I am a sprinter, could I get some input on
bike riding for training. Would it hurt or help
my sprinting?
what’s the point?
It wouldnt help. More of a chance in hurting it as it will create different motor patterns then in sprinting.
One thing to be aware of is that cycling does not develop the quads in good balance with the hamstrings - it’s heavy on quads (and glutes too) and much lighter on the hams. Look at the leg development of top cyclists, they look different then other types of athletes, particularly ones who perform while standing (e.g. track athletes).
There are two reasons: 1) The cyclist, being crouched over, does not get much ‘hip extension’ while pedaling . There is however more knee hyperextension (and flexion). Something to note and remember here is that not all of the hamstring muscle complex is involved in hip extension; some, like the biceps femoris short head, do not cross the hip joint and only act during knee flexion. 2) The load or resistance on hip extension is less on the hams as compared to the quad load from knee hyperextension. You can only load the hip during hyperextension so much before you are lifted out of the bicycle seat. The hams in this role are too strong and cannot be taxed to a necessary degree for good development before the resistance provided by the cyclists bodyweight is overcome. The quad load provided during knee hyperextension while pedaling more easily taxes the quads. The weight of the cyclist relative to the force necessary to provide knee hyperextension to propel the bike forward is adequate enough to keep the cyclist in his/her seat and yet taxes the quads to a decent extent.
A simple way of recognizing and illustrating this is to note how much and how quickly lactic acid builds in the quads vs. the hams while pedaling.
Now running and sprinting requires ‘much’ more hip extension and loads those hip extending muscles more than the related knee hyperextension muscles, i.e. the quads.
Bottom line is that I don’t think it will necessarily help your sprinting at least in terms of muscle development, neuro firing pattern, etc. but could help for overall conditioning and cardio purposes.