The words on everyone’s lips the last couple of seasons have been cadence and efficiency. Since Lance made his incredible comeback and subsequent Tour wins, the world of cycling has stood up and taken notice of his economical pedaling action and high cadence.
Why a higher cadence? Using a higher cadence, particularly in long events like road races, helps shift some of the stress from the legs and core muscles to the cardio-respiratory system. While you may exert less force on each pedal stroke, you may actually be able to produce more power over a given time with less energy expenditure, since there are more revolutions per minute. This has the potential to make you much more economical. You can understand how this works by the formula to calculate power: Power = Force x Velocity.
Becoming More Economical
You need to train your body to ride at these higher cadences to reap the benefits. Just like everything else, practice makes perfect. If you were to go out on a local club ride and spin a cadence 25 rpm faster than normal, your heart rate would skyrocket and you would be dropped after just a few minutes. Instead, it’s better to gradually elevate your comfortable riding cadence over a period of several weeks or months. The “off season” is a perfect time to accomplish this by doing pedaling drills and by paying attention to cadence at all times. Try to keep it slightly higher than you are accustomed to. It is a good idea to revisit these drills from time to time throughout the racing season on easier training days as well.
Cadence exercises will also help improve your pedal stroke. The ability to apply force to the pedals for a larger portion of the stroke is another way to increase economy. Analysis shows that most riders lack power, particularly around the 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock positions of the pedal stroke. These “dead spots” can be improved with high cadence work and isolated leg training. When doing these exercises, concentrate on pushing over the top and pulling back at the bottom of the stroke.
Another benefit of pedaling drills is an increase in neuromuscular adaptation. If you think of a pianist practicing scales or a drummer working on rudiments, this is exactly what they are doing. Every repetition is activating a neuromuscular pathway. The more the pathway is activated, the more ingrained and effortless it becomes. The more effortless the activity becomes, the less you need to concentrate on it. If you can pedal super efficiently without having to ever think about it, you can spend more concentration on other tasks at hand, such as race tactics and getting to the finish line first.
The Drills
These can all be done either out on the road (on the flats) or inside on a trainer. They are intended to help increase your regular comfortable cadence, give you a smoother, more round pedal stroke, and as a result, increase your cycling efficiency. Do these drills as often as you like, for they can only help you. All exercises should be done in your easiest gear (probably a 39x23 or 21), at the highest cadence possible while keeping your upper body still. Try for a cadence of 120 RPM or more (if you don’t have a cadence computer you may actually have to count once in awhile). These exercises are for technique. While not completely easy they are not meant to be physically demanding, so relax and try to have fun doing them.
High Cadence Intervals
Start in an easy gear increasing your cadence until your hips start to wobble or you start to bounce on the saddle. At this point, back off just a bit until your hips and upper body are still. You should be right on the edge of a sustainable cadence without bouncing. This is where the interval begins. Start by doing one-minute intervals, recovering as long as you want in between. Increase the length of the interval by 30 seconds each session. Try to work up to several five-minute intervals.
Isolated Leg Drills
The idea of isolated leg drills is to really work on a round pedal stroke. For these, get into the easy gear, clip one foot out and try to keep as high a cadence as you can. Let the unclipped leg dangle freely, or, if you are inside, put it on a chair. You may need to start these with a relatively low cadence and increase gradually. Again, start with one minute on each leg, and work your way up to several minutes on each. You can combine these with the high cadence intervals, or alternate between the two drills. When you first start this drill you will notice that it will magnify the “dead spots” in your pedal stroke, and you may get some slacking of the chain. Don’t give up! After just a few sessions you will see an improvement in your power around the entire stroke. If you find the chain slacking, shift to a harder gear, fix the stroke, then shift back.
Spin-Ups
Slowly spin up to maximum rpm over 30 seconds. When you begin to bounce hold it for several seconds. Recover completely and repeat. When your maximum rpm begins to drop, discontinue the drill. Concentrate on staying relaxed.
Fixed Gear Training
Riding a fixed gear is another great way to improve your pedal stroke and cadence. The bike will force you to keep a constantly smooth, even pedal stroke at all cadences. Use a light gear that will allow you to spin a substantially high cadence (90+ rpm) without too much effort. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t need to concentrate on the stroke because the gear is fixed! Be sure to work on the entire circle, concentrating especially on the top and bottom of the stroke. If your legs relax too much on the upstroke, letting the wheel push them around, you will not be achieving the full benefit of the workout.
On the flats, pedal with a cadence greater than 90 rpm while you maintain low heart rate zones (zones 1–2). Concentrate on applying power all the way around the pedal stroke.
While riding a rolling course, work on being comfortable with a very high cadence on the downhills and keep your heart rate in check on the climbs.
Optimum pedaling cadence is different for every rider. However, everyone will benefit greatly from high cadence drills and isolated leg training. Spend some time on these drills during your preparation and base periods and you will be rewarded with increased efficiency and possibly even slightly higher power outputs all season long.
Andy Applegate is an elite-level road, cyclo-cross, and mountain bike racer. He is also a USA Cycling- and Ultrafit-certified coach. He may be reached at aapplegate@ultrafit.com.
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