Cadence isn’t only about marching and military tattoos. We cyclists engage in cadence every time we ride.

Yesterday I did some work on pushing the RPMs; and somehow that seems to make it easier to push the pace as well. Apparently that shift in mental gears helps as much as any shift in bicycle gears! 

For 30-60 seconds at a time, I worked to push my cadence anywhere from 85 to 95 rpm; and without shifting to a lower gear. That sure gets my heart rate up; and it was easier to go 16 mph! (For me, that’s fast).

Which naturally leads to the question: What should my cadence be? I’d say that that is, to some degree, a matter of personal choice; and it also has something to do with muscle-fiber composition. Spinning uses slow-twitch muscle fibers; while mashing calls slow-twitch fibers into play. Everyone has a unique slow-twitch/fast-twitch ratio.

Mashing a hard gear at low rpm makes your muscles tire faster because of lactic acid build-up. Rapid pedaling in an easier gear can make you out of breath faster; so each cyclist need to find the happy medium that works best for him/her.

I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about marching. A marching stride is typically too long for my short legs. I have to almost lunge-walk to keep up!

This morning I got lazy, though. I rode to the supermarket, but that was all. Tomorrow, the salvage store! After that, back to the kitchen.