joakley

I am looking forward to start track racing when the new Giordana velodrome is open.I have always been a good sprinter on the road, but i accomplished this by pushing big gears and standing.All the info I have read talks about high cadence being a must on the track. I recently took a fixed gear road bike to a local high school track to do some intervals geared at 46x16 , but i couldn't obtain any speed and was searching for another gear that wasn't there. So my question is what training can I do to improve my cadence and turn this increase into more speed. Hope this makes sense . Thanks in advance .

carleton

Under gear training helps. Use your road bike and put it in the small ring and stay on the left side of your cassette. You'll get the hang of it after a while.

Maybe use a computer with a cadence so you can monitor your progress.

Rollers help a lot. That way you can train to spin at higher cadences with no resistance. Basically, this trains your brain and legs how to move at higher cadences without wearing you out in the process...which is what you were doing on the road.

joakley

Thanks for the reply. I guess my problem is I want to push harder rather than faster. I am 53 and it's going to be hard to break old habits. I was also a sprinter (track) in school and my coach had me concentrate on pushing hard on my strides for the first 40 meters before settling in and relaxing. I have never been much of a high cadence cyclist. But I plan to work on it. Really glad to find this forum cause I know I will have alot of questions. Again thanks.

carleton

The undergear training will get you to the same relaxed state...just at a higher cadence. You will quickly figure it out within the first few weeks of training and racing. Don't worry. The first race where you are over-geard, you'll blow up mid race and learn that it's easier to maintain a moderate/high cadence than it is to maintain moderate/high torque. You'll have the whole summer to settle into the right gear ratio for you and the particular races.

Also note that the races are short. Some are only a couple of minutes up to maybe 15 or 20 minutes (generally speaking). Take baby steps and work on holding 100RPM for 1 minute...then 2...then 3...then 110RPM for 1 minute... That'll keep you busy till the track opens!

I'll see you in Rock Hill

joakley

Look forward to it, after all , reading your threads is one reason I decided to give it a go. Cheers

carleton

That's awesome, man! I'm glad to help. Feel free to ask any more questions. We were all beginners once.

(I'm no expert. I just know a few things here and there.)

Baby Puke

I'd say keep doing that road training on the 46X16, but find a long hill and do sprints down it. That really helped me when converting from a big-gear slugger of an ex-roadie into a track rider. As Carleton says, you'll need to get smooth and comfortable at a high cadence and be able to hold it for a while. And rollers.

joakley

No rollers yet but I did get a spinner with a fixed 50 pound fly wheel and have been working on low resistance high cadence spinning and heavy resistance 10 sec max efforts. Tomorrow I hit the gym for some dead lifts. Liking this training already. But I also think your recommendation is worth a try. I will mix it into my training and thanks for the tip. Appreciated