Hi All :
I am new here, and I would like to know what is the recommended cadence for the bike part f the Ironman ? ( the cadence that makes your effort the best possible , without taxing your body for the next marathon run )
Best wishes , and thanks in advance
Humbardi
Cadence is one of the last metrics I’d concern myself with regard to cycling of just about any distance. Let your cadence naturally fall where it feels best. Some people gravitate towards higher cadence, some lower.
Sutton says 70
.
Sutton says 70
for inexperienced cyclists.
Sutton says 70
for inexperienced cyclists.
Exactly,
For inexperienced I recommend 67.5 to 69.5. For experienced or FOP I go with 70.5 to 72.5.
Basically you really want to stay away from the dead zone of 70.
2c
What if the race is in the Southern Hemisphere?
Sutton says 70
for inexperienced cyclists.
Exactly,
For inexperienced I recommend 67.5 to 69.5. For experienced or FOP I go with 70.5 to 72.5.
Basically you really want to stay away from the dead zone of 70.
2c
9/10
I think the EN plans suggest 70.5, but I feel that is cutting it awfully close.
What if the race is in the Southern Hemisphere?
Sutton says 70
for inexperienced cyclists.
Exactly,
For inexperienced I recommend 67.5 to 69.5. For experienced or FOP I go with 70.5 to 72.5.
Basically you really want to stay away from the dead zone of 70.
2c
Well they all do that weird metric thingy so obviously you would multiply by 3.3 and pedal backwards to get the most event specific power based on current and accurate FTP test.
Having said that I don’t live there so We need to seek out advice from Salmon Steve, Alex s or molina. The most knowledgeable would be tribanter though.
We need more input from guys on the ground down there.
Maurice,
In all seriousness, there seems to be a lot of debate on this one. I find Adam and Scott on the Training Bible Podcast to be pretty reliable, and they were suggesting to mix it up on an episode this summer. Not sure of the ratio or whatever, but at the desired power sometimes doing lower cadence to lean more on the muscular endurance and some higher to lean on the cardiovascular. Or something like that. They likely used the right terms.
self-selected cadence is usually fine. unless you are way outside of the norm, 75-95. plenty of winners in the high and low end of that range.
In training, low cadence to improve strength, high cadence to improve aerobic conditioning and pedaling efficiency.
In racing, whatever feels easiest at the moment.
Cadence is a red herring. Thread closed.
If you really want a number or rule of thumb, the best I have ever heard was, very roughly, the cadence for any given effort is somewhat close to the percentage of threshold power utilized for that effort. So sprint racers might be close to 100rpms @ 100% of FTP while IM athletes seem to center around 70 rpms @ 70% of FTP. Cadence is an effect, not a cause. (Like stride rate on the run and stroke rate in swimming)
As a coach and bike fitter, I teach that if the fit (including crank length) is optimized, the right cadence is what feels best. If the athlete is consistently producing runs out of line with what should be possible, cadence would be a lower priority metric that might be examined as we try to figure out why. If the run is in line and the cadence feels correct, I don’t care what it is.
Cadence is a red herring. Thread closed.
Nonsense. The optimal cadence can easily be determined with rigorous indoor testing on a Velotron and Powercranks.
Cadence is a red herring. Thread closed.
Nonsense. The optimal cadence can easily be determined with rigorous indoor testing on a Velotron and Powercranks.
Sweet!
Cadence is a red herring. Thread closed.
Nonsense. The optimal cadence can easily be determined with rigorous indoor testing on a Velotron and Powercranks.
That requires two red herrings.
Sutton says 70
No. It’s 78. If your male.
83 if female.
End of.
9/10
I think the EN plans suggest 70.5, but I feel that is cutting it awfully close.
Is that in metric revolutions per minute? My bike computer displays imperial circumvolutions per hot minute
400
.
Basically you really want to stay away from the dead zone of 70.
What is this dead zone?
Basically you really want to stay away from the dead zone of 70.
What is this dead zone?
bad things happen there. really bad, unspeakable things.
I went there once, never again.