RETÜL

To say that this rider has had a colorful cycling career would be a vast understatement. Ned Overend is basically a legend in his own right and is one of the early pioneers in mountain biking and racing.

Ned was born in 1955 in Taiwan, the son of a State Department diplomat. Much of his early childhood was spent living abroad in China, Tehran, Iran and Ethiopia.

So how did Ned get into cycling? Ned tells us in his own words:

I was living in Durango, CO in the early 80's, working as a car mechanic and competing in some mountain running events. I was 2nd place in the Pikes Peak marathon in ‘80 and ‘81, so I was doing pretty well at it. I developed a hip injury and started road cycling to stay fit while I recovered.
In 1982 I entered the local Iron Horse Classic road race as a category 4 racer and won. By the end of the year, I had moved up to category 1 and in 1983 I raced the Coors Classic with the Raleigh Team. My teammates included cycling legends such as Andy Hampsten, Thurlow Rodgers and Steve Tilford.
I had read about the sport of mountain bike racing and decided to try it. I was riding a stock Schwinn so I called Schwinn and they offered to support me. I raced for Schwinn from ‘84-’87. Then, in 1988 I met with Mike Sinyard [Founder of Specialized Bicycles] and have been with Specialized ever since.

Ned has been competing in a variety of endurance sports for more than four decades. At the age of 67 he still enjoys racing a variety of cycling disciplines, including: mountain, road, gravel, cyclocross and fat bikes on snow in the Winter months.

Here are just some of the titles Ned has collected on his rider journey: First UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Champion 1990, 6X USA National Mountain Bike Cross Country Champion, 2X Xterra Triathlon World Champion, National Winter Triathlon Champion (running, mountain biking and XC skiing), National Single Speed Champion (age 55), National Fat Bike Champion, on snow (age 59), and World Masters Cyclocross Champion.

Ned has also been inducted into the International Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame, US Bicycling Hall of Fame, and the Xterra Triathlon Hall of Fame.

He is the author of “Mountain Bike Like a Champion” and the instructional riding video “Performance Mountain Biking”. He's also an honorary board member of Bicycle Colorado, IMBA, and the NICA.

With such an extensive background, you’re probably asking yourself. Why did Ned decide to get a professional bike fit now?

While Ned isn’t looking to necessarily add more titles to his name, he still wanted to make sure he was in the ideal position for performance, and wanted to address some issues he was having with comfort.

We asked Ned a few questions about his Retül Fit session at the Specialized Boulder Experience Center with Jason Williams - Retül Sports Scientist :

Ned and Jason chat about his current riding position

What are your current goals on both the mountain bike and road bike, and how did you think a Retül Fit would help you reach those goals?

My riding goals for road, mountain and gravel include some racing events throughout the year, but regardless of events I want to maintain a high level of fitness on the bike and I would like to do that “forever” [don’t we all!]. And as I get older it has become apparent that I am more prone to over use injury’s from riding.

What were some of the specific things you wanted Jason to focus on during the session?

I had several areas I wanted to address. Stiff neck, hand pain during mountain biking and some saddle discomfort. I also wanted to learn the best way to reproduce my road position on my mountain bike.

What was determined about your riding position from the Retül data and pre-fit assessment?

A slightly higher saddle was causing a high heel and downward pointed toe pedaling style. My handlebar sweep was not in the ideal position for my hands and wrists either.

What were the changes made to your bike, equipment, etc. based on the data along with your feedback, and how did those changes affect your position?

Lowering the saddle by a few millimeters helped me pedal with a flatter foot position at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Changing the sweep of the handlebars put my wrist in a more neutral position on the mountain bike.

What did you find most interesting about your Retül fit session? Did you learn anything new about yourself?

I felt I learned a lot about my anatomy but also how making adjustments to position can affect power and comfort. The way my pelvic bones are angled will make certain saddle shapes more comfortable than others.

Why do you think a bike fit is important for all riders, regardless of their riding level and experience?

I think many cyclists don’t realize the benefits that a proper fit can have and the complexity of fitting your bike to your individual anatomy. A fit can make you more comfortable on the bike which allows you to get more enjoyment from your riding.

Along with being more comfortable it can put you in a position to be more efficient and produce more power so it’s critical for the cyclist who is trying to be competitive. It also can prevent overuse injury’s which is important for all levels of cyclists.

For the mountain bike specifically, many riders think that a road bike is more important for a fit. I think the main reason for this is riders tend to experience more discomfort in the road position. Mainly because you tend to be more static on the road bike.

On the mountain bike you stand up and change position more often so even though your position may not be ideal it doesn’t cause the obvious discomfort that it would on a road bike.

Too much weight over the front wheel can make it harder to unweight the front when you need to allow the wheel to roll over an obstacle, especially on steep descents. Too much weight on the rear wheel can make the front of the bike wander and hard to steer on steep climbs.

Anything else you would like to share about your Retül Fit experience?

I found the fit process to be a learning experience about how my anatomy and physiology effect my position and comfort on the bike. Everything from leg length differences, and how handle bar drop, and width, affect aerodynamics. Also, how shorter crankarms reduce the stress on my knees because they are less flexed at the top of the pedal stroke.

No matter where you are at in your rider journey, whether you are just starting out or have been at it for years, there is always something to learn about yourself. As your body changes, so does your position on the bike. Getting your fit checked is a crucial component for being able to enjoy riding your bike at all stages of life.

You can currently find Ned riding the trails of Durango, CO where his contributions to trail advocacy has been recognized with the naming of Overend Mountain Park. Ned also works for Specialized Bicycles in Sports Marketing and Product Development.

Think you might benefit from a proper bike fit? find a Retül Fitter near you and see how a Retül fit can help improve your ride.