Sprint Triathlon Training – Go Faster with the Correct Cadence
August 9th, 2009 | 
Author: In bicycling, cadence refers to how many times the pedals spin per minute. You can count your own cadence the same way you would count your pulse. All you need is a stopwatch. Count the number of times that one leg pushes down on the pedal for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. You can count for a full minute if you like as well. Here is a chart showing your cadence in revolutions per minute based on your 10 second count:
- 10 60 rpm
- 11 66 rpm
- 12 72 rpm
- 13 78 rpm
- 14 84 rpm
- 15 90 rpm
- 16 96 rpm
Will a faster cadence make me faster on the bike?
In the long run the object of sprint triathlon training or even Ironman triathlon training is to go faster on the bike while still having energy for the run.
Bicycling speed is a result of your cadence (how fast the pedals are spinning) multiplied by the “gear inches” or how far your bike travels with each rotation of the pedals. If you maintain your cadence at 90 for example, and you want to go faster, you will need to use a harder gear. This requires training to teach your muscles how to push that harder gear without getting fatigued. But it is the only way to go faster once you have reached your own top cadence.
Ultimately your speed on the bike comes down to just two basic components that you can control…your cadence and the gear you are using. I hope that you can understand how training your body to use a higher cadence will help you go faster on the bike leg of your training.
What’s the best cadence?
There is no “best” cadence…it depends on your personal physiology, your training background and your performance goals. Most people will have a naturally selected cadence, but that doesn’t mean this is your optimal cadence. In my experience working with newer cyclists, or cyclists who are just getting interested in racing have a cadence on the lower side anywhere from 60 to 75 rpm, while more experienced cyclists tend to have a cadence anywhere from 75 to 95rpm. Frequently people have the mistaken notion that they should be “working hard” on the bike which forces them to use a harder gear than necessary and slows down their cadence.
By shifting to an easier gear, the amount of force or energy required to push down the pedal is slightly less, enabling the cyclists to pedal slightly faster. It’s not so much the faster cadence that is helpful, but the fact that you don’t have to push quite as hard with each pedal stroke. For most people, this slight energy savings adds up over time and allows them to ride further and faster with less energy, not to mention being able to have a great run leg.
You can’t get something for nothing…
There is a slight tradeoff however. Try this experiment. Get on your bike on a flat stretch of road or trail. Use the easiest gear available on your bike (the granny gear) which will be the smallest gear in front and the largest gear in the back. Now pedal as fast as you can for a minute or more. Are your legs tired? THey should be…it takes energy to move the pedals in circles.
Now repeat the experiment in the hardest gear. Your legs will be tired in a different way…it takes more forces to push the pedals in a harder gear.
So if both extremes make you tired, why is one better than the other? Choosing a higher cadence uses requires less strength from the muscles and shifts the work effort to the cardiovascular system. In addition with less forces used on the pedals, less force is transmitted to your joints. Higher cadences are easier on your knees and hips which can make the difference between enjoying the bike leg and dreading it.
What cadence should I aim for?
A cadence of between 80 and 90 seems to work well for most triathletes. With training, you will discover your own best cadence. In general, I advise my athletes to use slightly easier gears in the beginning of their training in order to get used ot a higher cadence and aim for a goal cadence of 85-95 rpm.
95 is definatly on the higher side, but there is no harm in overshooting a bit to help reprogram your muscle memory. At first it may feel foreign or very fatiguing. This is a skill that needs to be trained just like any other physical skill. But once your become accustomed to a higher cadence, it will begin to feel more normal, and will actually become more efficient for you.
Feel free to leave a comment with any questions, comments or additions below! Thanks,
Coach Suzanne
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Thanks for describing the difference between the cardiovascular demands of the higher cadence versus the muscular demands of the harder gear. Very useful, and something I hadn’t conceptualized before.
Glad you enjoyed it! There are some details I didn’t get into, but it’s important that people understand that there is no “best” cadence and that there are tradeoffs both ways.
I am such a novice but I shall try this experiment and report back on my progress – thanks
could you talk about grinders vs. mashers and which do better in triathlons or is it just a matter of preferance?
i meant mashers vs. spinners
Hi Glenn, basically this article addresses that without telling you outright which one is “best”. Everyone is different and each person will find their own best cadence. My personal bias is that MOST people are better off with a slightly faster cadence than a slower cadence, primarily because it will result in less force used with each stroke and hopefully a conservation of energy that can be used for the run. However, unless someone PRACTICES biking at a faster cadence they will never find out what cadence is best for them.
As a personal note, I spent my 2nd winter doing tris focusing on my cadence indoors. As a result, I’m spining much faster than usual. However when I find myself in a time trial or race situation, I usually revert to a slower cadence (80rpm). this is a result of having tried and practiced many different cadences with and without a power meter over several years.
So…there is no “who does best”…but as an individual triathlete, you need to experiment in trianing and give yourself adequate training time to find out what works best for you. Hope that helps.
Thanks for that article – really helped with your example of high gear vs high RPM. Doesnt higher gear though mean you can push harder as you are avoiding free spin so ultimately you will go faster?
Also have you written much on the swimming leg? It’s the one I am getting most anxious about…Have first ever tri end of September and have been totally inspired by your 12 week plan and brilliant articles – Thank you!!
Thanks Camilla! In a sense using a higher (ie harder) gear will help you go faster, but only for as long as you can sustain pushing that harder gear. Since it requires more force to do so, you will need to find your own “sweet spot”. What’s the hardest gear you can push at a decent cadence so as not to get fatigued during your bike leg, and still have energy for the run?
I plan on adding some swimming articles soon. Thanks for reading!
-Coach Suzanne
Interesting article – - makes sense why I’m tired after 12 miles in 27th gear. I’ll certainly work on changing the ratio and picking up the RPMs. Thanks
I am an avid mountain biker and planning on doing my first tri on my mtb with slicks. Because of the varied terrain of mountain biking, I frequently switch gears. I have my bike hooked up to a trainer in my basement for those long New England winters. Should I practice on my trainer spinning on just one gear and not worry about switching gears to train for road riding?
Hi Chef! You should definately practice in different gears even while on your trainer. The reason is that if your cadence is fixed, the only thing that will change your effort level is switching gears. Training in only one gear limits that variety of “training zones” that you can work in. You can learn more about training zones in some of my new off-season and pre-season training guides I’ll be posting about soon. Thanks.
I’ve been trying to do this higher cadence training since reading your article and it has been great. I can feel my legs getting stronger. I also make sure I do a harder cadence while standing and sitting in between the higher cadence. It seems to help a lot. What do you think?
Very straight forward and easy to understand article for a very novice triathlete – many thanks. Just need to get rid of my hamstring injury first then I can put your knowledge into practice!!
When Standing, I usually shift 1-2 gears harder otherwise you’ll start to spin out. Then shift back to 1-2 gears easier as you go to sit. Experiment with the timing of the shifting so that the shifting is smooth with no abrupt jumps in the resistance or excessive noise from the drive chain.