Pedal Technique

I found a great article: http://www.coachseiji.com/cyclinghamstringfatigue.html that helped me see what you're supposed to be doing with the pedal stroke. As usual, I cut to the chase by eliminating words like "hamstrings" and "quadriceps" and 'extension' and 'flexion' and so forth for Basta*. In fact, I reduced this whole article for him thusly:

"Most cyclists begin the downstroke too late, the backstroke too late, and actually push on the upstroke. You should begin the downstroke push at 12 o'clock, then pull the foot back starting at 3 o'clock, and pull up starting at 7 o'clock. Pull up with the knee, not the foot. One-legged drills should verify that this creates more equal pressure through all 360⁰."

He got that. I try this myself with my own biking. If I can master this, I will definitely increase my speed from its pathetic 14-15mph. When I really focus on this and do it right, I can see 19-21mph on the flats. Wahoo!

Basta sees his speed increase rapidly and the effort seem less, too. The key is to do it consistently. I can't ride with him because he's faster than me. When we do ride together, I tell him to take off. He does, and he circles back to me now and then. I tell him to focus on push early, pull early, and lift high. I'm excited. Our first baby-step into the wide world of efficient bicycling technique.

*I don't mean to imply here that Basta is stupid. He's not. Far from it, in fact. He's an attorney, which means he went to college for 3 years longer than I did. He passed the bar on the first try. He's smart, insightful, interesting, and fun. He just doesn't have the slightest interest in sports physiology. Fortunately, I do.