PEDAL TO THE METTLE

“A lot of people are now as aero as they can get. It’s pedalling that everyone is going to be talking about next.” So prophesied national time trial champion and record breaker-turned-coach Matt Bottrill when I interviewed him late last year. His words stayed with me – so much so that I decided to investigate. Why exactly was everyone so excited about pedalling, and could I get the latest science to work on my own stroke?

Over the years, I’ve received a few compliments on my souplesse as it was once called. But was my pedalling really noticeably smooth and efficient-looking, or were my clubmates just buttering me up so I would buy the cake at the café?

Bottrill’s coaching company works