As we reflect on the 2024 season, it’s hard not to be inspired by some of the mesmerising performances we’ve seen on the roads and trails this past summer. From Pogi doing the Giro/Tour double AND winning the World Champs road race all in one year, Remco’s double Olympic gold medals, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s dominant MTB XCO Olympic gold, Ben O’Connor lighting up La Vuelta and Kasia Niewiadoma taking down the might of Demi Vollering and Team SD Workx at the Tour de France Femmes, it’s hard not to want to try and emulate whatever it is that these riders are doing to achieve these towering feats of athletic greatness.
Should we, though?
It’s no secret that there are significant sacrifices that pro riders have to make in order to even stand a chance at making it to the highest level. It’s a rare concoction of talent, hard work, years of consistency, a huge support network and a bit of luck that goes into performing on the world’s biggest stages. No stone is left unturned in the pursuit of any potential performance gain, and that also includes potential sacrifices to a rider’s longevity in the sport, as well as to their overall health.
Looking at this through a bike fitting lens, it’s interesting to see how riding positions and trends, in the pro ranks especially, but across all of cycling, have evolved over the years and how this now both advertently and inadvertently influences how we mortals interact with our bikes, through bike design & geometry, as well as trends.
If we used the man of the hour, Tadej Pogacar as an example (and I’m merely using him as an example of a much wider trend here), we can see how over the past few years his bike position has changed. Circa 2021, Pogi’s bike position was pretty decent – relatively centered over the bottom bracket, using forward rotation of the pelvis to cover distance from the saddle to the bars, more extended thoracic spine… pretty textbook stuff, likely resulting in a pretty balanced position, so far as muscle activation and stability are concerned.
Compare that with his position from the 2024 Strade Bianche however, and it’s a different story – his saddle is positioned much further forwards and tilted more nose down, as well as using narrower handlebars with a more extremely internally rotated hood position. The result? A more compressed and internally rotated position on the bike, with a more upright, posteriorly positioned pelvic position, more flexion through the thoracic spine, less open through the chest and a more quad dominant riding position.
All that being said, this very forward / flexed position seems to work out alright for him, so far as winning races goes. So, why don’t we all do this?!
Well, it’s a case of even if we could, does it mean that we actually should?
There are some considerations to remember when looking at pro bike positions, as well as the bikes they’re riding.
1. Paid To Suffer
These folks get paid to suffer, you do not. If cycling isn’t your full time job, and you have other life commitments such as work and family life to think about, chances are cycling is a part of your day that you look forward to, not something that should be dreaded in anticipation of any impending discomfort that you’re not at least partially (and ideally mostly) in control of as a result of your position on the bike.
2. Physical Capacity
It’s likely you do not have the physical capacity or functionality of a professional rider (no matter how strong you think you are) to be able to apply enough force through the bike for the desired duration of your ride to sufficiently support your weight on the bike without putting a lot of force through your upper body. If you position in too far forwards and your pelvis is in an unstable, quad dominant position, this can lead to things like, lower back pain, hip flexor issues, numbness in the hands and feet, knee pain, neck pain and excessive saddle pressure, to name but a few consequences.
3. Comfort?
Number three; stability is EVERYTHING. If your pelvis is in a stable position on the bike, and your feet are able to support you and transfer the force you’re generating through the pedals effectively, you and your bicycle will exist in holy matrimony. The bike has to create the environment for this to happen, but it’s also down to the capacity of the rider to get into these positions and maintain them. Push your position too far in the pursuit of aero gains that you don’t yet have capacity to hold, and you’ll have yourself a one way ticket on the fast train to a festival of pain. Don’t drink the aero Kool-Aid folks, it leaves a sour taste. Comfort (sustainability) + efficiency = speed.
4. Internal Rotation
Narrow bars and internally rotated hoods are very much de rigueur at the moment. Now I’m not against narrow bars, but only when they’re appropriate… ie, for narrow people! I’m much more into proportional bar width that allows for optimal functionality of the shoulders and the rider to have the movement option to create torque, and thus stability, through external rotation. Using a bar that is too narrow to allow the body to function optimally can internally rotate the shoulders more than necessary, which can often lead to excessive internal rotation of the hips, thus compromising both stability (which as we know, is very important!) and force production. Your 32cm bars might actually be costing you more watts than they’re saving! You’re also only as fast as you can stop. If your braking is compromised because your hoods (and thus brake levers) aren’t where they’re designed to be, you’re taking an unnecessary risk out on the open road.
5. Health Is Wealth
Last but not least, it is never worth compromising overall health and longevity in the pursuit of athletic performance, no matter what level you’re riding at. We get one body and mind, and they’re both with us for a lifetime. Abuse this now, and those decisions may well come back to bite in years to come. Whether this is concerning your bike position, how you train, your physical functionality, or your psychological/mental relationship with cycling and how that might impact your physical wellbeing, health is wealth and that cannot be overstated.
Conclusion
So, in summary, it’s great to watch the pros at the sharp end of the sport do their thing and we can no doubt be inspired by their achievements in order to strive towards our own personal progression. We should however, think critically about what might be best for our own cycling practice and overall health and wellbeing, rather than trying to emulate what we see on TV in the hope that the outcome will be similar.
Words by Mat (one ‘t’)
If you’ve made it to the end of this article, thank you and we hope it’s been useful for you to improve your ride!
If you have any questions on your bike fit journey get in touch, we’re always an open door and there’s no such thing as a silly question: info@foundation.fit
