JamesM":26uitorx said:
mattr":26uitorx said:
JamesM":26uitorx said:
Haven't you ever wondered how these roadies buzz along at 25mph, I did!!!
Practice, training, drafting, more practice. For 95% or more of road riding clipless makes virtually no difference to power output. For the last few hundred metres of a sprint or acceleration on a mountain, it helps. A bit.
Helps keep your feet in place though.
And if you are actually *properly* pedalling in circles for any length of time (more than a few miles), you should get your entry in for the ToB.
FWIW the weakest link for a trained road cyclist is the cardiovascular system, the loads applied through the pedals aren't usually much more than you'd apply walking up the stairs. So you'd be better off training your lungs than your legs.
I do alot of distance and speed running so my cardio system is good.
That's not quite what was said - for cycling, the vast majority of the time spent in the saddle, it's the cardiovascular system that is the weak link, not leg power.
That's not to say that cyclists don't do any work for leg power - they do - depending on discipline.
But look at all the drug taking that came out of the recent revelations - yes, AAS / testosterone (and probably others) were used - but given at least what had been written, that was more about recovery, as opposed to enhancing power / strength / development. There were a variety of other drugs used for various purposes, but the most prevalent and seemingly of most significance? EPO.
Now what's that telling you.
JamesM":26uitorx said:
I disagree that clipless makes no difference. If you are using more muscles then you are bound to be able to generate more power.
Not necessarily - depends on whether you're robbing Peter to pay Paul. By a long way, leg power is focused around pushing - in all the methods and cross training used to develop leg power. That's not to say the hamstrings play no role - that would be bogus, but the prime movers are the quads.
And you miss what was being written above - most of the time in the saddle, what's required isn't pure leg power, but cadence and cardiovascular performance.
The odd burst of speed, or hill climbs - at times - maybe leg power is of issue - or for sprints. But otherwise, it's about how quickly you can turn those pedals, as opposed to how hard - short sprints in the velodrome are different from most of the cycling that most cyclists do.
JamesM":26uitorx said:
As you said though you need the cardio system to be able to support this. If you havent got it then maybe it doesn't make a difference as your cardio system can't supply the oxygen to max out any one group of muscles.
When I run fast I naturally breath heavily, but when I push hard on the pedals my legs seem to run out of strength before my breathing becomes excessive. If I then switch to pedaling in circles I can go faster and only then do I need to breath hard. I'm not saying I can ride like this all day but I can maintain it for quite some time. Running has trained me to maintain high effort levels for several hours.
There are times when
pushing hard matters in cycling - but it is not sustained for anything like as long as the demands on the cardio system.
And to all intents and purposes, toe-clips can provide probably just as much assistance in foot position, without being quite as restrictive, and for those convinced that being able to pull up on the pedals is significant - you can still do that - and even have more play and freedom to remove your foot. Tightening the straps is about entry / exit - the height and tightness beyond the strap area is less affected by the strap tightness.
