Become a Faster Cyclist with Good Bike Posture
It's an age-old joke that triathletes don't know how to ride a bike. Unfortunately, there's some truth to this. The triathlon community doesn't shy away from hard work, and it's universally accepted that training hard (and smart) will lead to performance gains. However, what has yet to be instilled in the minds of most triathletes and cyclists is the fact that riding fast is not just about power output, it’s also about good cycling posture. There is a right way and a wrong way to ride a bike, and it's not highly dependent on having the 'perfect' bike fit. Today, we explore the art of riding and highlight some key pointers that can help improve good bike posture and make you a faster cyclist.
Here’s the guide:
Power is Not Everything
The typical triathlete employs a 3-step approach to getting faster on the bike:
Train hard to increase power output.
Track average power output over a set period or race to monitor improvement.
Top it off with a one-time bike fit focusing predominantly on 'aero gains.'
This approach isn't incorrect. It's just missing a vital piece of the puzzle that deserves dedication and time equal to the above steps -- good bike posture.
Review any field of riders on race day, and it looks like 90% of them are in dire need of a proper fit. Ironically, it isn't typically a fit they need. Instead, they need an education on proper riding (and maybe a new saddle!). For many, the 'points in space' are well within standard fitting protocol guidelines, but these athletes cannot maintain the appropriate posture on the bike.
Bike posture and terrain management skills go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. Two athletes with the same equipment, power to weight ratio, and bike fit can go two different speeds along the same road. Terrain management and well-timed power usage can make or break your bike split, and the baseline determiner of good terrain management is good bike posture.
How to Fix Bike Posture
By comparing the evolution of Purple Patch athlete Sarah’s posture between two pictures, taken just moments apart, we can illustrate some simple pointers you should keep in mind while riding.
Bad Posture:
Sarah’s hands are choked back on the aero bars, there’s tension in her shoulders, her diaphragm is compressed, and her hips are rotated backward on the seat.
Resulting in:
Compromised breathing ability.
Fatigue-inducing tension in the upper body.
Reduced power output due to poor biomechanical positioning.
Good Posture:
Exhibit two of our bike posture analysis with Sarah.
Now, Sarah's back is flat, her upper body is supple, there's plenty of 'room' between shoulders and hips, and her pelvis is rotated forward.
Resulting in:
Space for the lungs to fully expand.
Reduction of mechanical fatigue due to tension.
Ideal postural alignment, allowing for proper power output.
How to Apply Good Bike Posture:
You may be surprised to learn that there are no equipment alterations between the above two pictures, only biomechanical adjustments to how Sarah is sitting on the bike. The first step to good bike posture is, of course, a bike fit to ensure the points of your body are in the correct ranges. Beyond this, posture is developed by creating positive habits that ensure you always default to posture that maximizes power, comfort, and the ability to run off the bike.
As athletes, you should be continually checking in with yourself to confirm you're sitting on the bike comfortably and in a way that favors effective power output. A good time to practice this is while riding indoors on a trainer.
We've put together a checklist to make this mental practice easier:
Fingers relaxed
Wrists straight in both planes
Elbows flexed
Neck and shoulders relaxed
In control of breathing and heart rate
Recovering the foot through the bottom of the stroke
Unweighting the retreating leg
Relaxing the foot
Notice how it begins at the hands, goes through the body, and ends at the feet. Use this checklist if you are feeling fatigued in intervals or a race.
To go along with the bike posture comparison images, and the checklist, we’ve got some useful videos to take your learning even further.
Proper bike posture starts with education and is a continual pursuit that will change with age, fitness level, and, of course, equipment. You can be the fittest rider on the day, but if you’re not comfortable and efficient on your bike, you won’t be the fastest. Don’t spend countless hours training and forget the details. Performance, and ultimately success, owes itself to a holistic approach to the intricacies of triathlon.
IOG Bike Fitting
A piece of this puzzle is with your bike fit. If you’re interested in performance gains, book a bike fit with IOG at the Purple Patch Performance center.