Originally Posted by
bigfred
I'm a bit confused by those of you who seem to be implying that you shift down and pedal at a cadence higher than the lead rider. If you assume that the lead rider is pedaling at an efficient cadence for the speed, shifting down usually see's me spinning like a squirrel against little to no resistance and finding it hard to maintain a smooth spin. Given the reduction in wind resistance and required power, I find it much easier to maintain the same gear or shift up one and maintain a 'slightly' lower cadence than the lead rider. That's not to say that I'm grinding. I'm probably still in the 80-90 range. But, this seems to feel far more efficient than spinning at high 90's to 100+ when I'm supposed to be recovering for my next turn.
As a general rule, you want to spin a bit faster when you are in a line recovering. It helps get rid of the lactic buildup. When you are pulling, you want to be in your 'power zone', which is typically a bit slower. My power sweet spot (for a variable effort ride like a paceline) is ~95, and I'll use that when pulling, then often spin up to between 100 and 105 when recovering in the line. I never try to match the cadence of those around me - it's too individualized.