Re:
CoachFergie said:
Yawn, more bullsniz to hide the fact you haven't actually tested your theory, coached someone to do this and reported the results, and taken up the offer to prove your claims in a biomechanics lab. We have tried your theory within the constraints of the current allowed time trial technology and there is reduced power and greatly reduced efficiency!
Provide the evidence Noel, waffle about chain wear and tug of war proves nothing.
" The initiation of the pedal cycle starts with the gluteals, taking the hip
from a flexed position at TDC through the power phase to an extended
position. Then at approximately 3 o'clock in the pedal cycle the quadriceps
kick in to take the knee from it's flexed position to an extended position
at BDC.
The rectus femoris is one of the four quadricep muscles, but the only one
to cross both the hip and knee joint, giving it duel responsibility of hip
flexion and knee extension. The quadriceps work in close partnership with
the gluteals (maximus), these are two large powerful groups of muscles
that produce the greatest amount of torque in cycling.
The main role of the hamstrings is knee flexion but they also assist hip
extension. During cycling depending on the position that is adopted by the
cyclist if on an upright bike, the ischial tuberosities may take most of
the load through the saddle therefore compressing the origin of the
hamstrings. The hamstrings main role in cycling is to assist the knee
flexion up through the back part of the pedal stroke but they also play an
important part in stabilising the knee through BDC.
Further down the chain into the lower leg the gastrocnemius and soleus
haven't been found to add much power to the pedal stroke but their main
role is to stabilise the lower leg to enable an efficient transition of the
force generated by the upper leg to the pedal. "
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Above you have a good description of how you and all natural pedallers power their cranks, the important paragraph there is the last one because it means you use your lower leg for almost the same purpose as Alex S uses his prosthesis, leaving its muscles effectively idling around the pedalling circle. While it's twenty years since I discovered the explanation for Anquetil's sustainable constant high gear power in TT's, which was the ability to make maximal use of his lower leg muscles around TDC and beyond, because I am not a physiologist, it's been only in the last few weeks that I became aware of what makes this technique so effective. The soleus muscle in the lower leg is not only more powerful than the glute or quad muscles but it is also highly fatigue resistant and ideal for the endurance required for constant high gear power output in TT's, it has about 20 % more slow twitch muscle fibre content than the glutes or quads. The soleus produced over half of Anquetil's power from each pedal stroke in TT's . The powerful sport of INDOOR Tug o' War demonstrates what power the soleus has to offer and Anquetil used it in the identical way while leaning forward instead of backward as T o'W men do.