Does Cadence Really Matter?

Grinding a big gear or spinning a small one places differing strains on the body, as Nick Tiller explains

- Dr Nick Tiller

Getting the best from a long weekend ride takes some planning; at a minimum, you’ll consider the pace and duration of your ride, map the route, and ponder the most effective ways to tackle (or avoid) those big hill-climbs. After you’ve stuffed your pockets with the essentials, you might opt to track your mileage, heart rate or power. A metric that’s often neglected, however, is cadence. Does the rate at which you’re going to pedal really matter?

According to the science, cadence has a significant impact on physical responses while riding. The implication is, neglecting to consider cadence could be a costly error for those looking to improve their performance. So, what are the benefits of paying close attention to your cadence? Should we be grinding in high gears or spinning in the low ones, and is there an optimum rate for hills and flats, for amateurs and elites?

The science bit

During the course of your training, you’ve no doubt noticed that slower cadences make it easier toexert power through the pedals — but at a cost, namely, increased work on your leg muscles. By contrast, at a given power output, faster cadences (around 90rpm) seem to be easier on the muscles but cause faster or heavier breathing. These impressions are generally supported by the scientific literature, but what are the physiological explanations?