The ideal cadence at which we should pedal

The speed at which we pedal is essential for achieving the best performance on the bike. Pedaling at an appropriate cadence for each moment allows us to make the most of our strength and ride faster. But what is the ideal cadence and how is it trained?

Discover what the ideal cadence is

Few topics have generated as much discussion among coaches, physiologists, biomechanists, and cyclists as the cadence at which one should pedal. It is a parameter of great importance for determining how the force generated by our legs is applied, and it seems impossible to establish a consensus.

Those who have been in cycling for a long time will remember the bikes of the 70s and 80s when there were 5 or 6 gears, and the ubiquitous 52/42 chainrings made cycling, especially if it involved climbing mountains, not suitable for everyone.

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In our minds, we have the image of cyclists from that era pedaling heavily with a lot of effort. We also remember that famous stage of the Mortirolo in the Giro d'Italia with commentators on television referring to the inhuman slopes of that climb and noting that the cyclists had mounted a 39x25, something never seen before.

However, everything changed with the arrival of Lance Armstrong, who, after losing much of his muscle mass due to cancer, opted for a new approach with his coach Chris Carmichael. A couple of years later, he surprised everyone by decisively winning the first of his 7 Tours de France, from which he would later be stripped due to doping. He did this while climbing mountains with an unprecedented pedaling cadence.

Today, cyclists have bikes with 12 gears, which makes it common for them to use a larger chainring of 30 or 33 teeth, so cheerful cadences have become something usual in competition. However, in the realm of cycling tourism, we still see a great heterogeneity.

The importance of cadence in cycling

First, let's remember what cadence is. It refers to the rhythm at which our legs pedal, that is, the number of pedal strokes per minute we perform. To adapt the cadence to the speed at which we are traveling, just as in motor vehicles, we have a series of gear ratios to choose from.

Cadence becomes important when it comes to making a more efficient pedal stroke, that is, one that allows us to go as fast as possible with the least physical effort. Remember that the power generated by the cyclist is defined as the torque applied to the pedals multiplied by the cadence at which one pedals.

Therefore, we can generate more power in two ways: pedaling with more force or moving our legs faster. Depending on the type of cyclist we are, we will obviously prefer to prioritize one or the other.

Is there a perfect cadence?

Although there is no consensus on what cadence is most appropriate for pedaling, it is widely accepted, based on statistics, that the optimal range is between 80 and 100 pedal strokes per minute.

Of course, there are exceptions outside this range. For example, those who are new to cycling tend to pedal at lower cadences. Cadence also decreases as our body accumulates fatigue over a long ride. On the other hand, when we ride at higher speeds, we also tend to pedal more quickly.

In general, pedaling at low cadences is more demanding at the neuromuscular level, requiring greater effort from muscles and joints. On the other hand, high cadences increase the demand on the cardiovascular system, accelerating respiratory and heart rates.

However, when pedaling for long hours, the cardiovascular system has greater endurance than the muscles, which is why it is always recommended to maintain a cheerful pedaling. Conversely, low cadences can allow us to conserve energy as long as the muscular demand is not excessive, for example, when we are drafting in a group.

Training cadence

Cadence training is another controversial point. Some coaches include it specifically in their plans, while others prefer that the cyclist use the so-called self-selected cadence depending on the type of training being performed. In both cases, cadence goals are usually indicated for specific strength sessions with low cadence pedaling intervals or repetitions of starts from a standstill with a high gear until reaching a certain cruising rhythm.

Those coaches who do emphasize cadence work, like the aforementioned Chris Carmichael, often include specific sessions to achieve a more cheerful pedaling, such as performing intervals at high cadence focusing on controlling the pedal stroke at the dead spots where the cyclist has to push or drag the foot to maintain the most efficient application of force possible, or performing sprints also using high cadences.

In any case, the current trend is for the cyclist to be able to operate in a wider range of cadences since we will not always be able to pedal in the ideal range. There are times when we will find ourselves on a steep descent and will need to pedal very quickly, without the possibility of having a longer gear, to be able to catch up with a group or not get dropped.

On the other hand, there is the most common option among cycling tourists, which is to find ourselves on a very steep climb without being able to pedal at the desired cadence simply because the softer gear we have and our fitness level do not allow it.