CRCA Hincapie Lou Maltese Memorial - P/1/2 - 6th Place

Another Top-10 finish, so another race report is warranted.

This past Saturday, June 22 2019, was the CRCA-Hincapie Lou Maltese Memorial race, which for the P/1/2 field meant a 9-lap race around Central Park (~55mi). This race is also part of an omnium series with next weekend's CRCA-Trek Mengoni Grand Prix, so doing well in both races could mean overall placing as well (with additional prizes). The P/1/2 field had 94 racers, so this was likely going to be a fast race. Since this was a P/1/2 field and Conor was out of town, it meant my only teammate in the race was Anthony, who is definitely more of a sprinter, leaving me to do my thing and try to get in a break.

From the start, the pace was pretty high, but I was surfing near the front to watch for anything dangerous that was trying to get away. There were a few moves during the opening laps, but generally things were either just a few riders or the wrong mix of teams, meaning that they were pulled back without gaining much distance. I managed to jump into a few of the more promising groups, and we even managed to get a handful of seconds off the front on one of the attempts, but the field wasn't quite ready to give up time.

On the start of lap 5, and with about an hour of hard racing already in the legs, a small group of four or five kept the gas on over the top of cat's paw and up past the Met. Near the top of the Met hill there was a small truck on the far right of the course, and as we approached the truck I looked over to see Anthony was also near the front of the field. He gave me a look that said "that one looks dangerous" and I figured they had established some space without too much chase from the field, so I made the jump. I tucked in and went full TT to catch them just after Engineer's gate, and quickly assessed that there were now six of us, so I am not sure if there had been five or if someone had hung onto my wheel during the bridge. Regardless, our group was looking formidable: Bill (Foundation), Luiz (Benzel), Josh (Rockstar), Dominic (Jamison), Iain (Bicycle Habitat) and myself. Everyone seemed willing to work and we quickly continued to power away from the field.

The next few laps consisted of hard pulls and recovery as our group worked reasonably well together. There were a few skipped pulls or slowing of the pace that would occur, but Bill and Josh continued to rally the group to keep on the gas and not get caught before the finish. I would occasionally check back to see if the field was gaining, but never saw any signs, so figured we were still doing well, but I was disappointed that none of the course marshals or officials were giving us time-gaps. As we were working down the west-side on the final lap, Dominic, Iain and Bill started to skip pulls. Iain was looking like he was suffering, so I figured if we kept the pace up, he might blow up. Josh again pleaded that everyone keep working so we wouldn't get caught on the line.

As we entered Horseshit Alley, I was on the front and figured that someone else might have to do the last bit of work, however as I flicked the elbow no-one was willing to pull through, and I took a peak back to see everyone start to jockey around. Figuring that since I had already been pulling and potentially had a weaker sprint, I decided to roll the dice on a long-range attack. I put my head down and went full-gas, hoping the others would wait too long to chase me down. I managed to pass 72nd with a little gap and hoped I could keep the power on until the line. I worked to carry as much speed as I could through the line into Cat's Paw, but as I made the turn onto the straight and the final run-in to the line, all 5 managed to shoot by me in a sprint. I held onto 6th, feeling pretty worked, but happy with the result. The field ended up finishing in a sprint about 30sec behind us.

I was surprised to learn that Iain took the win, since he had been looking gassed, but I guess he had just played the sprint right and was saving energy for the finish. In hindsight, knowing we had a big gap, I could have tried to play a bit of the sprint game, but I am still happy with the result. Now it is just time to build up for another chance next weekend.

Photos by Bicycle Racing Pictures

CRCA #6 P/1/2/3 (6/16/2019)

Quick Race Report:
The morning ended up being wet due to the overnight rain that literally stopped as we were lined up to start the race. The field was on the smaller side because of the weather and the higher payout of the Harlem Skyscraper crit that was happening just a little later in the day. The race was a points race with the top 3 on each lap collecting points towards the finish placing - meaning the sprinters would be going hard for the win, but knowing that the weather was less than ideal, I also figured that a strong break could stick it. My race was going to be a little more challenging because my power-meter died right before the race, so I was basically going on perceived effort and watching heart-rate to control my pacing.
When the race started, Ben (Blue Ribbon) went full gas, so I hopped on his wheel and the initial break was started - this one ended up being only 4-5 riders, and we were quickly reabsorbed. I made sure to stick toward the front of the race to watch for any dangerous moves, but we basically finished the 1st lap (of 8) as a big group. Small attacks moved on lap 2, but again things basically held together for the entire lap.
After the 3rd run up Harlem hill, I was sitting on Bill Ash (Foundation) and someone behind us yelled that we had a gap - I looked back to see we had caused a decent split on the climb and we now had a group of 10 - 2 Foundation (including Bill), 2 Rockstar, 3 GF Capital, 2 Dave Jordan and myself. The group worked reasonably well until the run into Cat's Paw (the lap start/finish), when Jesus (DJ), Bill, Tom (Rockstar) and one of the GF dudes started jockeying for the sprint, so another GF guy and I just kept rolling. Jesus, Bill and Tom still managed to shoot around us for the sprint, but when we regrouped on the start of lap 4, it was down to 5 of us - Jesus, Bill, Tom, the GF sprinter and myself.
We worked together for the next 2 laps with the sprint always being a duke-out between Jesus and Bill with Tom snagging 3rd (and usually me rolling for 4th), but on the start of lap 6, Bill and Jesus kept on the gas after the sprint, so now we were 3 chasing the leading 2 with a field somewhere behind us. At this point the GF guy was toast and basically either hanging on or taking the front for a second before pulling off, meaning it was up to Tom and I to do the chasing. Bill was in full TT mode with Jesus sitting on his wheel, so I was hoping we could catch them, however they held a 20-30s gap for the rest of the race.
Our new group of 3 kept rolling along and trying to keep a solid pace for the remaining 2 laps, however as we exited the rollers of the West side on the final lap, Tom said he saw a moto light behind us, meaning the field was getting close. With basically 4-5min of racing left, I was in no mood for getting caught after being away all race, so I dug in deep and pulled from the entry of horseshit alley. Tom was sitting on my wheel and the GF racer was fighting to stay in contact (and losing), but what ended up being a small group of racers was closing fast. As we hit the base of Cat's Paw, Tom came around and shouted for me to jump on his wheel. I caught some draft and pushed with all the juice left in the legs towards the line. In the end I was pipped by another Foundation rider right at the line, but I think the 5th place was a solid result for the effort.
After the race Tom thanked me for the driving effort of the break, mentioning he didn't think he could have kept the pace without me dragging us along. He figured that it was the hardest and fastest CRCA race of the year, and while I didn't have power data, I did record a new PR 90min heartrate, so I am inclined to believe that at least the effort was high!
Time to recover and then the next two weekends are the CRCA Open-race omnium - let's see if I can snag some more good results!

GFNY 2019

This past Sunday, May 19th, I took part of the 9th annual GFNY "World Championship" event - a 100mi ride/race that leaves NYC from the lower level of the George Washington bridge, runs north to Bear Mountain, and then meanders back towards the city to end in Fort Lee, NJ. While many of the participants (Over 3000 riders) are riding just for the accomplishment of finishing the 100mi event (there were also about 900 riders who partook in the shorter 50mi version that ended at the top of Bear Mountain), the front of the ride is a full-on race for the best time to the finish. After some negotiation with the event organizer, myself and my teammates Jacob and John got entry to the racer's corral and waited for the start.

After an early wake-up, I met up with Jacob and John and joined the crowd waiting for the bridge entry. Once they finally let us start filing onto the bridge, we needed to get through the security check-point (again, a huge number of riders, so they really need to make sure things stay secure and safe). There was a bit of a snafu as I went through security and an over-zealous member pulled my race bracelet to read the number and tore it - this meant I needed to head over to the "re-numbering" booth to get a new race bracelet, bike number and jersey number attached - nothing too crazy, but it did mess up my live-tracking for the event, so a bit of a bummer there. We rode up to our corral near the front of the bridge and then proceeded to wait for the next hour for the event to start.

Once the gun went off, things were full-gas with riders sprinting off the bridge and into River Road for the first part of the race. I sat on John and Jacob's wheels as they worked through the crowd to help get me into the lead group of the race. My plan was to just sit in the lead group and try to avoid working as long as possible, so once in place, I just kept pace through the rest of River Road and up the Alpine climb. Once onto the 9W highway, things settled a little, although the pace continued to stay relatively high. The peloton stayed at a good clip as we worked into Piermont and onto Nyack. Leaving Nyack there was a moment of stress as two riders crashed into each other and fell right in the middle of the pack - I was able to swerve up and onto the curb to avoid the incident and rejoin the group while just losing a few spots. John had pulled to the side to make sure I was ok, so I yelled that everything was fine and we got back into the group and up Old Mountain Road (an undulating climb out of Nyack that then carries into a steady climb up Toga Hill).

The pace stayed relatively quick for the next ~1hr as we worked out toward Bear Mountain. Along the highway climb that leads to Bear, the pace increased, but not enough to cause any issues in the field. We hit the base of Bear and things picked up, but again I was able to comfortably stick in the lead group. At the halfway point, turning onto Perkins Drive, the pace ramped up with the grade, and I worked to stay along the back of the group, making it to the top with the peloton. We bombed the descent (I set the Strava KOM) and then started up the reverse of the highway climb. The pace dropped considerably as people were happy for the rest and regroup of the stragglers from Bear. We then proceeded to hit a segment of climbing back-roads as we moved toward the other main climbs of the day.

At this point, our lead group was roughly 20ish riders and there was a lone rider about 1min up the road. Some of the group were eager to work and chase toward the leader, but others were just hanging on the back. We worked over the Pinarello climb without too much incident and I found myself riding near the front with Bill Ash, who was joking that it was just like last weekend when we were riding together at the Bear Mountain Classic. We crested Gate Hill (the Pinarello climb) only 500m behind the leader, and again the pace would alternate between fast to try to catch him only to fall back to slow as the faster riders pulled off the front to rest. As we turned into the penultimate climb, Cheesecote, we crested the first steep segment without issue before a few riders attacked into the next steep segment and hairpin. I was unsure of the remaining length of the climb and chose to be conservative with working around the hairpin and toward the top that I could see, expecting more climbing beyond the rise, and unfortunately falling off the back due to this choice. Once over the crest (and realizing it was the end of the climb before a series of small rollers and fast descents), I tried to chase back, but it was not happening. I ended up in a small group of 4 as we worked to catch the leaders who were now roughly 15 strong.

My new companions included another NYC rider Erik Post (Jamison) along with two riders from out of town. Erik and I ended up doing the lion's share of the work as the others would take token pulls and then sit in the back for another rotation before working again. We eventually caught another rider, bringing our number to 5, and luckily this rider was cooperative to working. As we moved onto South Mountain road (and back onto familiar roads) we passed a large group of recreational cyclists out for a fast Sunday ride. As we moved past this group there were some rough words with some of the riders as they tried to jump into our pack despite our notification that we were part of a race. We luckily ended up turning onto a different road and leaving this group to go back to their rider. We continued to work together roughly for the next few miles before catching another rider around the final rest stop (roughly 30k from the finish). The now 6-strong group moved into a technical section along a rail-trail path and our most recent addition continually moved to the front and was asking everyone to work harder to try to catch the leaders. I put in some longer pulls to help out and as we exited the path around Piermont that rider decided the group wasn't working hard enough and jumped off solo. Erik and I continued to roll our pace with the others hanging on, but as we crested the State-line hill, we had now dropped to 3 riders - Erik, myself and one of the out-of-towners. At this point we knew the leaders were a decent distance up the road, and we assumed that we had a good gap on the chase, so we settled into a good rotation again to work together and reach the end. This was not to be however, as we were suddenly caught by a huge group right as we dropped back onto River Road (about 8mi to go!).

At this point I was determined not to get pulled to the back of this group after being away for most of the day, so I made sure to tuck into the group toward the front. The new group contained a lot of the local racers including Luiz Lanfredi (Benzel Busch), Paskal Lamour (Blue Ribbon), John Loehner (Benzel Busch), and Bastian Rose (E2Value), along with other strong riders. I made sure to stay in roughly the top 5 as we worked through River Road toward the final climb and then hopped onto John Loehner's wheel as we hit the climb and worked our way out. As we crested the hill, I was now in a group of roughly 5 riders and maybe a mile to the end. The group immediately started juking for a sprint despite the leaders having already finished the race. I urged the group to keep working and be finished, which fell on dead ears, so I jumped to the front and pushed hard to get to the end. As we reached the last 100m one of the riders sprinted us and posted up for a silly not top-10 finish, and John (former Pro) and I commented on the poor tactics. In the end I finished a remarkable 18th place with a total time of 4:30:03. After getting off the bike and receiving the great finisher's medal, I talked with Erik and thanked him for working well with me for the last 1hr or so and congratulating him on the solid finish (he ended up 22nd).

At this point it was time to enjoy the after-party, which was made even better by the presence of my girlfriend and our dog Roscoe. Another good weekend in the books!

CRCA Bear Mountain Classic 2019 - P/1/2 Road Race

Another weekend of hard racing in the books, this time at the 2019 CRCA Bear Mountain Classic p/b Jamison Capital and Lucarelli & Castaldi firm. The P/1/2 race featured 6 laps of a ~14mi course (85mi total distance). The course featured a grueling 3mi climb, long stretches of wind-blown rollers, and a flying descent to the base of the climb (along with a sharp 180deg turn at the bottom to hit the climb!)

The field was supposed to be around 52 riders, including most of the biggest names in the NY-area. Given the course, I figured the race would be a battle of attrition, with the field working hard up the climb, then carrying the momentum along the remainder of the course to keep riders from getting back together. With this in-mind, my teammate Conor and I would try to stay toward the front and watch for any big moves. During the first lap, I was staying in the top-15 to be ready, and then moved with a few strong riders heading through the start/finish around 5th. We bombed the descent with riders jumping into the super-tuck. I was following a Clif-Vinyl rider as we approached the hairpin at the base, and unfortunately followed him into the grass as we over-shot the corner, so instead of staying in the lead of the field, we were now at the back. Since I had just spent the first lap up-front, I sat in for the 2nd climb and let Conor watch the lead. During the climb a Foundation rider managed to escape and shortly thereafter a Jamison rider jumped across as well.

As the field worked to bring back the leaders, we continued to shed some riders, and I noticed that it looked like another rider had escaped (later to learn it was actually 3 more riders, bringing the lead group to 5). As the field turned onto Lake Welch road (final 3.5mi of the lap), Bill Ash (Foundation) leapt off the front. The field, tired from the last bit of full-gas as we chased the leaders, seemed content to let him go as they recovered. I realized he was likely strong enough to bridge, and so I decided to risk it and jumped full-gas to try to bridge to Bill, figuring we could then work together to join the leaders. I spent the next 2.5mi in full time-trial and caught Bill as we hit the start/finish, and we worked together on the descent before being joined by another strong Cat1 (Keystone-Lupine) who had also jumped across. Our group of 3 worked together up the climb and had a serious gap forming, but kept the pace up to work toward the leaders (again thinking it was only 3 riders). We finally caught them at 1k from the start of lap 4. At this point we realized the new group: 2 Jamison riders including Geno (super strong rider), 2 Foundation (Bill and Baris who was the original escapee), 1 CS Velo racer, the Keystone-Lupine racer, 1 racer from Strangers, and myself. However, moments later, Baris' saddle clamp exploded and he was forced to stop. We were now 7 racers with 3 laps to go.

Our group was working together pretty well and as we finished lap 4, we were told we now had a 3min lead of the peloton. Things started to sour after we finished the 5th climb though, because we were now alerted that a group of 2 riders were 45sec behind us. Our group continued to work hard, however the 2nd Jamison rider was just hanging on the back (I originally assumed he was trying to save himself for the finale). As we turned onto Lake Welch road, we were now alerted that the chase was only 20sec back! This was the final nail in the coffin for our break, and moments later the CS Velo rider attacked. The Keystone-Lupine rider and Geno were able to jump across, I was ready to try but found that the legs were feeling pretty cooked, and as I looked at Bill he said he was toast. I noticed at this point the other Jamison rider was gone and the Strangers racer was also struggling. I managed to drag our group of 3 to the descent before the other riders helped again to get us to the start of the climb. At this point Bill and the Strangers rider were fully cooked and just barely hanging on as I worked up the climb.

As we approached the final 1/4 of the final climb, one of the chasing riders caught us - a CCB-Foundation racer. As he flew by I tried to hang on his wheel for a few moments before falling back to my controlled pace. Brief as it was, this was the end of Bill and the Strangers rider, and I was now solo in 5th place. I worked to keep the CCB racer in view as I continued to push along the back stretch of the course. My legs were definitely starting to rebel from the effort of the day, but I knew I was in a good place and forced myself to keep the pace up to get to the finish. As I turned onto Lake Welch for the final time, I was passed by the other member of the chase group - another CS Velo racer. He powered past me, and at this point my legs had nothing left to jump onto his wheel - now 6th place. I worked to the top of the big climb on Lake Welch and was then passed by Mike Margarite, again with nothing to chase him - 7th (uggh, losing spots!). Only 2mi to go of false-flat - keep moving legs!! Moments later I was caught by yet another rider (Unattached as far as I could tell) - I was able to hang onto him for a few moments before my legs reverted to jelly - and now I was 8th. Finally, I crested the hill and it was less than 1k to the finish line, mostly downhill. I jumped up a few cogs and turned over as big a gear as I could still push, worried that with all these single riders coming by that the field would catch me at any moment, and the work of being away all day would be erased in a moment. I actually made ground on the racer in front of me, however I still crossed the line in 8th place. Exhausted, aching, but done -  now I just had to find out if any of those other racers were Cat2. In the end, I was 8th place in a difficult field, and my hard work resulted in winning the Cat2 field! Another weekend on the top of the podium!

Photos by Ron Short (https://www.instagram.com/shortcycles/) and Mike Tan (https://www.instagram.com/the_michaeltan/)

CRCA Zach Koop Memorial Crit at Orchard Beach Park 2019

Hey Readers, sorry for the long hiatus from posting about bikes, racing and PT/Bike-Fit, but hopefully I can get back into a more regular posting schedule. Also, hopefully this race report will keep you entertained!


Men's Cat 2/3 Race
Per my Cat 3 teammate Cormac Daly (who just finished 2nd place in the Men's 3/4 race after his Di2 malfunctioned and he had to sprint from the 53/25) and watching the early races, today the chance of a breakaway win were big; It was cold, wet and windy, meaning that most racers were just trying to survive the race rather than compete for the win. The course was such that there was a solid cross-headwind on the finish straight and a cross-tail on the opposite side, along with the wet roads limiting the corners to a roughly controlled speed.

I made sure to be along the front right away, and sure enough a solid break of 4-5 formed pretty quick - Myself, Ben G (Blue Ribbon), Aaron B (NE Devo), and some dude in Rapha kit, and I think there was someone else who was there briefly. We pushed a few laps and then the Rapha guy pulled the plug, leaving the 3 of us. We were working together ok, although I was yelling at the other guys to keep their pulls smooth and to keep going hard to keep the pace up. I could see from looking across the center of the course that Bastien (Huge engine racing for E2Value) had jumped off the front of the pack, and saw he had someone working with him/hanging on, but couldn't make out the kit and I was more focused on keeping our pace going and trying to prevent the bridge.

Unfortunately Bastien eventually caught on and now it "seemed" like there were 4 of us trading pulls. We slowly caught the field and I quickly moved up through it figuring I might be able to sneak away again while the others sat in the field, unfortunately Bastien, Ben and Aaron all quickly were back with me and we were pulling away from the front of the field. After a lap or so, Bastien put in a deep pull and started pulling away. I was yelling at Ben and Aaron to keep the wheel and they both looked at me drained, so I had to jump solo. I was slowly working back to Bastien's wheel for the next 2 laps when he sat up and I assumed he realized we had a gap and was ready to work together, although as I caught him I heard him swearing and coming to a stop - he flatted his rear tire.

I was roughly 1/2 lap in front of the field with 15ish laps left, so I put the head down and fell into a smooth rhythm: 400-430ish watts into the wind, smooth top corner, 360-380ish with the wind down the back stretch, smooth corner, repeat. While working I would catch a look across the infield to see my progress (along with my teammate Mike yelling gaps at me from the sidelines) and was slowly adding time before I could tell the field lost interest and slowed down.

I caught the back of the field with about 5 to-go and realized I should just sit there safely off the back and easy pedal the last laps rather than get caught out in any scrum at the front - my win was already secure. With 2 laps to go, my teammate Conor jumped hard off the front of the pack - I assumed this was securing 4th place, and was surprised no-one even tried to go with him. He built a solid gap and held it to the line - only afterwards did I learn he was the hanger-on to Bastien's bridge earlier and he was also 1-lap up on the field like Ben and Aaron, meaning he had effectively locked up 2nd place without any sprinting at the line! I rolled in to the finish on the back and happily took the big W, and it was sweet to share the podium with Conor going 1-2 in the race!

Men's P/1/2/3
Lining up an hour after the finish of the 2/3 race, this one was a "see what you can still do" type effort - my legs were definitely a bit tight and I was a bit chilly from the weather, so I figured the good bet was to again stick toward the front and try to warm-up through some efforts. Right off the bat there were attacks and I just worked to stay in the front of the race and defend my position. After a few laps I was feeling better, however the legs were definitely still a little tired. I did a good job of holding my position and suddenly I was in a break with a gap on the field - Alejandro (Foundation), Margarite (Jamison), Myself, and a dude from Bike Habitat.

Our little group actually fell into a good rotation with everyone putting in decent efforts - the Bike Habitat guy definitely did the weakest/shortest pulls and also took the corners the slowest, so I noted he was likely the weakest link in our group and tried to avoid being on his wheel in case he accidentally opened a gap or ate it in a wet corner. We continued to pull away from the field and spent the majority of the race 1/2 lap up. This continued, with me making sure to meter efforts, but also ensure we stayed away.

Once the lap numbers popped up, I figured we were gold, and with around 10 to go, we were actually starting to close in on the back of the field. Realizing that Foundation and Jamison had guys in the field that could help those guys, I reduced my efforts quite a bit to make sure the gap to the field stayed open, leaving it to just be us four. I started really trying to get the right layout with 3 to go, and with 1 lap remaining, the positioning really started to play out. I ended up behind Alejandro going into corner 3 and realized he was going to have to go hard from the corner to have any chance, so I tried to time my jump and catch his tiny draft as well as I could. We were going full-gas up the straight and with about 50m to go, Margarite shot past me, but Ale managed to hold it to the line and I came through in 3rd - not too bad considering the company and having raced earlier in the day. Very happy with the performance and with 2x podiums over the day!

 

Photos Care of Bicycle Racing Pictures , PhotoRhetoric , Ron Short

Cyclist Strength Training

5 Strength Training Exercises to Integrate Into Your Cycling Training Plan

November 3, 2017  |  Nick Kanwetz |

Strength Training for Cyclists

The demands of being on the bike for extended durations, coupled with constantly turning over the pedals, brings to light the importance of functional strength for cyclists. Functional strength sounds like a bit of a buzzword, but it has real application in the world of endurance sports.
Strength training isn’t often associated with endurance, but we believe there are real benefits to be gained from integrating strength training into your cycling training plan.

Prioritize Your Training to Align with Your Goals

Are you primarily a weightlifter or a bike rider? Prioritize what’s most important. Although strength training has its application in cycling, don’t let the fatigue from your strength training impact the success of your cycling training and compromise your recovery.
This is one reason we recommend spacing your strength training workouts as far apart from your cycling workouts as possible. For example, if you do your cycling workout in the morning, it’s best to tackle your strength training routine in the evening.

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment

If integrating strength training into your cycling is new to you, there is a transition period of becoming accustomed to the shift in training load and emphasis. And like all forms of training, this is a progressive process.
If after a few weeks all you’re noticing is heavier levels of fatigue, it’s time to switch things up. Periodize your strength training much the same as your bike conditioning is periodized. This periodized structure typically follows a progressive structure that can fit nicely in your cycling training plan.

Integrating Strength Training into Your Cycling Training Plan Throughout the Year

The types of strength training you perform will depend on where you are in the Base, Build, and Specialty training phases. Where most cyclists misunderstand strength training’s application is by assuming it is only useful during the off-season. But really, strength training should take place on a year-round basis.
An early adaptive phase and period of max-strength transition training typically occurs in the off-season. Primarily you’ll do most of your strength training in the Base Phase, where your training loads are lighter and important race days are still far down the road. Then when you move into the Build and Specialty Phases, strength training takes a bit of a backseat to the focus on cycling as you move into more of a maintenance phase with your strength training.

Cycling Disciplines that Benefit the Most from Strength Training

While all riders can benefit from reinforced positioning on the bike and improved strength, certain cycling disciplines are likely to see more, or different, benefits than others. An example is to consider is a mountain biker and a time trialist.
It may seem obvious that a mountain biker could benefit from strength training as they navigate technical terrain and physically challenging descents, but even a relatively static discipline like time trialing will greatly benefit from strength training. An aerodynamically efficient position usually comes at the cost of comfort and can be difficult to maintain over time. If you don’t have the strength to hold that aero position, you could be bleeding valuable time.

Strength Exercises for Cyclists

Spiderman Push-Ups

Trunk/core strength, or anything between the hips and the shoulders gains benefit from performing spiderman push-ups. Additionally, an added benefit is the element of hip flexibility attained through bringing each knee to its corresponding elbow.

Pistol Squats

Single leg strength and hip flexibility is the goal of a properly executed pistol squat. Following a progressive approach with the pistol squat is recommended as most athletes will have a difficult time safely executing a full pistol squat.

Side Planks

The core is largely engaged in the side plank, but when including variations on the side plank, you’ll gain the added benefit of increased core, shoulder, and tricep/bicep engagement as well.

Weight Exercises for Cyclists

Deadlifts

Hip and posterior chain strength are the main focus of a proper deadlift. The posterior chain essentially refers to any of the muscles along the backside of the body, meaning deadlifts can be very impactful for solidifying your comfort in positioning. It can be a process dialing in a proper deadlift, so be cautious.

Planking Rows (Renegade Rows)

Rows done in this push-up position integrates strength with stability. With the additional benefit to the “lats” (lattimus dorsi), and core, the ability to sustain proper position on the bike can become more manageable.

Conclusion

There are no hard and fast rules coupling your strength training with cycling training. We have had to experiment with what works, which is what has led us to these conclusions. At the end of the day, we each have individual physiology that accommodates differing rates of adaptation. By listening to our bodies and properly structuring our training, benefits can be gained from an integrated approach to strength and cycling training.

Fit Science 1 - Crank Length

Crank length: Forget leverage and power, it’s all about the fit

by Matt Wikstrom

September 6, 2017

Photography by Matt Wikstrom

TECH SUPPORTED BY GIANT

It’s almost inevitable that every road cyclist will start to wonder about the crank length they are using. It’s a topic that is surrounded by a lot of personal anecdotes and opinion, but how much formal testing has been carried out?
In this article, Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a look at research on the influence of crank length on the performance of road cyclists, and explains that the results are actually quite clear.

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There’s no denying the fascination that surrounds cycling equipment. For some, it is a matter of style and/or function; for others, it represents an opportunity for improving their performance. Given that there is a strong competitive aspect to cycling, it’s not surprising that the latter has been responsible for an incredible amount of innovation.
The whole notion of free speed and improved efficiency is compelling in an endurance-oriented sport like cycling. “Marginal gains” has become a popular catch-cry for coaches and bike engineers alike but the compulsion for re-visiting the design of any part of the bike and every piece of kit with the hope of finding free speed is decades old.

Cranksets have received a fair share of this attention. Originally made from steel, they have evolved from largely utilitarian creations to become lightweight and elegant. Aluminium alloy remains the most common construction material, however the last decade or so has seen the successful introduction of composites. The same period has also seen immense proliferation in axle and bottom bracket designs while chainrings have been getting smaller and using fewer bolts.
One thing has remained constant throughout all of this refinement: the length of the crank arms. It has hovered around 170mm since the inception of the safety bike at the turn of the 20th century, and with good reason: it’s long enough to serve as an effective lever yet short enough to remain within the range of motion of the human leg.
At one point, during the dominance of the English bike industry prior to World War II, an attempt was made to standardise crank length (6.5in/165mm) but road racers started to challenge that notion in their quest for an edge. Campagnolo’s new cotterless cranks, introduced in 1958, were distinguished by a generous range of sizes, 165-180mm in 2.5mm increments, and remained so for decades to come.
Interestingly, this range of crank lengths pre-dated much of the formal research on the impact of crank length on a cyclist’s performance. One early study was published in 1953; otherwise it wasn’t until the ‘80s and beyond that the issue was examined with any rigour.
While research on this topic may have been slow to start, it has received a lot of attention over the last 10-15 years and efforts are ongoing. As with any field of research, there has been some contention, and some of the results may run counter to conventional wisdom. I will discuss this in more detail below, but for those hoping for a quick answer, here it is: there is no evidence that crank length has an effect on a road cyclist’s power or speed.

The cranks as a lever

Any debate on the influence of crank length normally starts out by considering the problem in terms of simple physics. When viewed from this perspective, a bicycle crank is considered a lever, and hence, any increase in the length of the cranks has the potential to provide the rider with extra leverage.
While this approach does a lot to simplify the problem, it does not allow for the influence of biomechanics, which, as it turns out, is quite considerable. After all, there are three human-powered joints involved in driving each side of a crankset that require energy in extension and flexion, so there is more to the problem than simply calculating leverage.
Nevertheless, the influence of crank length on leverage for the drive train can be demonstrated under a set of very specific circumstances, namely from a standing start with a fixed gear over a short distance (100-200m). Then, longer cranks allow a rider to develop more speed than shorter cranks, even when the difference is as little as 2mm.
This kind of scenario is quite removed from road cycling, since riders spend most of their time seated and have the freedom to change gear ratios as they please. Under these circumstances, crank length has no effect on maximum power output, and indeed, near-identical results have been observed for a substantial range of crank lengths.
For example, Inbar et al. (1983) measured the mean and peak power output for 13 subjects during a seated 30s effort using crank lengths 125-225mm. While the authors identified an optimal crank length of ~165mm for this kind of effort, there was no significant change in power when cranks were as long as 200mm or as short as 150mm. Beyond that, there was evidence of a small decline in power for 125mm and 225mm cranks, however the losses were relatively small (2-5%).

Martin and Spirduso (2001) essentially repeated this study with 16 trained cyclists for a 3-4s effort and five crank lengths (120/145/170/195/220mm) with very similar results. The researchers noted a small decline (~4%) in power for the shortest and longest cranks, otherwise there was no difference between 145mm, 170mm and 195mm cranks.

Can a change in crank length save energy?

If crank length has no effect on power output for a road cyclist, can a rider save energy by changing the length of the cranks? Research on this question goes back as far as 1953 when Astrand measured oxygen consumption by cyclists riding a bike on a treadmill. Changing the crank length from 160mm to 180mm and 200mm had no effect on oxygen consumption whereas a change of tyres did.
Morris and Londeree re-visited this topic in 1997 with a group of six trained cyclists and found that a small change in crank length (5-10mm) increased oxygen consumption by up to 11% during a lengthy submaximal effort. However, it’s worth noting that the subjects in this study were required to maintain the same cadence (90rpm) for each crank length tested, which may have influenced the effort required.
Indeed, a subsequent study by McDaniel et al published in 2002 clearly demonstrated that the metabolic cost of cycling was largely dependent upon power output, cadence, and pedal speed. A switch between three crank lengths (145/170/195mm) during the course of this study actually had no effect on metabolic cost per se.
Ferrer-Roca et al. (2017) subsequently confirmed these findings with a smaller range of crank lengths (±5mm preferred crank length) while considering the effect on biomechanics, noting that longer cranks increased flexion and the range of movement required at both the hip and knee. This wasn’t the case for shorter cranks, leading the authors to recommend that where there is indecision, cyclists should opt for a shorter crank to reduce the risk of injury.

Wondering what crank length you’re using at the moment? Look on the back of any crank arm to find the length.

Does crank length really need to be optimised?

Based on the evidence presented above and elsewhere in academic literature, there does not appear to be a strong argument for optimising crank length for an individual, at least in terms of pure performance.
But there is more to cycling than simply generating power. There is the demand of maintaining a highly repetitive activity for long periods in the context of fluctuating loads. The bicycle itself is a highly symmetrical machine while the human body is typically asymmetrical, so the potential for uneven loading is enormous and injuries are common.
In fact, a high proportion of cycling injuries relate to overuse for both recreational and professional cyclists. The legs are commonly affected, especially the knees, and while the causes are many and varied, the most common prevention strategy is to modify the rider’s position on the bike.
This is where the optimisation of crank length becomes important. While the position of the saddle can be adjusted to suit the overall reach of the legs, the length of the cranks largely dictates the range of motion. As a result, bike-fitters have come to view crank length as an important parameter that can be optimised for every individual. While this optimisation probably won’t improve the performance of the rider in terms of measurable power, it can add to comfort and prevent injuries.

A formula for deciding crank length?

The current market offers a pretty generous range of crank lengths, starting as short as 160mm and extending to 180mm, often in 2.5mm increments. In addition, there are a few manufacturers offering custom-built cranks outside this range, so it is possible to fit significantly shorter (e.g. 130mm) and longer (220mm) cranks to any given bike. Thus, there are plenty of products available for optimising crank length, but how does a rider to decide on a specific length in the first place?

Longer cranks can make a difference, but only for short sprints from a standing start with a fixed gear ratio.

While it is generally acknowledged that crank length should increase with the height and leg length of the individual, the exact association remains vague at best. One early study (1976) experimented with different proportions of crotch height and concluded that ~20% was the most suitable. Decades later, Martin and Spirduso (2001) arrived at much the same recommendation (20% of leg length).
A variety of other formulae have been proposed over the years ranging from simple equations to more complicated approaches. Each formula is an attempt to describe an association between measurable parameters (e.g. leg length) and a functional outcome based on a finite number of subjects, so a lack of consensus really isn’t surprising. Nevertheless, they have found favour because of the ease they offer, but in strict terms, they do little to settle the matter.
That’s because crank length is part of a system of hinges and levers that must operate in the larger context of an individual’s biomechanics. Most of these formulae fail to consider this at all, effectively isolating the issue from all other considerations, and for this reason, it is probably best to view any result as theoretical at best.
While any of these formulae might provide a starting point for further investigation, it makes more sense to get some advice and direction from an experienced bike-fitter, if only because cranksets tend to be quite expensive.

It’s all about the many aspects of a rider’s fit

Stewart Morton has over 10 years experience as a bike-fitter and he still considers crank length a can of worms. “For the most part, by understanding a rider’s cycling goals and their riding discipline, and assessing their body (flexibility, joint range, injury), I can figure which crank length might be most appropriate.”

“For those in the middle of the bell curve for height then 167.5-175mm cranks will work. The industry has done a pretty good job using anthropometric studies to create bike models with size-appropriate crank lengths,” said Morton.
Thus, in some circumstances, there is no need to change the cranks, and in others, it’s possible to accommodate the rider’s preference for a specific crank length. “Whether a rider runs longer or shorter cranks, I will still aim to get the knee extension and saddle placement neutral to allow injury-free and efficient pedalling.”
Morton also understands that a change in crank length can allow the rider to safely assume a more aggressive position on the bike without discomfort or the risk of injury. “Ironman athletes are running shorter cranks — down to 155mm, in some cases — to help maintain a healthy hip angle as they rotate their bodies around the bottom bracket,” said Morton. “They can move forward and lower the front end of the bike and still make a good transition off the bike for the run.”
Ryan Moody spends his days deciding the final fit for Baum’s custom-built bikes. “I try to put anyone on the longest crank possible within their range of movement to use the muscle mass they have,” he said. “This is especially important for strength-oriented riders. For those riders with greater cardiovascular strength, a shorter crank works better because they tend to ride at higher cadences.”
Deciding on the crank length is not a simple matter, though. The handlebar and saddle position can influence how well the legs are moving, as can the cleat position. Moody’s ultimate goal is to achieve a clean motor pattern for the entire pedal stroke and has found that even minor changes (1-2mm) to the position of a contact point can have a profound effect.

And because he is not working on modifying an existing bike, he is free to customise the geometry of the frame to accommodate each part of the bike, including the cranks. “The bottom bracket height should suit the length of the cranks, especially if they are longer than normal. Putting a long crank (180mm) on a bike with a low bottom bracket will cause problems with pedal strike when cornering.”
Interestingly, Moody also sees crank length as having an effect on the way that a rider can balance their weight on the bike. “A typical male is top-heavy because of their upper-body strength and a longer crank can help them keep it balanced over the handlebars. It’s the opposite for females, who don’t have the same kind of upper-body mass, so a shorter crank is often better.”
Both Morton and Moody are generally happy with the range of crank lengths available and consider 2.5mm increments adequate for their needs. Nevertheless, there may be a growing need for shorter cranks (155-160mm), and not just for Ironman athletes.
“The cycling culture is changing and it’s no longer all about reasonably tall men with lots of leg strength,” said Moody. “A lot of women need shorter cranks for a better fit on their bikes, shorter Asian populations too, but I don’t see crank lengths getting smaller on mainstream bikes yet. These are the kind of riders that are going to benefit most from a change in crank length.”

Summary and final thoughts

The biomechanics of cycling is complex and multi-faceted, so concentrating on a single aspect, like crank length, is bound to suffer from oversimplification and generalisation. Nevertheless, academic researchers have managed to examine this issue with growing sophistication over the last few decades to better understand the influence of crank length on the performance of cyclists.
On balance, the weight of the available research indicates that crank length does not influence the speed, power or efficiency of a road cyclist. What is more important is how the cranks are used, and this is where the training, experience and intrinsic capabilities of the rider make all the difference.
For those riders that have been tempted to try a different crank length based on the promise of extra leverage and perhaps increased efficiency, there are no such gains to be made. The cost of a new crankset will be better spent on formal training with a coach.
By contrast, those cyclists that have been suffering with a recurring overuse injury may find relief with a change in crank length, but this is not something that should be attempted through self-directed experimentation. A trained bike-fitter with extensive experience is likely to take less time and arrive at a more robust solution because they possess the understanding and objectivity to judge a cyclist’s position on the bike.

Author’s note: While links to some of the primary research papers on crank length have been provided in this post, it is far from an extensive review of the literature. In addition, it is not always possible to access original research without a subscription. For those hoping to read more of this research, I’d recommend visiting a university library that has a strong commitment to biomechanics.