Wednesday night only two chicks and a husband showed up. It was time to try the first-of-the-season run at Shady Canyon. It started out a little cool, but we soon warmed up and after five miles began the ascent up the canyon. It was a beautiful evening, perfect temperature and very few people on the path to navigate around. Once we crested the top we had a blast flying down the well-deserved downhill that made the climb so worth it.
Everyone is doing a great job keep a quick cadence and although you don't always want to shift gears, you know you have them so you can avoid mashing big gears as the terrain changes. I thought it would be a good time to discuss pedal efficiency.
By increasing your pedal efficiency, you can get faster over longer rides, are able to be faster with less effort and ti will help strengthen muscles in the legs that improve balance and riding ability. Newer riders will begin to realize they can increase their power (with clipless pedals) by pulling up as well as pushing down. This is really pedaling in squares when you should be thinking of rotating in circles. If you concentrate on pulling your foot across the bottom you will immediately increase power. Think of it like trying to scrape gum off the bottom of your shoe as you pull it back just before the pull up into the next stroke.
Here's a link to good article on improving pedaling efficiency:
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Try_these_drills_to_improve_your_pedaling_efficiency
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