One of the things I’ve been really focusing on so far this year is my position on the bike. Not just the whole cyclefit experience of dimensions and angles but also the whole area of how I position myself when moving. Yes, a professional fitter can get you right relative to flexibility and various lengths but that is only the starting point. There’s a whole bunch of other alignments to think about once you get in motion and it’s these I’ve been working on getting right. This is my deeply unscientific approach which is based on my own experience rather than any coaching manual.
Shoulders
This is the one that I’m finding makes a real difference to how well I go up hills. I’ve been contrating on keeping them “low”, which is to say relaxed and not pulled up and in towards the neck or towards the middle of the chest. Imagine drawing a line across your shoulders along the collarbone and another down your spine. It should form a T rather than a Y shape if you are riding relaxed.
Spine
As I’ve just mentioned this should form part of a T shape with your shoulders from head on. I think it’s important to remember to extend the bottom of the T right down to the base of the spine where it meets the pelvis where you want an equally stable platform to drive the legs from.
That’s from head on but with the spine I think it’s also important to remember to keep it flat and neutral. If you get the chance to cycle past a mirrored surface it’s a good opportunity to check that you aren’t hunched over and that there is a nice clean line down the back rather than a curve.
I’ve been looking for a Youtube clip to illustrate it but I can’t seem to find one that really does it. That said I’ve just wasted an hour or two watching the likes of Robert Millar, Lance Armstrong and so on belting up mountains so not a bad use of my time.