More On Cadence
by Coach Mark Tyson

Just read the cadence - leg speed article and thought I'd add a few thoughts if anyone cares-

I too have been amazed by the cadence that Armstrong turns during attacks. I had a conversation with Chris Carmichael last week and we talked about just that issue. They have discovered that the lower strength, higher cadence riding Lance does allows for much faster recovery, not only after the race, but during the race. Lance attacks, puts time on his rivals and then recovers out of the red zone, to ride tempo to the finish. He doesn't generally put much more time on his rivals unless they miscalculated their time in the red, but he has the gap to win. In addition, he knows he won't blow, because he has been using his cardio system efficiently.

A couple of tips.

1. OK...everyone has heard the fixed gear rap ad nauseum, but it works. The National Team guys do it almost every year. Have a contest to see who can come up with the cheapest, ugliest fixey in NW Ohio! 39/42x18/19 should work. Use a $6 three speed chain. It won't flex side to side and fall off.

2. Using the workouts Mr. Snider & Mr. Teall recommend, concentrate on the bottom third of the pedal stroke...from about 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock. During high rpm work, the weight of your leg will take care of the down stroke...the hard part is the up stroke. Sports science tells us that our old "pull up" advice is bunk. The most efficient pedalers don't pull up, but he do "unload" the pedal on the back stoke. This means concentrating on taking your weight off the pedal on the up stroke.

3. If you've got kids who want to race, make them ride very high rpms. They will build muscle memory at a young age that will really never go away. You can teach a rider power at an older age, but it's very difficult to teach speed. I would be willing to wager that in my fat, advanced, unfit years, I could still turn 180rpm on rollers with 3_4 weeks work, only because I learned to pedal as a boy in the dark ages. (Please, no one challenge me on this.)

4. One additional workout you may find useful. Using a fixed gear or very small gear on freewheel, two or more riders race one another downhill. The rider whose form breaks down least will win. I realize that hills are in short supply in NW Ohio, but you can even use a 300_400 meter long down hill on the river road. You can use a gale force tail wind too, although those are a bit hard to predict. Use a car to tow you back up the hill.

Pedal Fast...can't hurt!

Mr. Tyson is a founding father of the Maumee Valley Wheelmen. More than 25 years ago Mark and friends developed a club devoted to local bike racing and touring. That club survives vigorously today, focused on racing - whether for fun or for serious competition.

Mark coaches elite road and track cyclists in Colorado Springs. 

Last Updated 03/19/08