The Most Important $200 You Can Spend on Cycling

Bill Peterson, C.Ped, is the most important name in cycling whose phone number you should have in your address book, but who you've probably never heard of! Rest assured, though, that the guy who beat you to win the State Championship last year knows Bill and has benefited from his expertise!

Bill is a Board-Certified Pedorthist with over 35 years experience in Patient Care, Orthotic design and manufacturing. In 2001, Bill commenced R&D on the computer production of custom orthotics and pioneered 3D laser scanning, CAD/CAM orthotic design and CNC Milling. He developed five US patents for orthotics molding and alignment systems, and is an expert at extracting maximum athletic performance with minimum discomfort by strengthening and improving the conditions under which our feet and lower limbs function.

In plain-speak though, what Bill does that should be of interest to all competitive cyclists is:

1) Biomechanical Cycle-Fit
2) Scientific Cleat Placement
3) Custom Foot Orthotics

I've never suffered an over-use injury that took me out of competition after I started working with Bill in the early-2000's, and I can use fixed (red, non-rotating) Shimano cleats and ride on a teeny-tiny narrow Selle Italia SLR saddle without fear of injury or chronic pain.

The catalyst for this post was the arrival today of my spare pair of Sidi Ergo2's with newly-aligned cleats, and a set of custom PowerBed Cycle orthotics. Because all of my data is on-file with Bill, we can work remotely and I don't have to meet with him in person in order to utilize his services. I think this is very important, because it's clearly not practical to have to meet face-to-face each time you need a new pair of cleats. I know it's not easy or inexpensive, but I highly recommend investing in a comprehensive fit session with Bill, and a pair of custom orthotics. Because after that initial eval., his experience and expertise is only a phone call away.

I'm not compensated to endorse Foot Fitness, but I believe strongly in Bill's work and your potential to benefit from it. It's almost impossible to find a bike shop or cycling coach with formal training in biomechanics and the ability to scientifically align your cleats and maximize your efficiency while minimizing the risk of injury. I was lucky to be able to see Bill in Rhode Island when I lived in New York. He is in Arizona now, but check out his website and give him a call.