When asked if it was better technique to mash a big gear or spin a small gear, Eddy Merckx thought for a moment and said 'Its better to spin a big gear.'
Originally Posted by
marimorimo
I want to go faster, but I'm torn on which to work on first--smooth spinning in circles or power to push a bigger gear?
Intervals.
At all but the shortest durations leg strength isn't the limit. You run out of aerobic capacity when you reach your maximum heart rate, and slower efforts under an hour are limited by lactate clearance.
Power is the product of speed and force, with those limits existing regardless of whether you make that power pedaling harder slower or easier faster although cadence can limit maximum sprinting power, influence perceived effort, and affect fatigue.
To increase it you need to force adaptations by stressing the limiting systems.
I like 3x10 minutes with 5 minutes rest starting at 110% of one-hour power - that has a big impact on everything from 5 minutes on for me.
2x20 minutes at 95-100% is a classic threshold workout.
Once a week following a rest day will do wonders.
Be sure to have easy days, weeks (typically 1 out of 4), and months as needed.
I don't know if it's because I worked on cadence exclusively but I feel like my legs are lacking in power. More often than not, shifting to a bigger gear has a negative effect on my speed. It also tires me out fast. So to accelerate I have learned to increase cadence, or even shift down so I can spin more instead. The lack of power also holds me back when climbing hills, or anything even slightly elevated for that matter. The increased resistance from the pedals tires me out very, very fast and I slow to a crawl to catch my breath and ease the muscles on my legs on the crest of the hill.
Many people don't pace themselves well on hills and limit themselves to a sustainable power output. 10% more effort is the difference between making it an hour and running out of steam in 10 minutes. 5% drops you from 60 minutes to 20, or 20 to 10.
A given power can feel very different on flat ground where you're free to choose your cadence and have high inertial load versus on a hill with low inertial load and insufficient gearing to allow you to pedal as fast as you want. A heart rate monitor can help there.