Bike riding speed is influenced by three factors. Discover these factors and how they can affect your pedaling stroke.
1. Strength. Comparing your workout with that of a friend, you may be surprised to see that he or she is able to complete the same job with much less effort. This difference is due to the pedaling strength!
The strength is the factor influencing the speed that we can control easier. Every cyclist wants to learn how to improve their pedaling strength. It is obvious that increasing the force exerted will increase the speed.
- To increase your strength, try repeated low cadence strokes on level ground. After about 20 km of fast cycling, shift it in the lowest gear and go 1 km, shift up one gear and go 2, shift up another gear and go 3, shift up another gear and go 4 without interruption. At this point go 10 km at lower-cadence and repeat the main workout.
You should use a heart rate monitor and a cadence meter in order to keep under control both the heart rate (bpm) and the power (watts) you generate as you push the pedals.
2. Weight. There are two weights you need to consider: yours and that of the bike. Let’s consider two cyclists. The first weighs 80 kg and generates a power of 225 watts. This power allows him or her to move…
