Learnin’ from the pros
The other day I was watching video of my two favorite riders, Thor
Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler. I like to watch my favorite’s ride and
try to pickup on little things, like their form, positioning, when
they attack or when they sit back. The big thing I noticed was their
posture on the bike. I usually ride with my arms and back straight up
and down, that way most of the weight of my upper body is on my joints
instead of my muscles. The pros all ride with their arms bent, almost
in a forty-five degree angle, and their backs arched like a cat’s.
There’s a couple pictures below of it. We started changing our posture on the bike to mimic what we’d seen in
the videos, just to see if we would notice a difference in our own
riding. We did Gates Pass (a 30 miles hill climb) in about an hour
and a half, which was a record. Then we did Saddlebrook (a 50 mile
ride with a big hill climb) in two hours. To say we noticed a
difference is an understatement. It’s not all good though, spending an hour on the bike like that makes
the triceps and shoulders burn and ache! I can’t imagine doing it for
more than a couple hours… but that’s what training is for! The Tour of California just ended, and there was a lot of good riding
for us to watch, and learn the dynamics of a professional race. Can’t
wait to put everything I’ve learned to use this October.
@1 year agoHushovd and Heinrich Haussler. I like to watch my favorite’s ride and
try to pickup on little things, like their form, positioning, when
they attack or when they sit back. The big thing I noticed was their
posture on the bike. I usually ride with my arms and back straight up
and down, that way most of the weight of my upper body is on my joints
instead of my muscles. The pros all ride with their arms bent, almost
in a forty-five degree angle, and their backs arched like a cat’s.
There’s a couple pictures below of it. We started changing our posture on the bike to mimic what we’d seen in
the videos, just to see if we would notice a difference in our own
riding. We did Gates Pass (a 30 miles hill climb) in about an hour
and a half, which was a record. Then we did Saddlebrook (a 50 mile
ride with a big hill climb) in two hours. To say we noticed a
difference is an understatement. It’s not all good though, spending an hour on the bike like that makes
the triceps and shoulders burn and ache! I can’t imagine doing it for
more than a couple hours… but that’s what training is for! The Tour of California just ended, and there was a lot of good riding
for us to watch, and learn the dynamics of a professional race. Can’t
wait to put everything I’ve learned to use this October.
