in which you're head stays level. You'll use less energy for the same distance and speed once you get used to the idea that your legs and arms need to move, but your trunk and head can stay at about the same distance off the ground. You don't need to lift the latter with each stride.