{"id":19712,"date":"2022-12-01T14:24:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T13:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=123283"},"modified":"2022-12-01T15:21:56","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T14:21:56","slug":"how-to-develop-a-smoother-more-efficient-pedal-stroke","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/how-to-develop-a-smoother-more-efficient-pedal-stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"How to develop a smoother, more efficient pedal stroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Nik Cook\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 01 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Pedalling technique is a big debate topic among cycling coaches, with some advocating drill sessions<\/a>, single-leg work and the use of pedalling analysis software. At the other end are those who say just get out, ride your bike and your pedal stroke will look after itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As with most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. If your training time is limited, it\u2019s debatable whether purely technique-focused workouts would be an effective use of your time in terms of performance gains.<\/p>\n

That said, if you\u2019re doing a \u2018recovery session<\/strong><\/a>\u2018, you might as well break up the monotony with some pedalling drills.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really easy though to go down the rabbit hole of pedalling analysis with few gains and even losses. I remember talking to a rider who was proudly showing a screenshot of his \u2018perfect\u2019 pedal scan after having spent weeks working on it. His FTP<\/strong><\/a> had drooped off a cliff though and, when he did try pushing hard, his pedal stroke went back to his previous\u00a0 mash-mode.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, a study of pro-cyclists\u2019 pedal strokes found a real mix of techniques with no single or common \u2018perfect stroke pattern\u2019 emerging \u2013 the only consistent finding was the scary wattage they were producing.<\/p>\n

The two ways to improve your pedal stroke\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From personal experience, there are two really effective \u2018real riding\u2019 ways to improve your pedal stroke.<\/p>\n

Ride a fixed gear<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first is to spend time riding a fixed gear (aka single speed). Whether on the road or the track, it hard wires smooth pedalling, increases your comfort at higher cadences and improves the efficiency<\/strong><\/a> at which the different muscles involved in pedalling switch on and off and ensures they\u2019re not interfering with each other.<\/p>\n

A great fixed-gear pedalling technique session is a recovery spin on rollers<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 if the whir of the rollers sounds constant, your pedal stroke is smooth.<\/p>\n

I tend to do a fair amount of my winter road riding<\/strong><\/a> on a fixed gear.\u00a0Partly due to loving the low maintenance aspect but also because you either tend to be spinning fast or grinding low, developing leg speed and leg strength, both of which force and smoother pedal stroke.<\/p>\n