Short cold days means my bike is mounted on my rollers in the basement for my mid-week “rides”. I spin out a half hour to hour in the morning or evening. When I’m on the road I’m at the mercy of the other riders dictating my riding style or the terrain. But on the trainer I can focus on my peddle stroke and cadence.
Many riders worry too much about wheel speed and not leg speed while riding. Training over the winter months is the time to add 5rpms in your cadence. Most riders peddle at 80 to 90 revolutions per minute and this may feel high. The pros are often in the 100 to 115 range on the flats when riding in a group. When I’m on my mountain bike I’m often about ten rpm’s lower t hen my road bike. The easy way to check your cadence is count the peddle strokes for 6 second. Then add a zero to that number. That will give you an approximate number for quick reference. This works with your heart rate as well if you do not have a monitor.
Here’s why you want to do this. Flouting through the peddle stroke will keep your muscles fresher over time. You will put a little less pressure on the peddle in a high cadence. When you’re riding in the group next spring you’ll be ready to dig and push that gear to keep pace on the false flat or react to an attack. If you’re cursing on a 50X19 gear at 110 rpms and someone jumps on the attack you can snap another 5 rpms easily just before you drop a gear or even two and still have a cadence of over 90 to be able to accelerate out of. This is more difficult if you’re starting at 90 rpms and already placing a high amount of pressure on each stroke.
That higher cadence will come in handy on the hills as well. If you can ride comfortably on the flats at 105 or 110 rpms you’ll be able to climb comfortably in the 80 and 90 range if you use the correct gear. With a high cadence you will also be able to remain in your seat longer on the hills saving energy for the hardest of terrain.
This will develop your heart and respiratory system. So don’t worry about wheel speed or what gear you’re in on the trainer, look at your leg speed and time on the bike. Think style over substance. When I pull the bike off the trainer for a weekend road ride I keep my cadence high on the flats and long climbs but often roll a big gear over the smaller hills to build muscle. Once spring comes I keep this same riding style for a few weeks to build a base of a few hundred real miles before I start working on other weaknesses.

Vote in our urrent poll on your preferred cadence on the flats?