'One important thing about cadence is the ability to change quickly from low to high,' says Newton. It’s worth remembering that you shouldn’t always aim for a high cadence, though. 'That’s fine – a sportive is a personal challenge, not a race – but it won’t keep you in the bunch if you do want to race.' If you’re a sportive rider you’ll ride at your own pace and do what it takes to get up the hill. This is the difference between a road racer and a sportive rider. If you’re a road racer you attack the hill and chew your bars off to stay on the wheel of the strongest rider. 'A lot of people stick it in the little ring way too early and lose momentum. 'Don’t change gear early simply because you see a hill,' warns Newton. One benefit of a higher cadence is that it can help you up hills. 'This should make it easier to sustain that given power for long periods.' Pros and cons of higher cadence Still not convinced? 'To ride at any given power, a higher cadence requires less muscular force per revolution, therefore your pedalling is relying more on your muscular endurance and less on your strength,' says coach Paul Butler.
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'Using a higher cadence – for example, 80rpm vs 60rpm – results in a better "feel", plus it reduces the forces you have to apply to remain at a specific power output.' ' Lance Armstrong, who rode at around 110rpm, always worked on the basis that a higher cadence stresses your cardio system more, whereas riding at a lower cadence is harder on the muscles,' says Newton.Ĭoach Ric Stern agrees. 'Secondly, it’s about efficiency, because cadence is about the amount of effort that’s required to ride at a certain speed.'įinally, riding at a higher cadence is actually easier on your body. For a track rider, to ride fast means being able to turn their legs over faster, because they don’t have the option of changing gear. Cadence, which can be measured using a bike computer, is important for three reasons, says British Cycling coach Will Newton: 'It matters in terms of how fast you can ride a bike.