OPTIMISING FIT FOR PERFORMANCE

Bike-fit guru Phil Burt explains how getting the right set-up can transform your riding

- Phil Burt

Phil Burt spent 12 years of his career as the head of physiotherapy at British Cycling, as well as being a consultant at Team Sky for five years. He now fits bodies to bikes at his eponymous studio, Phil Burt Innovation.

Here, he brings you (in his own words), a “no-BS guide” to improving your fit for performance gains. Over to Phil…

It might not be a solid piece of kit you can hold in your hands, but your position on the bike has a huge influence on your overall cycling performance and is arguably the cheapest and most effective upgrade available.

Despite this widely known phenomenon, this low-hanging fruit on the ‘marginal gains’ tree is more often left hanging there while time, effort and money are invested in far less rewarding activities and kit.

Here’s a look at ways you can optimise your performance through bike-fit…

Optimise power production

Being able to increase your power output will no doubt pay dividends in speed, and to do this I start with the engine room: saddle position.

Saddle height and setback are the Holy Grail of power. You only have to look at the most powerful cyclists to see this.

Track sprinters ride perched as high and far forward as they can be, allowing for plenty of hip extension.

The strongest muscle group in your body is your glutes (hip extensors) and to use them most effectively you need to be up and above the bottom bracket.