• Your cleat is not positioned properly so your foot is twisted in the pedal
• Your ankle has to rotate inwards or outwards to accomodate the alignment of your foot and can cause the ligaments in your ankle to overwork and become inflammed
• Your shin bone twists to accomodate the way your ankle has to align itself. This causes the joint in your knee to start moving up and down in the wrong way which can lead to, in some cases, severe pain in or around your knee
• Your pelvic has to tip forwards or backwards to bring your hip into a position where your knee can do it's job. This can cause hip, back, groin and gluteal pain amongst other things

This is a full analysis of your biking setup as well as some of the basic elements of technique while you’re cycling. It will be conducted at TriExercise in Haverfordwest and will involve a video analysis of you whilst cycling. This is important as you may sit differently on your bike when you’re moving compared to when you’re static. From this we can make recommendations on adjustments to make to your bike that will give you the most benefit.

The process will start with a physical assessment measuring:

• ·         Your flexibility
• ·         Your height and reach
• ·         Relative leg-torso length
• ·         Shoulder width

Once this is done your bike will be attacked to the instore turbo trainer and you will warm-up for 5-10 minutes. This is also important as your position can change again when you’re warmed up compared to when you’re stiff and cold. After this we will video you:

• ·         From both sides and front and back
• ·         At different intensities where relevant (if you’re a racer or triathlete we’ll video you at low intensity and race pace)

We will then review these videos at slow speeds. We can align all 4 videos so that we see you cycling from all angles at the same time. From here we can measure:

• ·         Knee angle (e.g. saddle height)
• ·         Shoulder and elbow angles (e.g. reach)
• ·         Knee position relative to bottom bracket (e.g. saddle front to back position)
• ·         Torso angle (e.g. aerodynamic profile)
• ·         Technique and biomechanical actions (e.g. ankling, hip rocking, torso movement, shoulder position and anything else that should or should not be happening)

We will make the adjustments necessary to your set-up and analyse you again. We will change one thing at a time to see how it affects everything else. This has proved to be the most effective way to do it because it offers greater accuracy compared to making every adjustment at once which can cause more problems in the process.

Expect this to take 60-90 minutes.

This is followed up by fitness testing with Nick Brown. The ramp test is undertaken using the Wattbike. The Wattbike is a unique stationary training bike, endorsed by British Cycling, that monitors 39 different parameters at up to 100 times per second. The key parameters most frequently used are power, heart rate, cadence, force at different points of the pedal stroke and variations in force between left and right legs. The Wattbike also measures efficiency of the pedal stroke.

The ramp test involves cycling at increasing power output from a starting point of 100 watts, increasing by 25 watts every 2 minutes. The test is usually taken to exhaustion and it is possible to get a good idea of maximum heart rate if the rider is prepared to push hard enough in the last stage. Power is plotted graphically against heart rate. The test can be used to track changes in fitness over time. It is also possible to look at any imbalance between the left and right legs.

Pedal efficiency is measured which gives a direct measurement of how much power, generated during the pedal stroke, is lost due to poor technique. During the warm down following the test there will be an opportunity of trying different pedalling techniques to improve efficiency.

The test takes around 15 to 20 minutes to complete but the session is usually an hour long. Results are provided and include a graph of heart rate against power, plotted together with a graph of efficiency against power. A table of heart rate training zones can also be given, based on the assessed maximum heart rate and the British Cycling 6 zone system.

The benefits of this are huge. It will allow you to properly structure your training in a way that will give you the maximum benefits for the time you can put in.

Optional- £65

Follow-up 6-12 weeks later. This involves a repeat of the above process after you’ve had time to get used to your new biking position and apply the training that the RAMP test has suggested for you. This follow-up is hugely beneficial because not only could you make more performance gains by improved bike set-up your training zones can change as you get fitter. If you want to make the most progress possible then this is the option for you.

This is really the best of the best as far as cycling technique and training are concerned.  Here you’ll get all the great features from the Silver package AND with a 12 week training plan tailored to your needs included. We’ll also include a follow up 6-12 weeks later to see how you’ve progressed. If you’re serious about improving your performance and really hitting your potential then this is the package for you.

Optional- £65

Along with the 12-week follow up you’ll also get ANOTHER 12 weeks training plan to build on what you’ve already done to that point taking you up to 24 weeks of specific training to really help you reach your goals!