Cycling Cadence - Triathlon Week

sfricks · 10-12-2006, 06:27 AM

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine October 15, 2006

Pedal Faster to Ride Better

All cyclists should learn to pedal at a fast cadence, whether you are an experienced racer or a novice recreational rider. Muscle fatigue and damage are caused by excess pressure on the pedals, not by how fast you pedal. Pedaling at a faster cadence with less pressure allows you to pedal longer and harder. However, several researchers have expressed concern that pedaling very fast could decrease blood flow to muscles and thus decrease athletic performance. A study from Kansas State University shows that pedaling fast does not decrease a muscle's flow of blood or ability to extract oxygen from the blood (European Journal of Applied Physiology, March 2006). Once again athletes and coaches find new training and competing methods and years later, scientists tell them that they are correct.
After you have been riding regularly for a time, try to spin your pedals 80 times a minute. In the beginning, you will put so little pressure on your pedals that you will ride very slowly.
However, after several weeks of pedaling at a cadence of 80, you will become more comfortable and be able to move fairly well at this pace. As you become stronger, you can maintain this high cadence while using higher gears and pressing on the pedals with more force, so you will be able to ride faster and longer.

pyschosyd · 10-13-2006, 12:51 PM

If you ever doubt the power of cadence all I have to say is check out Mr. Armstrong. He is the king of high cadence. Noone even comes close to the cadence he keeps.

I myself am a firm believer in cadence. Coming from a mtb backgound it was even more important. Tackling short punchy hill on a mtb requires a high cadence. Lucky for me I've taken this to my cycling in triathlon.

The biggest benefit for me is I find that I can maintain or even speed up my pace on the cycling leg. I may start a bit slower than someone with a lower cadence but over the course of the race I find I have more left than those grunters! This seems to get amplified in longer races.

Syd