A great bike fit shouldn’t be a stretch, although it may require one—the pigeon pose, to be exact

Photo by Marta Wave/Pexels

Achieving a good bike fit shouldn’t be a stretch—in the sense that you shouldn’t be stretching your body to force fit it onto your bike—but good fitting does require a stretch.

Once you’ve invested in your fitness, equipment, and maybe even bike fitting service consultancy, there is one more critical component to performance: flexibility

We all know how flexibility and supple muscles contribute to performance. And yet a lot of us train without stretching and flexibility components. Or we have bike fittings done but don’t take the time to create the flexibility that will allow us to stay longer and more comfortable in the recommended position.

Good flexibility leads to a more comfortable posture on the bike, a greater range of movement, and better bike handling and response. The more flexible you are, the more comfortable the motions. The more comfortable you are, the better your performance.

There are myriad stretching exercises that can help with flexibility, but the pigeon pose stands out for enhancing your ability to sit on your bike in a good position for hours. The pigeon pose is intended to be a hip opener. It focuses on the hip flexors that contribute to lower back flexibility. These are the muscles that support us when we sit, particularly when we sit on our bikes.

You can find many articles and videos on how to perform the pigeon pose. Although it looks easy, it’s not something you can just do. My suggestion? Ease into it, relax, and breathe. Concentrate on breathing and let gravity pull your body and you will naturally relax into the stretch.

If there is one stretch you need to do or add to your routine that would make the biggest difference in your cycling performance, this is it.