Pedaling Technique

It may seem strange to many to think that they need to work on their pedaling technique however much research has been done that indicates that most peoples techniques is 'sub-optimal'. The most common error is not applying a constant pressure at all points of the circular pedaling motion and simply applying most of the power on the down stroke. By improving your technique, you'll be able to share the load around a wider variety of muscles.

Try to imagine the pedal stroke as a clock. From 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock try pushing your feet forward as is you are treading on a barrel. At the bottom of the stroke (5 o'clock to 8 o'clock) imagine you are scraping mud off your shoe in a backward motion. From 8 o'clock to 12 o'clock try to concentrate on pulling up with your foot. By improving the above phases of your pedal stroke you will benefit from using a wider variety of muscles during your riding. As your stroke improves the main benefit will be you'll be able to push out the same power level with less overall stress on your muscles.

Spinning / High RPM

The aim of this exercise is to increase the efficiency of you pedaling stroke. They should be performed on a flat road with good conditions (no wind, no rain, minimal traffic, minimal turning). After you are have warmed up for 20 minutes or so slowly bring your cadence up to a speed of 100-120 rpm. Focus on keeping your upper body as still as possible and avoid rocking your hips or bouncing in the saddle. Your gearing should be such that there feels like there is virtually no resistance on the pedals as you push them. Maintain the interval for anything between 1 and 10 minutes and allow yourself 5 minutes of more relaxed pedaling in between intervals.

Single leg intervals

These exercises will help develop both of you legs at a similar rate as they ensure you develop your technique without any natural muscle imbalances that may exist between your legs. These are easiest to perform on a stationary bike in the gym though if you're careful you'll be able to manage these outside by unclipping one foot. Choose a gear that offers quite high resistance and pedal using only one leg for 1 minute intervals, alternating legs with 3-4 minutes rest in between. When pedaling try to focus on moving your foot in a complete circle around the full stroke as opposed to simply pushing on the down stroke.

Fixed Gear Riding

It seems that fixed gear bikes and riding are under going something of a comeback. Increasingly cyclists are opting to spend part of their training time on fixed gear bikes to help develop their pedaling technique. One of the main benefits are that on a fixed gear bike you are unable to free wheel so as long as you are on the bike you are pedaling. Not only does this mean you'll burn more calories but you will definitely improve the efficiency of your pedaling stroke, especially when you are forced to spin at high rpm's while riding downhill.

Big Gear Riding

Riding big gears comes naturally to many cyclists, the most famous example being the pro Jan Ulrich who is famous for being a powerful rider that mashes big gears up mountains. However not all cyclists have the natural power to push big gears for a long period of time without fatigue setting and these types of rider can benefit from introducing big gearing into their training regime. Ideally try to find some relatively flat or slightly uphill road and try to remain seated throughout. Assuming you normally ride at about 75-90 rpm choose a gear that reduces your cadence down to 50rpm. Try to maintain the same speed. Before too long you'll feel your muscles burn. Maintain these effort for 2-3 minutes and allow 5-10 minutes easy spinning in between to recover.