Critical thinking in cycling
Why learn from an idiot?
What started out as a web site about bike fitting and pedal stroke has turned into a long term research project on critical thinking. In my years of coaching I have struggled to get athletes to actually watch and understand what they are really doing. In past pedal stroke programs I have required participants to set up a camera at their side of their trainer so they could observe themselves. My estimate is that maybe 2% actually did that. Learning that you're not doing things correctly can make you feel like an idiot, but it's where learning begins. Learning is a corrective process. You observe what you are doing, you see the errors, you make corrections. The idiot you're learning from is yourself...
My program is for those who are willing to observe what they are actually doing to improve. It involves a number of steps:
1) Bike fit. Bike fitting is interfacing a machine with good quality control (the bike) with a machine with horrible quality control (the human body). If the bike fit doesn't work, no level of skill or fitness on the part of the rider is going to work. The bike fitting is also where I introduce where the body weight is supported (on the pedals) and which muscles push the pedals and/or support the body weight. The bike fitting is where my program starts.
I do my bike fittings at Belmont Wheelworks. The shop gives me access to parts needed in fitting (handlebars, stems, saddles, pedals...) as well as a service department for more complex changes. Scheduling is done from the Wheelworks website (www.wheelworks.com) under services.
2) Pedal stroke work. People have different goals and expectations, I can only offer what I have found to work in the past. The starting point is always critical thinking - setting up the training area so you can observe what you're really doing. Scheduling for the pedal stroke classes will happen in October.
3) Riding skills. Bike riding is more than just turning the pedals. Back when I was assisting John Allis in coaching the Harvard team, we ran skills weeks. Each week we would cover a different riding skill. This is something that I can't teach on a trainer, this happens on the road (or in a field if the skill is contact).
4) Rides. I couldn't call this critical thinking if I didn't observe my students riding their bikes. My real (selfish) reason for this program is to create a cycling community that I can ride with.