Dr. Ross's Bicycling Tips

June 2nd, 2017

Cycling is a great sport to develop aerobic and cardiovascular health. However, there are few common mistakes that lead to injuries. Following these simple tips might help with most of the common mistakes that people get into which lead to injury.
 

1.  Maintain a high cadence

When your pedal revolutions are high, you can maintain the same power output with less pressure on the pedals. Once your cadence slows down, the sam power output forces the muscle to work harder, resulting in an increase in lactic acid and fatigue
 

2. Shift before you need to

See above, its easier to start a hill spinning a high cadence and then shifting to adjust as you go.
 

3. Find a comfortable position for you, not one that you think should be comfortable for you

The pictures of pro cyclists’ positions, with their seats slammed back and the bars all the way down, took years of cycling to adjust to.  When I was the team doctor for pro cycling teams, there was a long list of changes that each rider wanted made to his bike every day.  The next day, they would change back.  Don't be afraid to experiment to find a position that is comfortable for you.
    

3. If your hands hurt, try foot orthotics

Sometimes there’s too much pressure on the hands with cycling, either because of an aggressive position or a bumpy road.  The hand is shaped like a dome and maintaining that dome with a metatarsal pad inside your cycling glove can help maintain the shape of the hand to improve grip and decrease numbness. The pointy end should sit between the thumb and index finger
https://www.hapad.com/products/forefoot-corrections/metatarsal-pads
 

4. If your butt hurts, move your seat forward

Place the wide part of the saddle under your sit bones. Rest your hands on the tops of the bars to rotate your pelvis back
 

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