Road Bike Racing - Gear question

I only get a chance to ride with a group once a week and some of them are riding in the 53 tooth cog and some in the small cog. I am confused. When riding by myself I ride the small cog and can ride between 20 and 22 mph with a cadance of 100 or high. Is it better to keep the higher cadance? When riding with a pack should I go to the 53 to build some strength because the draft will make it easier? Thanks for the help

Cadence is a matter of preference, but there seems to be something of a movement among riders to go for higher cadences. This may be partly due to Mr. Armstrong's discovery that he can do better on the hills with a higher cadence. I think that he does about 100 in the hills, likely more on the flats.

The logic is that a higher cadence will push the work more into your heart and lungs. When trained for this, you will be more aerobically efficient.

I don't think your cadence choice should have anything to do with whether you are drafting. It should be based on what you are comfortable doing dependent on the terrain, etc.

But, yes, doing some work in a higher gear will be good for strength training. (But, if you are drafting, you are cutting back the work you are doing, so it won't help.)

I ride mainly in my small chainring with a 105-115 cadence. I slow it only when I go up a hill that is steep to run me out of gearing. I use my big chainring mainly for descents (or for strength intervals).

Do what you like, not what the pack is doing.

Cheers,
Jamie

Going with a higher cadence might be better for riding in the pack because it's easier to quickly respond to pack accelerations, etc.

I totally agree- the higher cadence can keep you in aerobic states longer. When I do my normal ride, I do ~110 RPM - ~120 RPM. I know it is a little high, but I just am comfy there. It keeps the real effort out of the legs, so when I need my 'afterburners', I still have full glycogen stores in my legs to go anaerobic.

You CAN ride the same speed with approximately the same cadence in the small or big chainring because a lot of the gears "overlap". ( A 53X21 is almost the same gear as a 39X15)

Ride On
Pat