Biomechanics of Cycling

Transcription

1 Biomechanics of Cycling

2 Rodrigo R. Bini Felipe P. Carpes Editors Biomechanics of Cycling 1 3

3 Editors Rodrigo R. Bini Laboratório de Pesquisa do Exercicio Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul Brazil Felipe P. Carpes Applied Neuromechanics Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences Federal University of Pampa Uruguaiana Brazil ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

4 This book is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Antônio Carlos Stringhini Guimarães who was our first supervisor and a passionate by biomechanics and cycling. Prof. Guimarães gave us the opportunity to study cycling and involved us with his passion on this unique sport. Sadly, Prof. Guimarães died after being hit by a car when cycling his bicycle in a morning of October We hope this book somehow accomplishes his wills

5 Foreword Recent decades have witnessed a remarkable expansion in the knowledge and application of biomechanical principles to the sport and exercise of cycling. There has been wide publication of new experimental findings in the biomechanics of cycling. Cycling coaches and cyclists have been quick to realize the importance of acquiring new biomechanical cycling knowledge that they may put to effective use. New findings often prove to be invaluable for the enhancement and safety of cycling performance. In that regard, biomechanics through their research have sought for ceilings in cycling responses in an attempt to identify those factors that limit or enhance cycling efficiency. Their work, discussed in this text, provides fresh understanding on how numerous personal and environmental variables contribute to cycling excellence. One goal of this text is to meet the growing need for a comprehensive presentation of contemporary cycling biomechanical knowledge which will positively influence the activity of cycling in a global fashion. To achieve this goal this text bridges the gap between the scientist and the cyclist. In doing so it becomes a valuable resource for cycling coaches and cyclists. It also provides useful cause effect insight for sports medicine practitioners and physical therapists that must address cycling-specific anatomical stress and injury. The general aim of this text is to afford the reader with an up-to-date foundation for understanding the biomechanics of cycling. To accomplish this, the focus of text is on promoting an understanding of the biomechanical principles that govern the effectiveness of cycling. Biomechanical fundamentals within the conceptual framework of cycling performance are reviewed. Throughout the text the authors provide interpretation of research findings and their application to cycling efficiency and safety. An effort has been made to keep the text as concise and clear as possible yet as comprehensive as necessary. Illustrations and examples are commonly used to clarify and further explain biomechanical issues. For clarity and understanding, the most striking graphic presentations and illustrations are employed. Sufficient detail is presented for those who may lack a strong biomechanical background. To facilitate a better understanding of some of the biomechanical events encountered during cycling, a certain amount of basic physics is included. Concepts are presented in a clear and straightforward style. Using this format, the reader is presented with the necessary knowledge skills and technology to identify the critical aspects necessary to experience cycling success. vii

6 viii Foreword The text is organized into 10 chapters with each chapter beginning with an introduction to the topic of discussion and ending with conclusions and practical applications that place theory and knowledge into practice. The uniqueness of this text is the inclusion of cycling overuse injuries, and their prevention. Acute and chronic adaptations to the peculiarities of cycling are reviewed and discussed. Each chapter of the book contains extensive practical applications, including equipment and procedures to evaluate cycling performance. Biomechanics instrumentation used for quantitative analysis are illustrated and described. Unique to this text is Chap. 9 that includes an example research design that compares two types of pedal force feedback during 4-km time trial training on a bicycle ergometer. I firmly believe this text will be a valuable addition to libraries of those who perform cycling research, engage in clinical practice related to exercise science, practice sports medicine, serve as cycling coaches or are professional, amateur or recreational cyclists. It is hoped that the information presented will entice you to seek additional knowledge in this exciting area of the biomechanics of cycling. Irvin E. Faria, Ph.D., FACSM

7 Preface Research became part of our lives in the early stages of our undergraduate course when we had the opportunity to be involved with studies on biomechanics of human motion. The nature of motion at that time involved cycling and questions on how we could improve the configuration of bicycle components in order to enhance performance of cyclists was around. We ended learning more on the biomechanics of cyclists than we could imagine but there were always lots of questions that no study we found on the literature could explain. For that reason we kept going towards a clearer understanding on why and how humans could take their best during bicycle riding. More than 10 years after that time, we had the opportunity to provide our perspective on the biomechanics of cycling. We do not expect that this book will become the final word, although some experts believe that research on cycling biomechanics is a dead issue. A counter argument is that day after day cyclists come up with different strategies on their pedaling that we cannot easily explain how it works. We then go back to our laboratories and do research to see how much effect a novel setting could have on varying parameters associated to performance or injury prevention. In the end, I am not expecting to see a final word because creation of new methods is potentially a continuum. We only expect that cycling in future years could elicit a better interaction between cyclists and their bicycles then in the past. We expect that this book should provide a primary source for new students in the field of cycling biomechanics and hopefully an update for those who have been involved for a long time. The aim was to provide an overview of the complex interaction between the bicycle and the human body and we are certain that there is more to say on cycling biomechanics apart from the contents in this book. To accomplish this goal, Dr. Felipe Carpes, a very long-term fellow and friend, helped me to take together ideas and content in order to have a book that could be used as a stepping stone for those who are willing to get fascinated with the biomechanics of cycling. We also had important help from fellows who are coauthors of various chapters. Without their support we would not have completed the hard work of finishing this book. ix

8 x Preface Finally, we hope this book improves the link between practice and science in cycling, given that most of the time there is a long bridge between empirical knowledge of cyclists and coaches and evidence from research in this field. Porto Alegre, Brazil, January 2014 Rodrigo R. Bini

9 Acknowledgments We thank all reviewers who provided feedback on the very early stage of this book. Their inputs helped us to increase the quality of our book in its various chapters. They were all experts in biomechanics and/or human movement sciences: Ms. Alice Cavalheiro Tamborindeguy Dr. Carlos Bolli Mota Dr. André Cervieri Dr. Cláudia Tarragô Candotti Dr. Cláudia Silveira Lima Mr. Fabricio Duarte Dr. Flávio Antônio de Souza Castro Mr. Frederico Dagnese Dr. Reginaldo Fukushi Mr. Ricardo Peterson da Silveira We thank Prof. Irvin Faria for his very kind opening words in this book and for all the support provided in many of our research projects. We thank all fellows who helped us during our undergraduate and graduate studies and all members of the Cycling Research and Study Group (GEPEC for their support. Rodrigo R. Bini Felipe P. Carpes xi

10 Contents 1 Introduction to Biomechanical Analysis for Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention... 1 Rodrigo R. Bini and Felipe P. Carpes 2 Measuring Pedal Forces Rodrigo R. Bini and Felipe P. Carpes 3 Muscle Activity Rodrigo R. Bini and Felipe P. Carpes 4 Joint Kinematics Felipe P. Carpes, Rodrigo R. Bini and Jose Ignacio Priego Quesada 5 Kinetics and Pedaling Technique Rodrigo R. Bini and Mateus Rossato 6 Non-traumatic Injuries in Cycling Rodrigo R. Bini and Thiago Ayala Di Alencar 7 Bicycle Types and Sizes Rodrigo R. Bini, Frederico Dagnese and Julio Kleinpaul 8 Optimizing Bicycle Configuration and Cyclists Body Position to Prevent Overuse Injury Using Biomechanical Approaches Rodrigo R. Bini, Patria A. Hume, James Croft and Andrew Kilding 9 Pedaling Technique Changes with Force Feedback Training in Competitive Cyclists: Preliminary Study Rodrigo R. Bini, Patria A. Hume and James L. Croft 10 Technology in Cycling Rodrigo R. Bini and Felipe P. Carpes xiii

11 xiv Contents Editors Conclusion References Index

12 Contributors James Croft School of Physical Education, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand Frederico Dagnese Portal Fitness Centre, Santa Maria, Brazil Thiago Ayala Di Alencar Studio Bike Fit, Fisio Vitale Clinical Centre, Goiania, Brazil Patria A. Hume Sports Performance Research Institute, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand Andrew Kilding Sports Performance Research Institute, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand Julio Kleinpaul São Francisco de Barreiras Faculty, Barreiras, Brazil Jose Ignacio Priego Quesada GIBD (Research Group in Sports Biomechanics), Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain Mateus Rossato Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil xv