A COMPARISON OF PEDALING MECHANICS IN EXPERIENCED POSE AND TRADITIONAL CYCLISTS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the mechanical differences between two experienced male Pose cyclists and traditional cyclists. Pose cycling requires a specific set-up that attempts to place the centre of mass over the pedal to increase the non-muscular force/power component during the downstroke. Results revealed that for the Pose cyclists the centre of mass was closer to vertically above the pedal when in the horizontal forward position. Non-muscular contributions to pedal power tended to be greater in the Pose cyclists compared to the traditional cyclists. In addition, we found joint differences in the power contribution to pedal power in the traditional cyclists who relied more heavily on contributions from the muscles spanning the knee joint, whereas Pose cyclists had greater ankle and hip power contributions.