10 steps to top technique
Try these tips to boost your on-bike performance
01 Pedal power
● Cleats can be terrifying for new riders, but they actually enhance your safety by preventing your feet slipping off your pedals in wet conditions. Cleats also make it easier to ‘push’ and ‘pull’ your feet around the pedal rotation for enhanced efficiency. Shimano SPDSL, Speedplay and Look are popular road cleats, but make sure you buy the pedals to match. Just push your foot forward and down to clip in, and twist your heel out to release. “Beginners could practise clipping in and out while on the indoor turbo before hitting the road,” suggests Streather.
Most cleats have a small bolt that allows you to adjust the tension to make it easier or harder to rotate or unclip your foot. “Set your cleats to the loosest setting while learning,” advises Streather. Experienced riders should also double-check they’re getting the basics right: “Your cleats should be pointing straight forward and on the ball of your foot, to ensure they are under the most powerful part of your foot,” says Streather.
02 Handle it
● Good balance and bike-handling skills will enable you to avoid obstacles, take tight corners and adjust to changing road surfaces. Road riders can benefit from thinking about what mountain bikers call the ‘cone of movement.’ “This is the available range of motion riders can use to move their weight around the bike,” explains Streather. “It is called a ‘cone’ as your feet are constrained to a small range of movement compared to your upper body and shoulders, forming a ‘cone’ shape.” Practise moving around this ‘cone’ by standing up, tilting your bike to each side, leaning forward and shifting your weight behind your saddle to improve your balance and control.
03 Keep still
● Tackling a steep gradient, a sharp turn or an obstacle requires the subtle body movements described above, but for most of your ride it’s best to keep your upper body still. “Moving your upper body wastes energy and is often caused by pulling too hard on the bars or riding in too high a gear,” says Streather. “So ease up on your gears, increase your cadence, sit deep in the saddle, focus on your legs and keep your upper body still.”
04 Get cornered
● Cornering is a critical road skill for both safety and performance. “Always brake before the corner so you enter at the right speed,” cautions Streather. “Aim for a
“ON GENTLER CLIMBS, YOU CAN STAY SEATED BUT ONCE THE GRADIENT INCREASES, CLIMB OUT OF THE SADDLE” “POINT OUT POTHOLES TO OTHER RIDERS AND SHOUT ‘CAR UP’ OR ‘CAR BACK’ TO ALERT YOUR COMPANIONS TO TRAFFIC”
smooth line, starting from the outer side of the entry point, hug the apex (inside) of the corner, then hit the exit point on the far side. Keep looking at the exit as your bike will go where you are looking.” Keep your inner pedal up and outer one locked down with your weight on it for more stability.
05 Get in gear
Many riders never master the art of good gear selection. Spinning faster in a smaller gear will save more energy than stomping around in a big gear. Most pro riders aim to maintain a cadence of 80-90rpm. “Pedal too slowly and you’ll stomp on the pedals, but pedal too fast and you may not apply power efficiently,” warns coach Phil Paterson (@ coffee ca rb sand carbon ). Doing high-cadence drills – riding 20-min blocks at 100rpm – will encourage you to speed up your cadence over time.
06 On the up
● It is vital to know how to adapt your climbing skills to the terrain. “On gentler climbs, where you might be travelling above 15km/h, aero is still key, so stay seated and keep your body in an aero position,” says Paterson. “Once the gradient increases, and your speed drops, efficiency is more important, so climbing out of the saddle will enable you to use your whole body to generate power.”
07 Silky smooth
● Perfecting your pedal stroke is essential. The secret is to ‘push’ over the top of the stroke for power, and to ‘scrape’ your foot along the bottom of the stroke to maintain momentum. “We apply most force around the 12 o’clock to 7 o’clock position,” says Paterson. Low-cadence drills – riding in a big gear at 60-70rpm – will help you to develop strength, rhythm and control, while single-leg drills on a turbo trainer will teach you to pedal the ‘full circle’.
08 Wheel hugger
● Learning how to follow the wheel of another rider will enable you to save energy by drafting in their slipstream – and to avoid crashes. “Always look ahead so you can anticipate any changes in speed,” says Streather. “And avoid overlapping your front wheel with their rear wheel, so you have space to react.” When you are riding in front, hold a straight line, avoid any erratic changes of direction or speed, and don’t stand up without first switching to a higher gear, or your rear wheel will ‘kick’ back towards the rider behind as you slow down.
09 Rules of the road
● Group-cycling etiquette is a vital skill. Point out potholes to other riders and shout ‘car up’ or ‘car back’ to alert your companions to traffic. It can be helpful to use indoor rollers to practise signalling with one hand or glancing over your shoulder without veering off course.
10 Brake dancer
● As a general rule, lightly feather both brakes to regulate your speed – although the front brake will always be more powerful. But on speedy descents, focus on your front brake and shift your weight back, to avoid your rear wheel slipping. Hitting the drops will also lower your centre of gravity and improve your balance.