Abstract
State-of-the-art biomechanical laboratories provide a range of tools that allow precise measurements of kinematic, kinetic, motor and physiologic characteristics. Force sensors, motion capture devices and electromyographic recording measure the forces exerted at the pedal, saddle, and handlebar and the joint torques created by muscle activity. These techniques make it possible to obtain a detailed biomechanical analysis of cycling movements. However, despite the reasonable accuracy of such measures, cycling performance remains difficult to fully explain. There is an increasing demand by professionals and amateurs for various biomechanical assessment services. Most of the difficulties in understanding the link between biomechanics and performance arise because of the constraints imposed by the bicycle, human physiology and musculo-skeletal system. Recent studies have also pointed out the importance of evaluating not only output parameters, such as power output, but also intrinsic factors, such as the cyclist coordination. In this narrative review, we present various techniques allowing the assessment of a cyclist at a biomechanical level, together with elements of interpretation, and we show that it is not easy to determine whether a certain technique is optimal or not.
Highlights
Cycling performance is dependent on the optimization of physiological, psychological and biomechanical parameters [1]
We present various techniques allowing the assessment of a cyclist at a biomechanical level, together with elements of interpretation, and we show that it is not easy to determine whether a certain technique is optimal or not
Garcia-Lopez et al [22] showed a positive correlation between the level of practice and the proportion of positive effective torques, and a negative correlation between the level of practice and the magnitude of the negative effective torques. These results suggest that elite cyclists generate more positive effective torques during the downstroke and pull on the pedal during the recovery phase to limit negative effective torques
Summary
Cycling performance is dependent on the optimization of physiological, psychological and biomechanical parameters [1]. The output that we call performance is a complex function of the inputs due to the complexity of muscle mechanics, the number of segments put in motion, or the limitations of our central nervous system in coordinating the degrees of freedom. The links between technique and performance are poorly understood One reason for this is the redundancy of the musculo-skeletal system [5], that is, several combinations of degrees of freedom can produce the same output in cycling. The presence of or the need to prevent acute or overuse injuries might influence the technique and limit the effectiveness of the forces applied to the pedals It has been shown, for example, that the output from the central nervous system is decreased in the presence of pain [10] and that movement kinematics can be altered by previous injuries [11]. Laboratory testing has been proven to provide accurate modeling and evaluation of the cycling performance and may even allow for the prediction of competition scenarios [6,15,16]
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