Sam has been getting in to his cycling even more recently. We were doing some research about cycling techniques and we learnt (basic for any above-amateur cyclist I’m sure) that cadence is actually a key cycling measure. Cadence in cycling is the number of reps per minute of the pedals. After reading an interesting article on cadence from Bike Radar, Sam decided to try working on getting his cadence higher. I thought I might do the same.
Having never monitored my cadence before, a couple of weeks ago I kept track of it on Sam’s cycle trainer. I struggled to keep my cadence above 80! So, when I went on the trainer again today, I knocked the resistance down to begin with and got my cadence up to 90 – 95. After 10mins though, my HR was stil sitting at 100 – 115 – not that high for me when my resting HR is ~48 and I can get it to 175 on my erg! So I bumped-up the resistance and managed to hold it for 15 mins, getting my HR to an acceptable 150 bpm (my AT zone).
Certainly something to work on but a complete contrast to rowing. In rowing, you start off by doing low rate work to build power and technique. Then, when that is embedded, you work on doing all of that but at higher ratings. Trying to get the right technique for cycling almost requires the opposite approach. It’s going take quite a lot of practice for me to get used to a higher cadence, but to build the habit I will need to knock the resistance down. So, I’m having to work on speed with less power, introducing the power as a secondary step.
So far I have only tried this on the cycle trainer – will have to take the bike for a spin soon. After last years accident, I am still not as confident on my bike as I was. Hopefully I will overcome that this summer!
