How to ride well out of the saddle?

Riding out of the saddle to overcome a difficulty can be perceived as a technical and energy-consuming move, especially for beginners or occasional cyclists. You get out of the saddle for three reasons: to sprint or accelerate, to power up a climb, or to relax, especially on hills or in the mountains. Here are some tips for mastering the art of riding out of the saddle.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: Team Ineos / Kask / 3bikes.fr

To climb a steep hill, accelerate, or close a gap, standing on the pedals is the most natural solution. A kind of turbo effect. To be effective while limiting energy loss, you need to refine the movement. Getting out of the saddle at the peak of effort becomes more complicated when the body screams exhaustion. On the verge of breathlessness, the brain often chooses to ease up rather than push harder.

The out-of-the-saddle position engages, in addition to the legs, the muscles of the upper body, such as the abdominals, back muscles, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

Because the out-of-the-saddle position engages, in addition to the legs, the muscles of the upper body, such as the abdominals, back muscles, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. In the legs, the anterior muscles take precedence over the posterior ones (except for the glutes, which are more engaged). The quadriceps are much richer in fast-twitch fibers than the hamstrings (thigh muscles that allow knee flexion), making them more effective in the short term, but also more energy-intensive.

Energy transfer

Getting out of the saddle and benefiting from the energy transfer between the upper and lower body is a skill that must be learned. It all starts with hand positioning on the handlebars.

• Placing your fingers around the brake levers, with the hollow of your palm resting on the rubber of the hoods, provides enough leverage to swing the bike from right to left.
• For a more vigorous effort that simultaneously engages the back muscles and lower back, place your hands in the drops of the handlebars, like a sprinter. When leaving the saddle, mass and center of gravity transfer forward, with the pelvis suspended.
• To save energy and gain efficiency, you don’t move around the bike, but it’s the bike that should swing between your legs, thanks to the impulses from your arms on the handlebars.
• Initially, before more advanced technical mastery, you need to use your body weight on each leg during a rocking motion. To help with this, a slightly larger gear is advisable to limit pedaling cadence.

This need to stand on the pedals becomes evident when the slope gets steeper, in order to overcome the resistance of gravity. Transferring the maximum of your energy requires limiting ankle flexion, contrary to what can be done when riding seated. Those who are physically and technically better trained are not content with this alternative push. Out of the saddle, they are able to push one crank while the other is pulled up by the rising leg.

Thanks to perfect pelvic suspension, it is possible to maintain a smooth motion and limit the break between the push and the pedal’s upward stroke.

In this case, the dead spots during the pedaling cycle are amplified compared to the seated position. But thanks to perfect pelvic suspension, it is possible to maintain a smooth motion and limit the break between the push and the pedal’s upward stroke. All this explains why those who ride a lot manage to ride out of the saddle in a relaxed manner, even without any increase in heart rate. This also implies having excellent core strength.

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For short bursts of acceleration, the push is always prioritized thanks to the power of the quadriceps. Due to lack of practice, muscle soreness can occur in the arms (biceps and triceps) when riding out of the saddle for a long time, as well as in the lower back.

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How to improve?

To benefit from the additional technical advantage of this position, you need to train for it. For this, you can choose a fairly long climb, but with a moderate gradient. You can do exercises there that consist of setting yourself the goal of staying out of the saddle for several tens of seconds, without accelerating, and comparing your speed and heart rate with the seated position. To do this, you need to find a comfortable hand placement on the handlebars and a relaxed posture for your head and torso.

For very long sections, avoid hunching over the bike with bent elbows as much as possible. Instead, think about extending your back. And do the first exercises with a higher gear than normal. Technical progress is evaluated by how easily you remain flexible and dynamic in this position. There is everything to gain by riding as upright as possible. Over the weeks and rides, you will notice that the movement becomes more and more natural, and that it doesn’t make you more breathless than when you are seated on the saddle. This is a considerable asset in the mountains, during a sustained and long effort, because thanks to riding out of the saddle, you will not only be able to accelerate, but also to engage your muscles differently for a few tens of meters, regularly.

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