Standing Acceleration Flats™
a. Purpose: To Increase your speed on the flats. This can be pushing the pace in a pull of yours, closing a gap in the group, or increasing your speed in a solo effort like a break away or a time trial.
b. 3 Points of Power:
Hands: Hand position should be so elbows are bent to allow chest to be very low, chin far over the front hub. Hand grip should be firm and equal on both hands while you bring elbows in to lock the core during the acceleration. Hands should be on the brake hoods or in the drops with the thumb doing most of the work in the grip. The heal of the hand should bear the majority of your body weight, not the center of your hand.
Core: Core is engaged signaled by bringing elbow in towards each pedal stroke. The side that the leg is down in the pedal stroke is the side where the elbow is in and almost touching the bottom of your rib cage. On the up stroke focus on pulling knees up using stomach and hip flexors.
Feet: All of your pedal stroke, down and up, should be center on the balls of your feet. On the down stroke you are driving your pedal stroke down on the ball of your foot (heals up, toe down) by dropping your body weight into it. On the upstroke you are are curling the bottom of the stork with your toes, on the balls of your feet, and then pulling your heals up with your hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
c. Center of Gravity: Your center of gravity should be low and forward on the bike, with the chest over the stem/chin in front of front hub. This is to allow you to drop your body weight into each downstroke instead of holding it up with your arms while being very aerodynamic. Triceps are the arm muscle that controls your center of gravity in this position.
d. Optimal Cadence: 85 - 95 rpm
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