Three Essential
Techniques for Roadies
By Fred Matheny for
www.RoadBikeRider.com
Pro athletes develop
simple techniques that become automatic. A
three-point shooter’s follow through or a golfer’s
silky stroke are techniques they’ve honed until they
no longer think about them.
Pro cyclists, too,
develop characteristics that separate how they look
on a bike from the rest of us. It’s not simply a
matter of appearance. Unlike golf, when you’re
riding, you can get scuffed up out there. Looking
like a pro means safety as well as style.
Want the look? Master
these three techniques and you’ll be on your way.
1. Relax. Great
athletes in any sport let it flow, making impossible
moves and extreme effort look easy. Here’s how to be
loose as a goose on the bike:
2.
Pedal Smoothly.
It’s easy to spot
the smooth pedal stroke of a pro compared to a
novice’s lumpy plodding. Here’s how to get supple
stroke:
-
Remember Mud.
Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond
first gave us this tip in 1985, and it’s just as
helpful today: When you pull your foot through
the bottom of the stroke, imagine you’re
scraping mud off your shoe. This will help you
pull your foot through smoothly with added
power. Try it and see how well it works.
3. Recover Fast.
Pro riders can do a three-week race and go just as
hard on Day 20 as in the prologue time trial. Here’s
how to recover like a stage racer:
-
Pump Fluids.
The loss of as little as one percent of body
weight as sweat can compromise your performance.
So drink at least one bottle of sports drink
each hour you’re on the bike. After the ride,
drink more until your weight is back to normal.
If you aren’t getting up twice each night to
urinate, you aren’t sufficiently hydrated.
-
Rest.
Pros sleep nine or ten hours a night and often
take an afternoon nap after training. We can’t
do that because we have real jobs and the boss
would frown. But because sufficient rest is
crucial to recovery, try to fit in at least
eight restful hours of sleep each night and
catch a 15-minute “power nap” in the afternoon.
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