Even if we learn to ride a bike at a very young age, pedaling is more complex than it seems. To be both efficient and economical over short or long distances, the pedaling technique requires a minimum of learning, to turn round or to change the gear at the right time.
At first glance, nothing could be simpler than pedalling: all you have to do is push alternately on both legs to turn the crankset. However, apart from the other technical gestures which make it possible to control a bicycle well, good pedaling is first essential not only for efficiency, but also for economy. In order to drive faster and longer, which seriously widens the field of possibilities. What is pedaling well? First of all, knowing how to use your muscles, and if possible throughout the pedaling cycle, that is to say both when the pedal goes down and when it goes up. This is not an easy task. Then, it means making good use of the developments made available to you, in a way the "gearbox" of the bike so that the engine (your legs) operate at the right speed. Finally, it's being comfortable with the so-called "dancer" position, which consists of lifting your buttocks off the saddle and moving upright on the pedals to accelerate, restart, or simply relax. A whole gesture or reflexes that are natural for those who have been cyclists for a long time, but which can be problematic for those who start late.
The position
To pedal well, you have to start from a good position in the saddle. It sounds obvious, but this is often the reason for the many difficulties you may encounter in terms of pedaling technique. The saddle must be neither too high nor too low, so that the leg is stretched enough to develop maximum strength, while leaving the ankle free to turn around the axis of the pedal, and without swaying your hips . You also need to be very precise when adjusting the cleats under the shoes. Cleats that not only allow you to be attached to the bike while ensuring a certain safety in the event of a fall or an impromptu stop (by simply rotating the ankle outwards to release your foot from the pedal), but also to pull on the pedals in the leg lift phase of the pedaling cycle. We can add an essential element: the length of the cranks. Generally, there are cranks for the bottom bracket of 170, 172,5 and 175 mm, or even smaller or larger. These cranks must be adapted to your height, and therefore to the length of your legs. The longer the cranks, the more force you can develop with each pedal stroke, but the more complicated it can be to turn them, especially at high pedaling frequencies. Adaptations are possible, if you are more or less flexible at the joint or muscle level. But you often have to do, to start with, with the crankset supplied with the bike.
The pedaling cycle
It consists of four main phases: the pushing phase (between 1 and 5 o'clock if we take a clock as a reference), the pulling phase (which comes in opposition to the pushing phase of the other leg, therefore between 7 and 11 o'clock) and finally what is called the top and bottom dead points of the pedaling, when it is necessary to transfer the thrust to the pull (or the reverse, i.e. between 5 and 7 o'clock, and between 11 and 1 o'clock ). The easiest way is obviously to push, everyone knows how to do it. But on the one hand pushing too vigorously is very costly on the muscular level, because the front muscles of the leg are loaded with fast, efficient fibers which tire quickly, and on the other hand the weight of the other leg, if it is inert, it is often enough to handicap the efficiency of the movement. Pulling the pedal with the opposite leg at the same time as you push relieves the pressure while involving the posterior muscles of the legs, which are richer in slow fibers and therefore more economical in the long term. Two educational ones make it possible to improve in this direction. The first consists of rolling alternately for a few hundred meters with only one foot attached to the pedal. On a slight uphill false flat, you will very quickly feel the need to pull on the pedal, or you will move forward in jerks. The second consists of dividing the pedaling cycle into two phases: the first with the left leg pulling at the same time as the right pushes, the second doing the opposite. This requires having the pelvis well fixed on the saddle (without swaying), and remembering to pull with the top of the foot in the shoe when it is in the bottom dead center phase of pedaling. For the passage of the two dead points, it is easier if the wedges under the shoes are well adjusted longitudinally, that is to say with the mark directly above the metatarsal bones, or very slightly behind.
Choosing the right development
Bikes are generally equipped today with 11 sprockets at the rear and two chainrings at the front, which should make it possible to have a range of developments to roll well both on the flat and uphill. Different combinations are possible depending on your level, because the first factor limiting the effort is your power. And this power is not brute force. The right compromise for pedaling efficiently while letting the muscle fibers relax between each contraction is around 90 rpm on the flat, and 70 rpm uphill. There are more or less fast cyclists, who naturally adopt a slightly higher or slightly lower pedaling frequency depending on the circumstances, but that's just an idea. Power is the force applied to the pedals multiplied by the speed at which you turn them. And since many are limited in terms of PTO (by genetics), it is better to maintain a good pedaling frequency. This goes through good gestures as we saw above, but also through targeted training where you force yourself to pedal very quickly with a little development. At first, if it is unusual, you may feel a discrepancy with the cardiovascular system, and therefore a feeling of shortness of breath. However, a properly trained cyclist sees his heart rate increase according to the power he develops, but not according to a higher cadence or developed force. On the other hand, insisting too much on forceful pedaling increases muscle tension, and therefore limits the expression of power in the long term, at the end of a ride for example. To pedal well, you should therefore not hesitate to use the derailleur frequently, in order to remain constantly in the right range of cadence depending on the wind or the topography of the terrain.
The art of the dancer
For many novices, getting into the dancer's shoes is stressful, causes an acceleration of the heart rate, even cramps or aches in the arm or in the upper body. In short, it is more energy-intensive, whereas on the contrary this posture should allow you to be more efficient for a short time, or to relax to avoid muscle tension. This is due to poor technique and poor preparation beforehand. The body of a cyclist is not only trained legs, it is also a well-sheathed bust and toned arms. Hence the need to practice gymnastic exercises in addition to the bike (pilates, abdominals, muscle building, etc.) when you start, and also to devote some time to specific training, but not necessarily fast. For example, by practicing climbing several hills in a dancer's style, or for several minutes without sitting down, in order to properly record the coordination necessary between the lower and upper body to swing your bike from left to right while taking advantage of the weight of your own body to press the pedals. Keeping the pelvis suspended above the saddle allows you to pull on the pedals at the same time as you push them, and only the bottom dead center of the pedaling is a little longer than in a seated position. At first, put in a slightly higher gear and adapt your pedaling frequency. Also think about adjusting the inclination of the handlebars and the brake levers, to find a firm but comfortable grip, with wrists that must be aligned with your forearms. When the movement becomes fluid, there is no elevation in heart rate. On the condition of course that the dancer is only used to relax and pedal in another position. Because if you stand up on the pedals to accelerate, to restart, or to erase a steeper slope by taking advantage of the greater explosiveness of the front muscles of the leg and more particularly of the thigh, you will obviously expend more energy. In short, pedaling well is a sum of details and technical improvements that will ultimately allow you to become one with your bike and fully express your potential. It's worth sticking to it.