THE SHORT ANSWER
Jimmy Whelan, australian former worldtour professional cyclist (ef education first, 2018–2021); won u23 tour of flanders 2018; now a competitive distance runner, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Whelan lands on bike fit. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
WHO IS JIMMY WHELAN?
Jimmy Whelan is the former EF Education WorldTour cyclist who, after retirement, became a competitive runner — and one of the most useful guides for cyclists trying to add running into their week without injury. His perspective matters because he has the bike fitness most amateurs aspire to AND the running mechanics most cyclists lack, which makes his guidance on shoe choice, aerobic intensity, and the cyclist-specific traps of jumping into running unusually credible. For Roadman's audience trying to add running without losing their cycling base, he's the right starting point.
WHELAN ON BIKE FIT
Whelan’s key positions on bike fit.
- The forefoot vs heel landing debate maps to cycling style — pure cyclists land midfoot/heel because that's how they pedal; runners-turned-cyclists climb out of the saddle more often.
- Bike fitness is not running fitness — five pros on a treadmill at 4:00/km will all look different in landing mechanics, glute use, and force vectors.
IN WHELAN’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Jimmy Whelan’s appearances on the podcast.
“A pro cyclist can do two runs in their off season and can find themselves in a pretty tricky situation with their with their team if they're not careful. Like you hear horror stories of some some riders doing runs or even hikes in the offseason team camps and then all of a sudden they can't ride for months or a year.”
“The biggest thing I'd recommend to bike rider would be to do plyometrics in the gym. That's a really easy and your body and tendons react really well to that stuff. Just learning how to skip doing that at the end, like doing that for five minutes at the end of a gym session or whatever, you can do it at home.”
“When riders do their first jog, they might not notice the tight hip flexors or tight glutes, but when they try and go a little bit quicker, when they open up their gate, your glute med, your TFL, your hip flexor insertion will all get stressed in a way that you're not used to.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Jimmy Whelan covers bike fit and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Jimmy Whelan say about bike fit?
Jimmy Whelan, australian former worldtour professional cyclist (ef education first, 2018–2021); won u23 tour of flanders 2018; now a competitive distance runner, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Whelan lands on bike fit. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
What is Whelan's main point on bike fit?
The forefoot vs heel landing debate maps to cycling style — pure cyclists land midfoot/heel because that's how they pedal; runners-turned-cyclists climb out of the saddle more often.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Jimmy Whelan on bike fit?
Whelan discusses bike fit in this episode: "How Cyclists Should Start Running | Roadman Cycling Podcast".
MORE FROM WHELAN
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Strength & Conditioning— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON BIKE FIT