Handlebars and pedalling technique

A recent paper compared professional and recreational cyclists in terms of adaptations to changes in position of the handlebars. The key take home message seems to be that reductions in joint powers when using a more agressive position of the handlebars seems to be outweighted by gains in aerodynamics. It was also interesting that, professional cyclists seem to engage their hips further and their knees less than recreational cyclists when work rate was higher. Also, at high exercise intensity, hip power was larger when the drops were used compared to the tops, which was not observed at lighter intensities. These results demonstrate the professional cyclists have a different pedalling technique and that the position of the hands in the handlebars can have important effects on joint power production.