To clear up the experiment that I mentioned yesterday. Drew and I have been brainstorming some new ideas for bike fits. Somewhere along our quest we began thinking about cleat placement. Drew came across one of Joe Friel's posts on cleat positioning. Friel who is the self-proclaimed author of the bibel (training bible) claims his power-heart rate ratio went up 9% with his cleats placed just under his arch.
So...we began our experiment with some Shimano spd cleats on one of my old pairs of road shoes (above). With a drill and a little of his mechanic magic, Drew drilled a new slot near the arch of the carbon sole.
I started out on my Soloist, but the seat would have to be lowered. For optimal power the saddle would also have to be as close to 90 degrees as possible, and the entire cockpit brought foward accordingly. Instead we switched over to the P3 I used in Hawaii which was still configured to my fit. We only had to drop the saddle height slightly and drop the nose of the saddle as well.
Pedaling with such a dramatic cleat change would definately take some getting used to. As stated in friel's blog, I could certaintly feel my quads doing the majority of the work (a combination of a more agressive position and the cleat contact point being under my arch).
Next week's Tabata Sprints will be done on the Soloist, with my regular shoes/cleats positioned under the ball of my foot.
WHATS THE POINT?
Elmhurst (cross country town usa), just as nearly every other city in America hosts an annual turkey trot. Ours doesn't ask for too much, it's your typical 3.1 mile jaunt. Apparently however, it is asking too much for the participants to physically get themselves to the starting line. Below is a map the trolley will follow tomorrow morning... shuttling the people from their SUVs the entire 900 or so meters up York Rd. to the starting line.
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