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Indrek Rannama, a sports didactics researcher at Tallinn University notes that in order to make riding more comfortable and increase one’s performance, more than regular intensive training is needed. We need to adjust and calibrate the bike, and exercise other parts of our bodies.

They say riding a bike is easy and once you’ve learned it, you will not forget it as long as you live. Riding a bike is indeed easy until we want to ride it at high speed, or for a longer time. This increases the demand to our bodies, which is why top cyclists exercise for hundreds of hours and ride thousands of kilometres every year.

However, does riding itself help us become fast and durable? Those who have been on long rides know that fatigue and aches in the back, hands and legs are common. Unlike most ways of transportation, the rider’s movements are limited on the bike, as they have to maintain constant contact to via five points: the handlebar, the pedals, and the seat. The distance between these points sets our body position, and thus the strain on various body parts and the amount of work our muscles have to do.

For example, the height of the seat determines the application of the potential force in our leg muscles into the pedals, and thus to the movement of the bike. If the saddle is set too high, there is increased pressure to our gluteal muscles, and extra tension on our hamstrings and back muscles. A saddle that is too low will overload the front muscles of the thigh, and cause pain in the knees. If we move the seat to the front, or lower the handlebar too much, our body weight is put on our hands, causing fatigue in our hands, as well as tensions in our necks and shoulders.

As with every co-operation, setting the bike up to match the rider is not enough – the cyclist must also work to adapt to the riding position. This is not all down to hours in the saddle – without any additional exercise, our bodies lose the ability to adapt, as the muscles needed to propel the bike become stronger, and the muscles that hold us in position become shorter and weaker.

Research conducted at Tallinn University using top athletes shows that the support muscles of cyclist are rather weak at the end of a competitive season. By exercising the body and especially the pelvic area, it is possible to raise one’s capability and mechanical effectiveness by up to 10% within a few months.

Thus, becoming a better cyclist is not all about buying an expensive bicycle and riding it for hours. You need to calibrate the bike, and spend 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a week exercising your support muscles. This will make you faster and more comfortable, as well as less prone to pains and aches.