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To keep those wheels spinning efficiently, you need to get to grips with cadence
This article first appeared in RideOn October-November 2006 issue
Cadence refers to how fast you are pedalling. It is also known as revolutions per minute (RPM), or how many times your legs complete one turn of the pedal in 60 seconds. If you are pedalling at a low cadence, say 60–70 RPM, your legs are going around slowly. A high cadence is when your legs are ‘spinning’ or going around fast, say 90–100 RPM.
WHY IS A HIGH CADENCE IMPORTANT?
When pedalling at a higher cadence, there is less force applied to the pedals. This means it’s easier to keep the wheels spinning so you can conserve more energy. At higher cadences, you use predominately slow twitch muscle fibres that have a higher endurance capacity, so you can cycle for longer.
Another bonus of slow twitch muscle fibres is they are good at burning fat instead of carbohydrate as an energy source. High cadence is easier to maintain on fl at or undulating terrain, however, even on hills it helps to keep your legs turning as fast as possible to maintain your momentum. Lance Armstrong was renowned for cycling at a very high cadence.
THE BAD NEWS ABOUT LOW CADENCE
Lower cadences are sometimes termed ‘grinding’. They are usually used when climbing hills, because much greater force needs to be applied to the pedals to push your body weight up the gradient, so the wheels go around slower. Time trial specialists may also use higher gears and lower cadences to generate more power.
The down side is the greater force will require a greater energy output and you are likely to fatigue more rapidly. Pushing higher gears tends to generate blood lactate which gives you that ‘heavy’ legs feeling and can inhibit the contraction of your muscles. So it is important that you learn to use lower gears and spin your legs more when cycling, even on hills, instead of trying to push higher gears that will wear you out much quicker. Choosing lower gears and spinning, particularly after a climb, can help to remove any blood lactate that may have accumulated in your muscles, and aid your recovery.
HOW CAN I CONSERVE ENERGY WHILE I CYCLE?
You can conserve up to 10% of your energy by cycling at a constant pace. Using your gears properly will help you maintain a constant cadence. In order to spin, you need less resistance and this is achieved through being in an easier gear (a smaller chainring on the front and a larger chainring on the back). As you build your momentum, you can gradually increase your gears while still maintaining a constant cadence. If your RPM start to decrease, you should drop back your gears.
The easiest way to measure cadence is with a simple cycling computer. You can get a crude idea by counting how many times your legs do one full pedal stroke each minute.
By learning how to maintain a fast and constant cadence, you can conserve your energy, substantially increase your effi ciency and improve your overall performance on the bike.