We’ve already discussed how power is how hard you are pushing on the pedals multiplied by your cadence, so if you can sustain a higher cadence then you can also sustain a higher power output.

In addition, the smoother you are in your pedal stroke, the less energy you are wasting on the bike, so you will have more in the tank at the end of a long ride or sportive.

Increasing the cadence during your efforts on the turbo not only teaches you to sustain a higher cadence but it also means you are completing the same series of muscle contractions more than you would be when pedaling slower.

As with anything, the more you do it, the better you become at it, so cadence drills will boost your muscle memory and increase your efficiency on the bike.

Example session: cadence drills

• Warm-up for 10 mins zone two
• 12 mins as follows:
  1 min at 90rpm, 1 min at 120rpm, 1 min at 90rpm, 1 min at 120rpm and so on until you have completed 12 mins
• 10 mins zone two – self-selected cadence
• 12 mins as follows:
  1 min at 100rpm, 1 min at 120rpm, 1 min at 100rpm, 1 min at 120rpm and so on until you have complete 12 mins
• Cool down 10-15mins zone two decreasing to zone one