Whether your riding in a race, sportive, audaux or century ride there are always times when you need or want to ride more economically. In order to finish your chosen ride strongly you’ll need to carefully manage your energy output in the earlier parts of the race.

In this post i’ll look at some ways you can improve the efficiency of your riding so that you can approach the end of your ride with some extra gas in the tank.

Control Your Pace

Probably the most important aspect of economical riding is the pace you ride at. On any endurance event such as a century  ride your aim should be to get to the finish as quickly as possible without blowing up on the way. As a result the pace you ride at, particularly in the first 2/3rds of the ride is crucial.

It is imperative to not start off too quick, run out of energy and suffer miserably in the final third. You should aim to finish your race strongly but feeling fatigued. Getting it just right take time and practice. Take some time in training rides to monitor your pace through metrics such as speed, heart rate or perceived effort.

In virtually every century ride, sportive or etape there will be a number of riders that allow the adrenalin of the big day get to them and start off too quickly. It may be incredibly hard to let them ride off in top the distance, leaving you behind pedaling away at what can seem a guiltily slow pace however there is a good chance you’ll pass them in 70 miles time lying on the verge, devoid of energy.

In my longer rides i always aim to ride the second half slightly faster than the first. Doing so enables me to reduce the risk that i’ll bonk part way through the ride. Come up with a strategy before your big ride and make sure you stick to it, no matter what the riders around you are doing.

 

Drafting

It is generally accepted that drafting a line of riders can save you up to 25-30% of you energy. Drafting behind a big group of riders (that you often get on century rides) can save you up to 40%. Therefore if you are looking to ride economically it is crucial to use drafting to your advantage and share much of the workload with your fellow riders.

When riding behind other riders the air pressure is lower, meaning you need to expend less energy to maintain the same speed as them. The bigger the bunch you are following the greater the effect. Just be sure to take your turn at the front of the group to avoid offending anyone!

Personally I try to not draft too much when out on training rides with friends, instead allowing them to draft behind me more. The reason is that I prefer the psychological advantage of knowing that i am working harder than them during training rides. Come race day when we all draft the same amount i know i should have more in the tank than them!

 

Pedaling Efficiency

Developing an efficient pedal stroke is another great way to increase the efficiency of your riding. Using a smooth, rhythmic, round motion as opposed to pulling up and down on the pedals with brute force will undoubtedly help you ride more efficiently.

One give away of an inefficient technique is when your upper body sways from side to side and your hips bounce up and down with each stroke. If you can head to the gym (or put a mirror in front of your turbo trainer) and assess your technique. Alternatively ask a ride partner to assess the movement in your upper body. Your head, shoulders and hips should be very still while pedaling.

Other great ways to improve your pedaling efficiency are to rides a fixed gear bike or to perform some one legged drills in the gym. To do these simply pedal on a stationary bike with a high cadence using only one leg – remove your spare leg from the pedal and place it over the axle. This will force your legs to work on the upstroke as well as the down stroke, improving the overall power output.

 

Position on the Bike

When riding along on flat terrain the main thing we are trying to overcome is air resistance (see the point above about drafting). However when we ride up hills, due to our slower speed the negative effects of air resistance are greatly reduced. Despite this it is more efficient to remain seated while climbing where possible.

In addition look at how time trialists focus on their body position to improve their aerodynamic efficiency. By lowering your riding position (ride more on the drops, less on the bars) can make quite a bit of difference when you’re riding over a hundred miles. Much of the success Lance Armstrong had in the Tour de France was down to improving his position on the bike and dominating time trials.

image by puliarf

As always, adjusting  your bike setup should be done in small increments in order to avoid efficiency. By riding in a lower position you’ll need to have a stronger core and back muscles so maybe add some cross training such as yoga to your training routine.

 

Carry Less Weight

It is easy to go out and spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on expensive new kit with the aim of reducing the weight of your bike. Think about how it would feel if you had to carry 3 x 1kg bags of sugar strapped to your back next time you went out for a training ride. Obviously 3kg can big a big difference so consider whether you can shed some weight from either you or your equipment.

Most of us would get far more value by improving our diet and cutting back on the alcohol and losing some excess weight we are carrying round rather than upgrading our bikes. Not only will losing weight make you lighter, if you do it via a sensible healthy diet you’ll end up being a much more efficient rider as a result.

 

Cadence

There is no hard and fast rules when it comes to cadence. Different riders have different styles. Lance Armstrong was renowned for his high cadence pedaling style while his arch rival Jan Ullrich used to mash huge gears at a very low cadence.

However as a general rule when pedaling at a higher cadence will take more strain away from the legs and place it on your bodies cardio vascular system. In your training experiment with different cadences to see what works best for you.

 

Tyre Pressure

The higher the pressure the less the rolling resistance. As a general rule I tend to run my tyres at about 120 psi in the summer (slightly less in the wet for added grip). Check the recommended pressure of the tyres you’re using and remember that the higher the pressure the quicker you’ll go.

 

Avoid Braking

Obviously  you should avoid slowing down unnecessarily while riding in order to avoid having to expend energy getting back up to speed. Try to focus more of your attention further up the field in order to anticipate changes in speed due to road conditions or other riders movements.

If you’ve ever ridden a fixed gear bike you’ll understand how anticipating whats happening in the road in front of you can help enormously to keep your pedaling smooth and consistent.

 

Maintain Your Bike

There’s no point in you pedaling efficiently if your bike is holding you bike. Ensuring your chain is tight, well lubricated and your gears are properly adjusted can add crucial efficiency to your riding.

 

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Burn Fat Not Carbs

When you ride at low intensities your body burns more fat than carbohydrates. Because the body can only store a certain amount of carbohydrates if we ride too fast for too long we’ll end up in a carbohydrate deficit and our performance will drop significantly.

By incorporating periods of low intensity base training into your training you’ll train your body to burn more fat than carbs. Over time this will mean you’ll be able to ride faster for longer before you hit the pain barrier, or in other words your cycling will become much more efficient.

 

 

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