Optimisation of starting conditions in track cycling

Abstract

Purpose Several factors may influence cycling performance and effort intensity during cycling competitions. The present study aimed to investigate the conditions that may influence the initial acceleration during the first 5 m of a cycling competition, particularly riding position, starting angle of the crank and hand position on handlebars. To this aim, eight male cyclists amateur were tested in laboratory and on track. Methods Surface electromyography was also used to verify the influence of upper body on muscle activity. Moreover, to verify the results, 59 professional cyclists were observed on the track using the same set-up. Results Standing position increased by 10 % the initial speed and acceleration compared to seated position. A starting crank angle of 71° and the position of the hands on the upper bar of the handlebar also improved the acceleration. The effects of these parameters were additive and, therefore, the acceleration with standing position and initial crank angle of 71° was about 35 % greater than that with seated position with an initial crank angle of 47°. Conclusions These effects were especially important when analysing the results of competitive athletes, which also showed better initial acceleration under spontaneously adopted optimal initial conditions. 2014 Springer-Verlag Italia

Influence of Initial Crank Positions and Jaw Clenching Activity on Cycling Performance

“…al. found that the acceleration at initial crank position of 71º was about 35% greater than that with seated position with an initial crank angle of 47º [4]. In evaluating the effect of the initial crank position on cyclist performance, perhaps, it is better to opt for acceleration or speed rather than the power output.…”

“…al have studied the effect of initial crank positions on cyclist speed and acceleration in track cycling performance. It was found that the acceleration with standing position and initial crank position of 71° was about 35 % greater than that with seated position with an initial crank angle of 47° [4].…”

Modifications in activation of lower limb muscles as a function of initial foot position in cycling

“…Such delay decreases with increasing initial crank position. According to the results, the optimal initial crank position resulted to be 71° (Padulo et al, 2014)). …”

Electromyographic analysis of riding posture during the bicycling start moment

“…Alterations in posture, such as changing from a seated to a standing posture, also result in changes in performance 5,6 . When cycling with a standing posture, a greater production of power output is developed for the same speed, presumably to manage the increased number of degrees of freedom of the lower limbs due to the loss of contact of the buttocks with the saddle 7 .…”

“…Surface EMG of the gastrocnemius medialis (GAS), tibialis anterior (TA), erector spinae (at L3 level; ES), and biceps brachii (BB) were recorded at 1500 Hz using pre-amplified bipolar silver-silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) sEMG electrodes. Previous studies have shown that the selected muscles play a major contribution to the production of power during sprint cycling exercises 6,11,18 . The disc electrodes had a diameter of 1 cm and inter-electrode distance of 2 cm.…”