Spinning and Grinding.
Last year my cadence averaged about 85 to 95 RPM on the trainer. Like every year before, I made an active effort to maintain that range day in and day out, mainly because I read somewhere on the internet that it was the most efficient cadence. I took it on faith, because the internet is the gold standard of reliable information. Google says so.
This trainer season I haven't paid much attention to my cadence as I flail around on Zwift. I just let it naturally select itself. It's been averaging about 75-85 RPM. I'm pushing bigger gears slower, to attain the same power. There was no master plan to make this happen. No directive from Janice led to the change. Like most things in my life, it was completely random.
I'm not sure if it's good, bad, or indifferent. It's just different at the moment. It could change.
I do need to work on foot speed. I need to do some high cadence drills regularly to smooth out my pedal stroke. My jump off the line when responding to attacks or initiating them myself needs some work. You don't open meaningful gaps or close them by slowly grinding away from the opposition. The ability to quickly and smoothly increase revolutions can mean the difference between victory and giving the competition a free lead out in a sprint. As a douchebag, I'm not the giving type.
Even if my average sinks below the "Lance does it so it must be good" 90 RPM standard, as long as I have that capacity for efficiency at higher RPMs I'll be happy.
It's all about expanding potential. When you have as little as I do, every little bit helps.
This trainer season I haven't paid much attention to my cadence as I flail around on Zwift. I just let it naturally select itself. It's been averaging about 75-85 RPM. I'm pushing bigger gears slower, to attain the same power. There was no master plan to make this happen. No directive from Janice led to the change. Like most things in my life, it was completely random.
I'm not sure if it's good, bad, or indifferent. It's just different at the moment. It could change.
I do need to work on foot speed. I need to do some high cadence drills regularly to smooth out my pedal stroke. My jump off the line when responding to attacks or initiating them myself needs some work. You don't open meaningful gaps or close them by slowly grinding away from the opposition. The ability to quickly and smoothly increase revolutions can mean the difference between victory and giving the competition a free lead out in a sprint. As a douchebag, I'm not the giving type.
Even if my average sinks below the "Lance does it so it must be good" 90 RPM standard, as long as I have that capacity for efficiency at higher RPMs I'll be happy.
It's all about expanding potential. When you have as little as I do, every little bit helps.
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