While every cyclist is different, there are a few general guidelines to follow to ensure you’re in a good position to generate the most watts with the least amount of effort.

Relax Your Upper Body

“Your shoulders should be relaxed and your wrists should be in a nice, neutral position”

For most of us, a fast ride is a comfortable ride, so make sure your upper body isn’t too stiff. “Your shoulders should be relaxed, you should have about 15 to 30 degrees of elbow flex, and your wrists should be in a nice, neutral position,” says Wendy Holliday, physiotherapist and owner of WH Bike Fit.

Maintain a Neutral Pelvis

“When your pelvis is in a neutral position, you can properly activate your glutes and hamstrings, along with your pelvic and core stabilisers,” says Natalie Collins, a physical therapist and bike fitter. That means avoiding a posterior pelvic tilt, or “sitting in a bucket”. 

On the other extreme, if you’re riding with an anterior pelvic tilt, you risk excessive pressure on the soft tissue of your perineum. Not only does this set you up for discomfort and saddle sores, but it inhibits your pelvic and core stabilisers and hamstrings – the things you need to activate for pedal stroke efficiency.

Avoid Using Too Much Ankle

For optimum efficiency, your ankle should be able to easily maintain a neutral position. Throughout the pedal stroke, your ankles should maintain a consistent position where they’re at about 5 to 10 degrees of dorsiflexion. In other words, they should be in roughly the same position they’d be if you were to jump, just before take-off, while you’re still on the ground.

If you drop your heel too much or point your toe at various points in your pedal stroke, you might be able to course correct quickly by simply being mindful about your ankle position—as long as that doesn’t create problems elsewhere, says Collins.

“If you feel like you’re having to work the ankle, either by dropping the heel or pointing the toe, that’s likely a compensation for some personal weakness or a bike fit issue.” To find out where the issue lies, Collins recommends seeing a professional who can identify any weaknesses and check that your bike fit and cleat position are optimised.

READ MORE ON: BIKE FIT cycling tips