IMPROVING CYCLING

In the beginning, postural assessments were mainly requested by particularly ambitious cyclists. Recreational cyclists did not dare, thinking falsely that they were not good enough for that or that they did not need it. This has changed a lot, especially in the last decade, with the growing number of cyclists and the understanding of the importance of a position adapted to practice.

For this reason, a serious, professional postural assessment is inescapable. It is reported that 85% of cyclists could be victims of overload injuries. When we count the number of crank turns in one hour (5.400 for a pedaling frequency of 90 rpm) and the number of hours we like to spend on the bike, we quickly understand that a bad fit can cause some damage.

The postural assessment also aims to prevent this type of injury. In case the damage is already done, it can help to detect the cause. It is therefore often an essential stage of treatment because treatment limited to symptomatology is most often doomed to failure. If the diagnosis has been made correctly and the prescribed treatment did not lead to a satisfactory result, it is often necessary to look for the causes of the cycling patient’s complaints elsewhere: at the level of his bike and his settings; also by examining his technique.

His (her) optimal and biomechanically correct position will be oriented by his or her:

  • morphological characteristics (height, flexibility, measurements, asymmetries, …)
  • stability (having powerful legs but poor stability of the pelvis and the trunk is like firing a cannon from a canoe)
  • traumatological history (direct traumatisms, overload injuries, surgery, …)
  • previous sports experience
  •  practice (from leisure to competition, road, mountain biking, triathlon, cyclocross, hiking, …)
  •  ambitions (short or long term)
  •  sensations (discomfort, pain, efficiency, …)
  •  the technique (the technique influences the position and vice versa)
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Postural assessment is not necessarily finished and should not be completed after the first session. You will inevitably change, evolve. You know it to have felt it. Your weight changes, your flexibility evolves during the day, your work and other activities influence your feelings. You make an extended break and you do not recognize yourself anymore and you no longer recognize your bike and your position.

In this sense, postural assessment is a journey, and I would be happy if we started it together.