Pulling back to round out pedal stroke.

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I remember from Lemonds book that he recommended pulling backwards a bit starting at 3 o'clock in the down stroke, like you are wiping your feet on a mat, in order to"round out" the pedal stroke and in the long run increase power.

What is your opinion on this? I know several guys that say this is BS and only focus on pushing.

I know that Carmichael is a big believer in this and adds that one should also try to push "up and over" the top of the stroke too.

I am slowly getting more used to this circular action. I find that I can increase my speed on the same stretch of road on different days with the same gear using this technique. I have managed to peep over 40kph and reach 43kph.

So it's either,

1) I am just hopeless previously.
2) My legs are getting stronger.
3) Gravity/wind gets stronger on some days.

But I am a believer. ;)

I like the quote feature in this forum, saves one from having to rewrite sooo much :)

Not only is 'circular' pedalling overrated, the evidence appears to be against it -- in general, all the research that had examinded actual pedal forces tends to show that less good cyclist are more 'circular', while better cyclists simply stomp down harder.

As i said in another thread i would not worry about how you pedal (for the vast majority -- MTBers are an exception due to issues of steep and slippy hills) -- all you want to do is aim to produce the greatest power over the duration of your ride

ric

If you need to close a gap in an instant and are only at about 80-85% of your effort, a few scoops will help you increase your r.p.m. rate and give your bike a increase in speed before you shift. I am a firm believer in good circular effieciency before you get those top end pistons pushing down.

I believe it and practise it. I only weight 130lb to 135lb. How many times I can stomp on the pedals and still able to hold my FT at 85% for 2 hours??? I only deliberatly stomp down when I need to keep my power range higher on a up hill section in order to maintain some good speed. Sometimes when my legs do feel good I just don't feel a thing when really stomping down on the pedals though. :p

I remember from Lemonds book that he recommended pulling backwards a bit starting at 3 o'clock in the down stroke, like you are wiping your feet on a mat, in order to"round out" the pedal stroke and in the long run increase power.

What is your opinion on this? I know several guys that say this is BS and only focus on pushing.

I know that Carmichael is a big believer in this and adds that one should also try to push "up and over" the top of the stroke too.