General Fitness

How You Can Improve Your Pedalling Technique: Part 2

by Henry Peacock

This is the second of two articles looking at pedalling technique using the unique force curve (Polar view) on a Wattbike.

Our first article here on Cyclosport, looked at the theory of pedalling technique and introduced the force curve (Polar view) on the Wattbike.

In this article we illustrate some practical aspects using real Wattbike force curves, from sprint and endurance cyclists and triathletes.

The first question we ask in this article is:

How do you know if your pedalling technique is effective?

The simple answer is that generally you don't know. This is where the Wattbike can help.

Let's look at different force curves (Polar views) produced by real cyclists.

This first force curve (Polar view) is a world class sprinter at 150 cadence/1600 W over 200 m. Note the symmetry of each leg both in terms of the angle of peak force (110Â°/110Â°) and balance of each leg (50%/50%)

This next one is the force curve (Polar view) of a world class endurance rider at 90 cadence/400 W during a 4 minute stage of a step test. Note the similarity of shape, angle of peak force (108Â°/106Â°) and leg balance (51%/49%) to that of the sprinter.

If you stand up on the pedals you can see the effect on the force curve (Polar view). Above is the same world class endurance cyclist at 90 cadence/350 W during a 4 minute stage of a step test. When out of the saddle the force curve (Polar view) becomes elongated, the dead spot is greater and angle of peak force lower. Greater force has to be applied at the peak to maintain the power output.

Let's now look at some of the force curves (Polar views) we are seeing from established riders. 'Knowing what to do' is different to 'knowing whether you are doing it'.

This first one is a female triathlete - 80 cadence/100 W, angle of peak force unbalanced at 113Â°/128Â°. The shape is what we call a 'figure of eight', a massive dead spot, losing too much pedal momentum on the transition from left-leg to right-leg, and right-leg to left-leg.

The simple solution here is to imagine 'scraping that mud of the bottom of the shoes' at the bottom of the pedal stroke to maintain pedal momentum and keep the cranks rotating.

The same triathlete one week later after a little tuition 84 cadence/170 W, angle of peak force in terms of balance a little better 126Â°/121Â°. This shape we call the 'peanut' - a reduced dead spot, still losing some pedal momentum on transition but much better than the 'figure of eight'.

Why is pedalling technique important?

Quite simply optimizing the effectiveness of your pedalling technique will make you a better, faster, rider. Depending on your riding style improvements can be made using a combination of:

Lower gear (resistance), higher cadence
Same gear (resistance), higher cadence
Higher gear (resistance), lower cadence
Higher gear (resistance), same cadence
Higher gear (resistance), higher cadence

This means greater power output for the same physiological effort.

For some, improvement may be a marginal gain whilst for many huge gains in performance can be made.

The following example is an overall, good club triathlete, cycling for a number of years, a very good swimmer and moderate runner but always struggling to get gains on the bike.

The only thing that changed during winter training was the use of the Wattbike to deconstruct and rebuild his pedalling technique and cadence ability using Wattbike Expert software to measure performance.

In an initial 20 minute test he averaged 215 watts (average HR 176 - max HR 185) and cadence of 92 on level 3 of the Wattbike. By his own admission a very weak performance. His force curve was a 'peanut' at best but close to a 'figure of eight'.

By comparison, in a recent similar test he averaged over 280 watts for a longer time period of 35 minutes for a slightly lower physiological cost (average HR 169 - max HR 181). Again level 3 on a Wattbike but this time at 100 cadence - same gear [resistance], higher cadence.

And his shape? Well judge for yourself - below is a typical technique session, 3 x 6 minutes at level 4 on a Wattbike at 85, 90 and 95 cadence (higher gear [resistance], the same and higher cadence then he was doing before). The force curves (Polar views) speak for themselves.

Do Wattbike gains translate into road gains?

More difficult to measure but early signs indicate gains on a Wattbike can be held and transferred to the road. The triathlete above recently competed in a sprint triathlon which he also competed in last year. The course was the same, conditions almost identical (a little hotter this year) - he was 3.5% faster (by time) on the bike leg. A not insignificant gain!

A well known name in the sporting world, James Cracknell used the Wattbike as part of his preparation for the World Duathlon qualifier in early March, whist James will admit his pedalling technique still needs quite a lot of work he stormed round the 40k bike leg in 59:27, the 5th fastest ride of the day. A great result for a man of 95kgs.

Very early on in James's use of the Wattbike he quickly improved his 60 minute performance from 300 W to 340 W after just 7 weeks use of the Wattbike. He paid a high physiological price on the first but by lowering the gear (resistance), increasing cadence and improving his technique he gained significantly in power output with a reduced physiological effort. He hasn't done that sort of training recently but he did reach 480 W in a one minute ramp test!

Why use a Wattbike? - Train less, ride faster

The Wattbike 'probably the best training tool ever' (well known professional tour rider)

The weather plays havoc with cycle training. For much of the year getting out on the bike is difficult, dangerous and hazardous and can be ineffective use of training time.

There is no need, EVER to miss a training workout. Using a Wattbike is time efficient, you spend less time:

Training
Become fitter
And, ride faster as a result

You can use your Wattbike anywhere and at any time of the day, to suit your busy schedule.

And, the Wattbike is no ordinary bike - no longer do you need to spend valuable time setting up and calibrating your turbo trainer.

The Wattbike can be set up in seconds, is factory calibrated and amazingly accurate. It measures absolute power output in Watts to a mean accuracy of typically 2% (-0.42% +/- 1.21%) with retest variance typically better than 1% (0.42% +/- 0.46%) - South Australian Institute of Sport 31/03/2010.

This means that the Wattbike delivers:

Accurate, comparable and repeatable high quality workout - EVERY TIME
No stopping at traffic lights, dodging traffic, turning corners and coasting downhill
So, less training time required for the same training effect

Just consistent, visible output for every pedal revolution - each of your workouts can be structured precisely using any combination of:

Cadence (rpm) and resistance level
Heart rate (bpm)
And, power output (Watts).

In addition, one of the unique features of the Wattbike, as you have seen is the ability to monitor your pedalling technique as you ride.

Cadence, heart rate, power and pedalling technique - a powerful training combination.

For every resistance level and cadence combination the power output on a Wattbike is known. This means that the Wattbike can be used for:

high cadence low wattage workouts at one extreme
low cadence high wattage workouts at the other
replicating any workout from long endurance to short high power sprint work
targetting specific pedalling technique workouts with full visual feedback.

EVERYTHING IS MONITORED 100 times a second with immediate performance feedback given by the revolutionary Wattbike Performance Computer or Wattbike Expert software, in REAL TIME.

The Wattbike monitors everything you need to know about your cycling tracking progress and real improvement as your training develops.

Whether you are looking to monitor your cadence, heart rate, power or the effectiveness of your pedalling technique, there is a measurement parameter for you (chose from 39 different parameters).

What you track is up to you:
You can just use the parameters shown in the Wattbike Performance Computer (and these are pretty extensive)
Or record live, save, analyse and compare workouts in more detail using our powerful Wattbike Expert software.

And you don't need to be Bradley Wiggins to benefit from training on a Wattbike. Everyone can benefit from beginners to experienced cyclists. An online Training Guide, which will help you get the most out of your Wattbike workouts, will be available shortly.

Step by step, you will be guided through how to test yourself and how to calculate your personal power, cadence, resistance and heart rate training zones using the British Cycling training zone model and our online calculators.

The Training Guide will include specific training plans to help you improve your pedalling technique and overall cycling performance.
You and a Wattbike an unbeatable combination
Train less, ride faster

Where do you find out more?

Visit the Wattbike website at www.wattbike.com