Some people are fascinated by the word “technology,” while others yawn. But a lot can be said about technology. This is the basis of all athletic performance characteristics.
Techniques include enhanced skills. In the broadest and most general sense, this means eliminating unnecessary movements. move in the right direction. Add the force you need, but no more. Use muscles suitable for the activity. At optimal speed, if time is not an issue. Well, it’s a dry list. Still, the benefits of good technique and the consequences of bad technique affect training and performance. Far better drivers do it in too many places. (Check out the award-winning video online.)
Instead, I’d like to list some of the benefits of good technique.
efficiency
The main advantage of good technology is efficiency. Efficiency is the ratio of work done to energy expended. Efficiency increases when work is done better or energy consumption is reduced. Efficiency and engineering are closely related, as the principles of efficiency are very similar to those of engineering.
Many activities have optimal speeds. Up and down tariffs require more energy. The mechanism behind this is the accumulation of muscle elasticity that requires a minimum amount of time between muscle relaxation and contraction to prevent energy loss in the form of heat.
Superior technology requires less energy to pedal, less energy lost as body heat, and retains more mechanical energy for the next pedal stroke. Increased strength – functional strength.
Practice strengthens your driving skills and improves your efficiency.
constant speed
Constant speed also affects technique. Unintentional acceleration or deceleration due to poor engineering wastes energy. Holding a single cadence during a ride or course is usually not part of your training schedule.
But being consistent during a given period (a whole song or segment when you’re indoors) is a key technical skill that can increase your efficiency. Beatmatching (pedaling exactly to the beat of the music) is a great training tool for developing consistency.
What else affects efficiency? Efficiency may involve factors other than technology. For example, it may depend on the contractile properties of the muscle.
Slow twitch is more effective than fast twitch. It can be training-dependent, and increasing muscle efficiency can increase strength and endurance. For example, training with large equipment can improve the efficiency of fast-twitch fibers.
Other benefits of good technology
It feels good to be doing it with the right technique, probably because I’m using my body correctly. Proper technique also cuts a beautiful figure on the bike. In my master’s thesis, I compared the principles of technology and efficiency with those of movement aesthetics. Making movements precise and efficient also makes them beautiful.
Technology, therefore, leads to efficiency. This means less energy is wasted. The less wasted, the more energy is left for the more demanding parts of the ride and the classes that matter. And it looks and feels better while cycling.
Who can claim that you look and feel good on your bike, that you’ve completed a ride, and you want to do it again?
My coach used to say: Good driving skills are the key.
