Focusing on cadence

When I started riding on my commuter bike, I left the shifting on the toughest gear combo possible with the thought that it would be most efficient for me and that I'd build better fitness (muscles!). When I bought the road bike, I thought I would be leaving the bike in a tough gearing most of the time as well, except when climbing of course.

Well, apparently tough gearing is not so smart and high cadence (pedal revolution rate) is a key for efficiency. This is not as easy as it sounds for me though since I'm used to feeling more resistance on the pedals. I figure since I'm practically learning to pedal all over again, I would be sure to take high cadence as a goal during my training rides.

I'm far from the expert, but my reading has suggested that somewhere between 85 and 105rpm is the sweet spot for efficient road riding, unlike our rider above. I think this varies from person to person, but the gist is that the low resistance will better tune your riding muscles during the initial periods as well as bring your body to a "peak" for riding.

Now, during my Monday and Wednesday training rides, I shift to my smaller chainring and push up the RPMs, focusing on pedaling technique. For a while, I started bouncing on the saddle, and I initially thought this was a question of saddle position. Instead, with a tip from another local rider, he suggested I focus on completely lifting my weight off of the pedal on the upstroke. What a difference! Instead of thinking about pulling up the pedal, simply focusing on removing the weight from the pedal makes for a big change.

I now have a cadence monitor, but I tried to count revolutions per second to give me an idea of RPM. 1 revolution per second, I was doing 60 RPM. 2 revolutions per second would be 120 RPM. So I would aim somewhere in between to reach that 85-105 RPM range, something like 3 revolutions per 2 seconds.

What do you think? How big of a role does cadence have in your training?

The 100 mile training plan, part 1

I'm reading Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible, and one of the first things he mentions is that it is important to train with a plan. Last year, my first year with my road bike, I certainly was more just learning about the roadie scene and getting used to clipping in and out. This year though, I certainly want to be more focused (but have even more fun).

The book mentions that that a lot of riders simply go out on their bikes and sort of take on what they feel like or confront while out on the roads. I certainly was following this pattern, but, as the weather is warming up, I have my first plan, I call it my "100 mile training plan, part 1":

• Monday AM: 1.5 hours on flat bike trail, 20-25 miles
• Wednesday AM: 1.5 hours on flat bike trail, 20-25 miles
• Saturday: 50-60 miles, varied flats and climbs

The idea is that I ride about 100 miles per week, which is a major improvement for me from last year when I used to only ride the weekends. My hope is that, after taking almost the entire winter off (I had no trainer nor any cold-weather clothes), slowly my body will accustom itself to the bike again and the muscles will begin coming up to form. Plenty of rest is built-in to the plan to prevent any injury.

Next month, part 2 of the 100 mile training plan, I want to start including interval training/sprints during the shorter workouts. I will gauge how I'm feeling then with regard to training frequency, but for now it's a start and I'm happy! Any readers have similar training plans? How have your progressed your training over the course of a season?

Early test of will

One of the reasons I enjoy cycling is that I can always push myself to improve: go faster, go farther, climb higher, and ultimately ride more.  To start preparing for regional races, I'm in the early stages of my initial training plan, and this involves riding in the morning before work.

I don't know about you, but riding in the morning is a major challenge for me, and a true test of my will to improve.  If I had to wake up by myself to ride, I think it'd be near impossible, but luckily I like waking up with my wife as her job starts much earlier than mine.  I wake up somewhere around 6am.  While she prepares, I have time to make coffee and start collecting my things for a ride.  My goal is to be out the door by 7am and then back home by 8:30am.

This morning, the temperature was in the 40s F when I left, another challenge when you're riding in material as thin as underwear, and the bed is cozy and warm.  Maybe eventually I'll accumulate some of the fancier jackets to keep warm.  Once I'm moving, the ride feels fine, and it's a good 1.5 hour ride; nevertheless, the cold bites at the beginning.  

Eventually, here in Northern California, the morning temperatures will be in the upper 50s F and the morning rides will be even easier, but for now, it's an early test to keep to a training plan.