A bike path as laboratory? Sure! Sometimes I get curious, like a kitty; and a Sunday long ride is a good time to experiment with new things.

It seems that they\’re always saying that a cyclist\’s cadence \”should\” be between 80 and 100 rpm. Mine tends to average in the 70s. I also tend to ride the big ring quite a lot.

Would riding on the small ring make a difference? Today I kept switching from the small ring to the large ring, shifting about every 2.48 miles. Each time I switched rings, I pressed my cyclocomputer\’s lap button. Post-ride, I checked the data on my Garmin.

My average cadence was about 75 rpm no matter which ring I was using. So, do I need to work at increasing my cadence? Get Fast! has this to say about cadence (p. 8): \”Your optimal pedal cadence depends on myriad factors … muscle fiber composition … gear selection, and even your age.\” And, on p. 19: \”But I\’ve never been convinced that it\’s always beneficial to spin like a hamster in a wheel…\”.

I\’ve been so prone to post-long ride orthostatic hypotension that I took along a shot of Pickle Juice to drink at my turnaround point. I thought it might help prevent that irritating lightheadedness. In addition, I slowed down about four miles before I got home, and tried to keep to an easy gear. My head still began to feel weird about an hour after I got home.

Today I tried a SIS GO Isotonic gel. It has a thinner, lighter texture than GU-Gel does, and the flavor doesn\’t seem as strong. If I were doing a hard, day-long ride, I think I\’d want a SIS gel rather than a GU, especially later in the day.

This was my first long (OK, not so long at 32.2 miles) on my new saddle. I like it! I think I can call that experiment a success. It\’s so nice to have the bike path as laboratory.