I’m working on increasing my “comfort zone” with regards to cadence from 95-100 to around 110. Right now I can average about 105 for my rides. A buddy of mine has a power meter and is optimal at around 115!
I’ve heard opinions that in a Olympic distance (which I and my buddy Race) it’s best to mimic the same cadence as the run (around 90-95) so you dont get off the bike with your legs wanting to keep going 110+ RPM.
Anyone have objections to getting one’s optimum cadence as high as possible for the reason above or another reason?
Is your buddy this guy: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=607419;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread
Read this post, and some of the books I’ve mentioned. That should help…
And your friend has trained to be optimal at 115. That doesn’t mean that really is the optimal cadence. You need to do some serious physiology testing to see what is optimal, not just extrapolate from your power meter.
Yes it can, but it’s an individual thing. Ranging from a friend of mine who’s efficient at 115 to Bjorn who rocks at 70. You need to test yourself on a CT and once you’ve found your optimal cadence for your bike split, you then have to consider what it does to your legs.
Faster cadence wears you out (a little?) faster aerobically while lower cadence loads up your legs. For me, I find 110 too high to sustain. I’m faster at 80-85, but 95-100 gives me the best legs for the run. That’s JUST ME, you need to figure out your own parameters.
I think (just and a-h with an opinion) that you help yourself by learning to increase your cadence on the bike, just as you do on the run. Spin in a lower gear and get used to a faster cadence (takes a lot more than a week for sure) and then a faster cadence (somewhat less than what you’ve then trained yourself to) will feel comfortable. After that you need to get back to pushing hard. After a few months of training yourself to spin faster, you can retest to find your optimum cadence.