But Kinesiology tells us that ankling means much more than applying force to the rear wheel through the dead spaces. There is a simple little rule we use in kinesiology when studying applied forces. It simply states that the total force exerted between two points is the sum of all the lesser forces being exerted between those two points. That tells us that each upper leg is individually capable of 300 pounds thrust and each lower leg is individually capable of 100 pounds thrust. This means that each leg is capable of generating 400 pounds thrust between the hip and pedal.
Most cyclists pedal in a flat footed technique where the foot remains in a fixed position.
This means they are using their calf muscles strictly in an isometric exercise to hold the foot braced in a fixed position. They are not using the calf muscles to generate an applied force. If our cyclist, Bob, is using a flat footed pedaling action, then the maximum force he can generate between the pedal and hip is 300 pounds of thrust. That is a huge handicap and I will gladly permit my competition to willfully have such a handicap. And it gets better.