mmmmm having raced mountainbikes for 15 years (now i feel old!) and just recently picked up the walshes, i would have to say that cycling has certainly helped with the cardiovascular (sp?) side of running but has not really given me any running leg strength, so certainly use the bike for heart/lung conditioning but for running muscles stick with running....
Does cycling have any benefits or negative effects on running performance.
I've been a cyclist pretty much all my life and have only been running seriously since September last year. I pretty much knocked cycling on the head to concentrate on my running. This week I've been cycling the twelve miles to work off road and then running home and vice versa. The two diciplines use your muscles very differently but do they complenment each other?
CV fitness is obvious benefit & big gear out of saddle climbing points the quads in the right direction. I had 6 months off running a few years back but was racing well on the bike in town centre crits & RR's but when I started running again I felt like I was starting from scratch! It's a great fallback for when injured but running's running and biking's biking........................
When I stopped cycling a couple of years back and concentrated just on running, quad strength suffered, so did the steep running descents. I think they complement each other.
that's interesting, most people (older people anyway!) go the other way: turn to cycling when running starts taking too much of a toll on the bodyOriginally Posted by Axeman
I know that's what I intend to do.
FWIW, I think cycling probably helps running more than the other way around - especially if you are in the habit of doing stuff like one-hour threshold sessions or intervals on the bike or turbo that really target aerobic fitness. I've noticed the difference in my running - just simply cos my aerobic / anaerobic threshold has been pushed higher, and my aerobic endurance is better.
After six months - admittedly not really riding very much - I still find cycling painful in the legs when pushing it: that is something that does not transfer, even from fellrunning I have found, where you might expect there to be some similaroty in muscles used.
I do these really good spin classes twice a week that are cyclist-orientated, and I often run the three miles there and back. If I take the run at all quickly, I just cannot get the legs turning on the bike: can't get my heart rate up into the red zone at all cos the quads just complain so much. If I take it easy, or cycle there, then no problem.
Last edited by ZootHornRollo; 10-03-2011 at 09:49 AM.
Cycling has improved my climbing and helped me loose more weight. I used to race on the road and track a lot as a youngster and I only got back on my bike to improve my fell running after ten years off. I do a few long hilly road rides and some mtb enduros and I've just started riding to work and back three days a week (12-13 miles each way).
It definitely has its benefits for fell running (look at Rob Jebb and DazH) but don't push high gears keep the revs nice and high 80-90rpm ideally.
So.... Should we push high gears and get out of the saddle (Ady in Accy - post 163) or keep the cadence high and presumably stay in the saddle (Fell Donkey - post 166)??
Discuss.....
a bit of both
being out of the saddle especially climbing hills is more like doing hills running/walking (i.e. you legs are taking your weight)- but if you went round in massive gear all the time you are more likely to lose leg turnover speed (and potentially "overbulk" your legs)
being in the high revs keeps that leg turn over speed, lets you supplement your running training with CV enhancing cycling (with less wear and tear on your legs) - while minimising loss of speed (I think there was a thread about effect of cycling before).
If you do lots of lakes style steep races (or mountain type running) then you might do a bit more standing work - if you favour more runable races - you might favour the high revs as a suplement to your running programme.
its all a bit suck it and see - to see what works for you.
High cadence and a lower gear is always better when cycling, just look at Lance Armstrong or Contador climbing they keep a nice high tempo - in and out of the saddle. When I raced in Belgium as a junior the gears were restricted so you had to pedal at a high cadence.
It's always better to spin and keep good leg speed. On the track we used to sit behind a derny and spin until we couldn't keep up our legs were going so fast.
The biggest mistake you see novice cyclists doing on the roads is pushing a gear which is too high. It might be good for leg strength but it's bad for speed.
Cycling shortens your hamstrings and running lengthens them pushing big gears exacerbates this and won't help your running as much as a nice cadence of 90rpm.
If you do lots of biking have a good stretching regime too otherwise your hamstrings might suffer - mine do if I don't stretch them out.
Purely riding a bike the summer I first got one - I was about 13 - resulted in me going from a very average runner to one of the best sprinters in my age group - we are talking about within my school, no more - but it does show that there is plenty of cross over between cycling and running. I had improved so much they insisted on seeing my birth certificate to check my age!
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