It’s all about the pedal stroke

The one contact that you have with your bike that can make or break your ride is the contact that your feet make with the pedals. It should make sense then that the more powerful your pedal stroke, the better your ride will be overall. There are a few tricks you can employ that will greatly improve your pedal stroke and your overall race times.

The muscles that work

It’s easy to see which muscles cyclists use the most: watch one leg of the Tour de France or the professionals at any cycle tour and you’ll see bulging and perfectly defined glutes and quads. These muscles are two of the largest in your body and are therefore responsible for that powerful downward stroke as you push your pedals toward the ground. You can do as many squats and lunges as you like, but targeting the hamstrings is what you really need to be doing. Your hamstrings support your glutes and quads on the downward stroke but also help you to pull up more strongly, giving you an overall more powerful pedal stroke.

The exercises that work

Try these easy exercises to target the three major muscle groups that when combined, help you to increase the power in each pedal stroke:

• Single leg drills. These are best done on a trainer at home or in the gym; you can drill single legs on the road but finding a safe, flat, smooth road might be tougher than jumping on a trainer or spinning bike. You can choose either to lift your foot off the pedal entirely while you work the other leg, or you can simply concentrate on not working the inactive leg. Either way, one leg at a time, lead your down stroke with your heel and apply pressure early on in the down stroke. At the bottom of the circle scrape your foot up pulling with your heel first. Think of your heel always leading each motion. Pedal single legged for one minute on each leg for a total of up to 5 repeats on each leg.
  
• Hamstring curls. The hamstring curl machine at the gym is one of the best ways to isolate and strengthen your hamstrings but it is possible to work your hamstrings without a machine. Tie a flexiband into a loop and put it around your ankles. Lie on your stomach on the floor and rest your chin on your arms. Push one leg firmly into the ground and lift the other foot, bending at the knee to perform a hamstring curl. Repeat 12 times on each side.
  
• Squats. Add some explosive strength to your downward pedal stroke with weighted squats. Pick a weight you can handle comfortably and using a bell bar, stand with your feet hip distance apart. Hold on to the bell bar and lower into the squat until your quads are parallel to the floor. Push your hips back and press your heels into the floor for maximum effect. Repeat 12 times, rest, and then repeat another 12 times.
  
• Lunges. Lunges can be performed backwards, forwards, sideways and up and down raised platforms. Using the same weight you did for the squats above, start with your feet together and hold onto the barbell. Step forward and lower your knee to just above the floor and then step forward. Repeat all the way across the room, or about 12 times, rest, and repeat 12 times.

Increase your muscle power to improve your pedal power throughout your pedal stroke by employing these few simple exercises at least twice a week.