Tailwind Coaching Blog

Learning to control and range your cadence outside your “comfort zone” of your sweet spot is a critical skill for all cyclists.  It's the basic skill that allows you to succeed in group rides, modulate energy systems (switch from aerobic to anaerobic and visa versa) and make you a stable rider that others can draft.  But many cyclists find it difficult to learn how to control their cadence, until now.  The singlespeed workout is an excellent way to build confidence in your cadence control and it doesn't even require you to buy a new bike (although any excuse to buy another bike is a good one.)

In order to perform this workout, you'll need to find a segment of road that has some varying terrain: avoid steep climbs or sharp descents.  Rolling terrain works best for this kind of workout.  Shift into a gear that allows you to spin at your sweet spot cadence (the average cadence you pedal at for a LTHR/FTP test) and DON'T SHIFT OUT OF IT FOR THE ENTIRE WORKOUT.  You'll pedal through the designated stretch of road (I like to run this workout on a 2ish mile long, gradual climb that includes some up and down rollers) using only your cadence to control your speed.

If the road climbs, your cadence will drop and you'll have to add tension to the pedals in order to get up the roller.  As the road declines, you'll need to speed up your cadence to keep tension on the pedals.  Don't coast unless you spin out completely (your spinning becomes choppy and poorly controlled.)

Adding this short workout to your rides will have you confidently controlling your cadence in a wide range of leg speeds.  You'll thank me next time you're able to accelerate on a group ride by just spinning up 10 RPM more and hanging with the wheel in front of you.