I have always known my cadence is higher than the average but it seems higher than ever on the TR workouts and whilst doing eclipse +3 and listening to Chad it seems maybe it could be too high.
I am finding most intervals from SST and above are averaged at 105 and probably up to 108 if V02. The positive is it feels controlled.
When just spinning between intervals And in warm up and cool down I am around spinning at around 100 rpm.
My concern is that if I were to attempt these workouts at 95 or lower I would burn out pretty quick.
My cadence at SS/Threshold/VO2 roughly matches yours. I, personally, find my cadence is higher when using erg mode as I feel like I need to stay on top of the cadence and to not get bogged down and get the death spiral. My cadence is just a little lower for resistance mode or when outside. I don’t think it is an issue.
I had the same. I thought my cafence was just naturally high. SS and bellow was around 103 to 107.
But then, in longer rides I felt the high cadence was more exhausting than the workout itself - kinda difficult to explain.
After reading a few post about big ring vs small ring in erg mode I gave a try to the small ring. I had to do some transition to adapt but I think it was the right thing for me to do.
I’m very happy with my choice. My cadence falls naturally inside the prescribed cadence and I feel I put more power in the whole cycle.
If you are to try the small ring, be aware that it sucks at the beginning. It feels like riding in sand. The power graph will look a lot smoother too
I routinely train at 103rpm… and I ride on the road around there. Avg cadence on a sub-5:00 century last year was 103rpm. I can ride anywhere between 85-105rpm and feel comfortable. Wherever you settle is fine if it’s not affecting performance.
In my base periods, I make a bit more effort to slow my spin to 90-95 so I am comfortable there, but ultimately what matters most is that you’re comfortable pedaling within a large cadence range, and not only at one particular number.
The first downside I can think of is what it means for your gearing (which depends a lot on where you ride and power output), in that to keep 100 rpm you will need much smaller gears than someone who is happy at 70rpm, for a given output and gradient.
Hit 10% climbs and you won’t be spinning up over 100 RPM, but do you ever hit those climbs and does training up at 100+ cause you an issue if you do?
Another thought is if you did off-road riding like CX or MTB a low cadence can be forced by terrain or even necessary for a technical climb.
If you are a TTer racing in flat areas you may well be training perfectly though!
Thanks. I’m a hill climber and never had any issues but have converted to indoor training this year so am concerned the hills will be a shock to the system next year when back out there.
