Hi all, I have a biking 101 question. When I bike at the Y I have someone who enjoys coming up to me telling me how to bike. Recently he said "lead with your heel." Ummm.....huh? Please tell me he's wrong! Suzanne Sent from my iPhone

I'm not a fan of that phrasing because it makes it seem like a bigger adjustment than you really need, if you even need one at all. You should generally drop your heel a little past the flat plane (about 10 degrees from level maximum) on the downstroke in order to engage the hamstring. Visually it won't be very obvious, but you'll feel it at the end of your workout if you've not been using those muscles! Mark D On Sep 16, 2014 10:34 AM, "Suzanne Angelaccio" <sangelaccio@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > I have a biking 101 question. > > When I bike at the Y I have someone who enjoys coming up to me telling me > how to bike. Recently he said "lead with your heel." Ummm.....huh? Please > tell me he's wrong! > > Suzanne > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > Members mailing list > Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com > > http://list.springvalleymultisport.com/mailman/listinfo/members_list.springvalleymultisport.com >

Wouldn’t you be riding backward if you lead with your heel? Tell him you should lead with your toe, that’s the right direction to go when biking. From: Members [mailto:members-bounces@list.springvalleymultisport.com] On Behalf Of Mark Donovan Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 11:12 AM To: Suzanne Angelaccio Cc: members@list.springvalleymultisport.com Subject: Re: [SV Multisport] Biking question I'm not a fan of that phrasing because it makes it seem like a bigger adjustment than you really need, if you even need one at all. You should generally drop your heel a little past the flat plane (about 10 degrees from level maximum) on the downstroke in order to engage the hamstring. Visually it won't be very obvious, but you'll feel it at the end of your workout if you've not been using those muscles! Mark D On Sep 16, 2014 10:34 AM, "Suzanne Angelaccio" <sangelaccio@gmail.com<mailto:sangelaccio@gmail.com>> wrote: Hi all, I have a biking 101 question. When I bike at the Y I have someone who enjoys coming up to me telling me how to bike. Recently he said "lead with your heel." Ummm.....huh? Please tell me he's wrong! Suzanne Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ Members mailing list Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com<mailto:Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com> http://list.springvalleymultisport.com/mailman/listinfo/members_list.springvalleymultisport.com ________________________________ Montgomery County Community College is proud to be designated as an Achieving the Dream Leader College for its commitment to student access and success.

Hi Suzanne - When I am teaching spin class, I will often tell the class to dig with their heel as they approach the middle of the downstroke - as if they are scrapping gum off of the bottom of their foot - especially on a hill, to get more power. Perhaps this is what he is talking about. Ideally for smooth pedaling there should be a slight drop in the ankle on the downstroke and pulling up the ankle during the upstroke. However, there are a lot of articles out there regarding proper pedal stroke. I have included a few below for your reference. Hope this helps! http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/perfect-pedal-stroke http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/a-breakdown-of-the-cycling-pedal-stroke http://www.roadbikerider.com/cycling-science/perfect-pedal-strokes http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/six-ways-to-build-power-and-a-smooth-pedal-stroke Michelle Leonard Director, Business Operations Oncology R&D GSK 1250 S. Collegeville Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 19426-0989, United States Email michelle.m.leonard@gsk.com Tel +1 610 917 5980 gsk.com | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Flickr -----Original Message----- From: Members [mailto:members-bounces@list.springvalleymultisport.com] On Behalf Of Suzanne Angelaccio Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 10:35 AM To: members@list.springvalleymultisport.com Subject: [SV Multisport] Biking question Hi all, I have a biking 101 question. When I bike at the Y I have someone who enjoys coming up to me telling me how to bike. Recently he said "lead with your heel." Ummm.....huh? Please tell me he's wrong! Suzanne Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ Members mailing list Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com http://list.springvalleymultisport.com/mailman/listinfo/members_list.springvalleymultisport.com

Feet should be flat for most of your miles. If you have clips you should kick over the top and pull across the bottom. It's also OK to flex your ankle and engage your calf. This is a good way to rest your quad. Whatch a cyclist in a pro peloton pedal in slow motion to see what I mean. If you're sprinting, or out of the saddle then it's toes down. That means heal higher than toe. If you're climbing, it's toes down. Pedal as if you're dancing across a bed of hot coals. On Sep 16, 2014 11:35 AM, "Michelle Leonard" <michelle.m.leonard@gsk.com> wrote: > Hi Suzanne - When I am teaching spin class, I will often tell the class to > dig with their heel as they approach the middle of the downstroke - as if > they are scrapping gum off of the bottom of their foot - especially on a > hill, to get more power. Perhaps this is what he is talking about. Ideally > for smooth pedaling there should be a slight drop in the ankle on the > downstroke and pulling up the ankle during the upstroke. However, there are > a lot of articles out there regarding proper pedal stroke. I have included > a few below for your reference. Hope this helps! > > > http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/perfect-pedal-stroke > > > http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/a-breakdown-of-the-cycling-pedal-stroke > > http://www.roadbikerider.com/cycling-science/perfect-pedal-strokes > > > http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/six-ways-to-build-power-and-a-smooth-pedal-stroke > > Michelle Leonard > Director, Business Operations > Oncology R&D > > GSK > 1250 S. Collegeville Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 19426-0989, United > States > Email michelle.m.leonard@gsk.com > Tel +1 610 917 5980 > > gsk.com | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Flickr > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Members [mailto:members-bounces@list.springvalleymultisport.com] On > Behalf Of Suzanne Angelaccio > Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 10:35 AM > To: members@list.springvalleymultisport.com > Subject: [SV Multisport] Biking question > > Hi all, > I have a biking 101 question. > > When I bike at the Y I have someone who enjoys coming up to me telling me > how to bike. Recently he said "lead with your heel." Ummm.....huh? Please > tell me he's wrong! > > Suzanne > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > Members mailing list > Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com > > http://list.springvalleymultisport.com/mailman/listinfo/members_list.springvalleymultisport.com > > _______________________________________________ > Members mailing list > Members@list.springvalleymultisport.com > > http://list.springvalleymultisport.com/mailman/listinfo/members_list.springvalleymultisport.com >