If you look at racing cyclists' feet while they are riding, they reveal striking differences. Some move the foot strongly in the ankle joint, actively raising and lowering the heel, while others keep the foot almost completely still. The movement of the foot largely determines the external appearance of the kick, the style. It is the only variable that the rider can influence at will, if the seat height (which follows from the body proportions) and the crank length are taken as given. The foot position affects the upper and lower leg - i.e. the other levers and angles on the leg. Whether you move your feet a lot or a little when pedalling is therefore not just a question of style, it also influences the power you can draw from your calves.
The power that arrives at the crank is the sum of the work done by the muscles around the central joints of the hip, knee and ankle. The muscles around the hips and knees provide the largest share - in roughly equal parts in each case. However, the ankle joint can contribute up to 15 per cent if it is used correctly at the right time. The decisive factor here is sufficient extension of the foot in the lower half of the crank circle.
However, the main task of the foot when cycling is to transfer the force generated by the muscles around the hip and knee joint to the crank. This requires the ankle to be stabilised, which costs energy but does not directly produce propulsion. This holding work can be reduced by moving the plates under the cycling shoes further back; you can do this until the pedal plate sits in the centre of the foot. At first, this may look like an everyday cyclist pedalling mindlessly - but the midfoot strategy can be interesting for triathletes, for example, whenever the power output on the bike is delivered very evenly, without frequent maximum power peaks. In any case, this pedalling style does not reduce pedalling performance, at least in the sub-maximal range, even if it may feel that way at first.
You can read how to optimise the foot and place the cleat correctly in the PDF download below.
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