Round and round

As mentioned yesterday, training with a bit more intent today.

The day started off with a nice spin on the Kickr. When I say spin, I really mean it, the session containing a number of intervals up to 110rpm on the cadence. Really getting the legs whirring doing some over speed work. One thing that I have found over the years is that my cadence on the bike has gradually increased, 110rpm is still high for me though.

Increasing cadence it isn't something that I have actively worked on, it has just sort of happened. I first really noticed the increase after I started spending a lot more time on the Kickr. I suspect Kickr has helped smooth out my pedal stroke, which has in turn helped my cadence lift. It is now at the point where I will quite happily sit at 90rpm or higher in training. I regularly race with a cadence between 90 and 95. In the recent Rotto Long Course my cadence on the bike was 95. For me those sort of cadences feel about right.

Now cadence is obviously a very hot topic in triathlon but to be honest I don't really sit any where particular in the whole high cadence vs low cadence debate. I can see both sides of the argument and I probably lean towards the high cadence way of thinking a bit, but it is not with any particular conviction. The evidence on both sides seems a little bit sketchy to me, with a few vested interesting tainting the waters slightly. The data on the high cadence side seems a little more solid, but not by much. I hear a lot of anecdotal evidence and 'expert opinions' and not a lot of science. I like doing things for a reason in my training and racing so I try not to jump on the latest triathlon fad or bandwagon too much, not unless there is some evidence behind it.

Yes I ride with a high cadence, but that isn't because I read on a website or a magazine that I should. I ride with a high cadence because that is what feels comfortable when I ride. Sometimes low cadence feels better and on those days I slow it right down. Other sessions we will focus on low cadence work and on those days I slow it down further. But on the whole I find that spinning is what my body naturally wants to do. If my body naturally wanted to peddle slower, then I would probably do that too. I certainly used to.

More training this afternoon. Probably some running or something crazy like that.