Try these 3 tips, brought to you by Graeme Street of Cyclo-core

TIP 1: Pull Your Belly Button Back and In Towards Your Spine

The most important of the core muscles we want to engage while we ride is the TRANSVERSE ABDOMINAL PLANE. This muscle acts like a 'girdle' that creates pressure into the spine and the hips so we can create leverage into the bike.

As you're riding, try using the VISUALIZATION that your belly button is being pulled back, WAY BACK into your spine as you're forcefully breathing your air out. This will engage the TRANSVERSE PLANE and put all your working muscles into a state of greater power potential.

As you breathe out, leave your belly button pulled back and allow air to dive deep into your diaphragm to create more pressure for your next exhalation. Don't 'slack' your core!

TIP 2: PUll Your Head Away From Your Butt & Lengthen the Spine

As you're pulling your belly button back from tip one, it's important for you to ALIGN YOUR SPINE for maximal power output. Most cyclists scrunch down and compress, leaving little room for the power of the hip flexors and glutes to do their job and collapsing the ribcage that will decrease the flow of air to your lungs needed for greater power.

While you're riding and using tip 1, I want you to also VISUALIZE pulling your head away from your butt as far as you can without straining. VISUALIZE your spine lengthening as you breathe out. I want you to lengthen the spine from the head all the way to your pelvis, so think 'LONG'!

TIP 3: Push Through the Hoods to Create Back-pressure

One of the most common things cyclists will do to try to create more power is pull on the bars and hoods of the bike. This will perpetuate the scrunching I mentioned in tip 2. We want to create some back pressure into the saddle so we can continue to engage the core for more power!

To put the final touches on core engagement, you need to begin practicing PUSHING into the hoods slightly. You still need to keep a slight bend in the elbow, but now you're going to use your upper body strength to push your center of gravity back, deep into the saddle.

As a member you will be part of a strong team in the state of Wisconsin WIsport bicycle racing series. The participation you take part in is up to you. Activities include weekly rides, races, support for our hosted event, administration of the club. We have sponsors and they help defray some of the cost of the uniforms that are available for purchase.

Dag Selander the founder of the Big Ring Flyers.

And some from The Firehouse. . .
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