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"Riding a bicycle will be a lot easier for you if you know how to pedal," says Gabe Mirkin, M.D.. Huh? Isn't pedaling the same thing as riding a bicycle? Not quite. Sure, even an incorrect pedaling method will get you moving but it won't be smooth or efficient until you make your pedaling smooth and efficient. With the right stroke, you can churn out the same amount of power at a heart rate as many as five beats per minute lower. For starters, Dr. Mirkin suggests you pedal with the ball of your foot, not your arch. "The ankle is the fulcrum for the force you generate with your feet," he explains. Since the ball of the foot is further from the ankle than the arch, you'll generate more force with this approach.
However, since this is the Internet, I'll reduce the whole process down to an easily digestible list of five numbered items--courtesy of Todd Carver, biomechanist at Colorado's Boulder Center for Sports Medicine:
1. Leg Alignment and Saddle Position
Viewed from the front, your hip, knee and ankle should line up throughout the pedal stroke. As for seating, Carver says: "If your saddle is too high, you're not going to be able to drive your heel effectively. If it's too low, you'll have knee pain." The right position: knee over the ball of your foot with the pedal at 3 o'clock; knee slightly bent with the pedal at 6 o'clock.
2. Zone 1
Carver calls the portion of the pedal stroke from 12 o'clock to about 5 o'clock the power phase because it is the period of greatest muscle activity. The key to accessing the large muscles in the back of your leg, he says, is dropping your heel as you come over the top of the stroke.
3. Zone 2
This phase acts as a transition to the backstroke. "As you enter Zone 2, think about firing the calf muscles to point your toe," Carver says. In the words of Greg LeMond: "Act like you're scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe."
4. Zone 3
The upstroke is where cyclists of all levels tend to lose power. Carver suggests mountain biking. "The terrain keeps you honest," he says. "If you're focusing only on the downstroke, you'll lose traction and fall off your bike in steep sections."
5. Zone 4
The second half of the upstroke phase is where you should be already thinking about initiating your downstroke. "Many riders don't initiate early enough," says Carver, who often sees riders wait until 3 o'clock--but they should be starting before 12 o'clock. A tip: As you begin to come across the top of the stroke, think about pushing your knee forward, toward the bar.
