How to practice your cycling race cadence
Your race cadence should be something you have practiced at the effort and in the position you expect to use on race day. Copying the number from another athlete's bike computer tells you very little about how you will handle several hours of riding.
In the PRO Playbook, I bring training decisions back to Performance, Resilience and Optimization. Cadence is a useful example. Start with the work you need to do, observe your response, and change one thing at a time. Here is how to put that into a normal training ride.
Purpose
The purpose is to learn whether you can hold a comfortable rhythm while controlling your effort. You want information you can use for pacing and gear selection.
Research comparing cadence training in a small group of trained cyclists found that preferred cadence could change with training. It also showed why the choice involves several factors. It did not identify one ideal race cadence for every athlete. [1]
Treat the exercise below as observation. It cannot measure your metabolic efficiency or prove which cadence will produce your best triathlon result.
What to do
For an experienced, healthy rider, try this during an already planned easy ride, on a trainer or a safe, uninterrupted stretch of road. Keep the total ride within your existing plan. Do not add it to a key workout or introduce it during race week.
After your normal warm-up, ride five minutes at your usual comfortable cadence. Keep the power comfortably within your easy range. Note cadence, breathing and effort.
Ride easily for two minutes. Then use a lighter gear and try five minutes about five rpm faster at similar power. After another two easy minutes, try five minutes about five rpm slower than your starting cadence. Finish with easy riding.
Those small changes and durations are a starting example, not a validated testing protocol. If you do not measure power, keep the effort easy and recognize that the comparison will be less controlled. Avoid chasing road speed, which changes with wind and gradient.
What to feel
Look for a rhythm you can sustain without bouncing on the saddle, bracing your upper body or forcing each pedal stroke. Notice both breathing and pressure in your legs.
A lighter gear may feel easier on your legs while your breathing becomes busier. A heavier gear may feel controlled initially but become less comfortable as the minutes pass. Write down what actually happens to you.
If a change feels awkward, return to your familiar rhythm. You do not need to complete every variation to get useful information.
What to watch
Keep your riding position and conditions as consistent as practical, and compare the sections at similar power when you can measure it. Comparing an upright easy section with a harder aero section mixes several questions together.
Use heart rate as supporting context. It responds with a delay and can drift as the ride continues. One lower reading is not enough to declare a winner. Stop the exercise if pain develops.
The next step is to observe your familiar cadence during race-specific work already in your plan. Can you maintain it in your race position and on relevant terrain? Does it change late in the ride? If a brick is already scheduled, note how the transition feels. Do not add a run just to test this.
Keep the rest of your preparation familiar while you learn. A different cadence, new bike position and unfamiliar fueling strategy introduced together will make it difficult to know what caused a change in comfort or effort.
Report back
Use a short note: power or effort target; cadence in each section; breathing; leg pressure; position; discomfort; and what changed later. Add the conditions and whether you were unusually tired.
Bring that information to the next training decision. Repeat observations on comparable days before making a lasting change.
If you want help connecting your bike data, race pacing and training feedback, take a look at Kona Endurance coaching.
Flo
Sources
1. Whitty et al. 2016. Cadence training in endurance-trained cyclists.
