Originally Posted by -VELOCITY-
I normally ride with a cadence between 80 and 85. Occasionally I'll jump up to 90 or 95 but it feels ackward having to pedal that fast. It doesn't feel normal. Should it feel normal? I keep seeing in various places that they recommend a faster cadence and how it helped Lance win his first tour. But for the everyday non pro rider does a high cadence help. I find that I have to work harder to maintain such a high cadence. My heart rate goes up. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.
Well, riding at a higher cadence will shift the load from your skeletal muscles to your heart muscles, so that's part of the effect you're seeing. You also aren't as efficient at higher cadences.
I suggest doing fast pedal intervals. Make sure you're warmed up first. Start with intervals 1:30 in length. Slowly increase your cadence for the first minute, making sure you aren't bouncing, and then hold it for the remainder of the interval. Do it with a low enough gearing so that your heartrate isn't going too high.
Recover at a comfortable rate for the same amount of time as the interval. Repeat 4 times. Do this a couple times a week, and increase the interval time to 2 minutes as you get more used to it.
I did that this spring. I used to spend most of my time at about 85 RPM, and got uncomfortable at 105 RPM or so. Now I can easily ride for 15 minutes at 110-115 RPM, and saw 143 RPM for 15 seconds or so on a downhill tempo interval last week.
While I do find it useful to shift the load to my heart, I think getting a smoother pedal stroke that uses more muscles is the real benefit.