A Yogi in Sport: The Benefits for Cyclists
Written by Yoga Sports Coach™ Lexie Williamson
‘Why Do Cyclists Need Yoga?’ was the title of my talk at the Dare 2b Festival of Cycling. Thousands of fans had gathered at Harewood House in Yorkshire to watch the 2014 Tour de France riders stream out onto the Dales.
I was invited as a Yoga Sports Coach™ and author of Yoga for Cyclists (Bloomsbury Publishing) to share some of the potential benefits of yoga with the festival crowd.
Why Do Cyclists Need Yoga?
It's a valid question.
After all, cyclists don't swing a club through 180 degrees like golfers, lunge sideways like tennis players or require the multidirectional movement skills of a footballer.
In fact, cyclists generally aim to minimise unnecessary upper-body movement, and this is one reason to turn to yoga. The muscles that stabilise the legs, hips and torso work to support riders as they maintain a relatively fixed, flexed position for extended periods.
Road-riding posture is another reason to try yoga. It may offer aerodynamic advantages, but it can also place sustained demands on the muscles of the lower back. With the torso leaning forward, the rider must position the head to look ahead, potentially contributing to discomfort in the neck and upper back.
Moving downwards, the legs don't move through their full range of extension during pedalling, which may contribute to a feeling of tightness in the hamstrings. Some muscles are also heavily recruited, such as the cyclist's famous bulging quads, while others may be used less.
Using Yoga to Support the Cyclist's Body
Yoga can help cyclists explore different movement patterns and strengthen muscles that may receive less attention during cycling.
It also takes cyclists beyond their predominantly forward-moving, or sagittal, plane through side-bending and twisting poses, while gentle backbends introduce spinal extension.
Cyclists looking to develop a flatter back, as opposed to a ‘cat back’, riding posture can also use yoga to explore hamstring and hip mobility, pelvic positioning and their ability to adopt a lower riding position.
Combined with appropriate core strengthening, this work may help cyclists develop the mobility and physical support needed for more comfortable time on the bike.
About Lexie Williamson
Lexie Williamson is a British Wheel of Yoga teacher and Yoga Sports Coach™, and author of Yoga for Cyclists and Yoga for Runners (Bloomsbury Publishing).
A former business journalist, she writes for the sports press, including Cycling Fitness, Outdoor Fitness, OM Yoga and Women's Fitness magazines.
Lexie is a runner, cyclist and sprint-distance triathlete. She has worked with runners, cyclists, triathletes, sprinters, tennis players and pistol shooters.
