Cadence vs. Power

Late in workouts my cadence falls. Sometimes dropping into the 60’s. However, I still hit the power and time goal. Is this something I should address or continue powering forward.

My initial thought has been eventually the cadence will come and there is a benefit to training at varying cadence. I usually hold a 90+ cadence past the halfway mark. My focus is XC MTB racing.

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I think it should be addressed. Being able to spin for the entire workout will only benefit you in the MTB races. During those long climbs it can be a big advantage to be able to spin up it and not completely blast your legs on the way up.

To be clear though, it is also important to be able to spin at a low cadence as well since MTBing invariably forces a low cadence in certain situations. But, it sounds like you’re already plenty strong at low cadence and have room to improve neuro-muscularly.

For my races, I always end up at a lower cadence than I started, much for the same reasons as you (well, for me it’s been high weight and low FTP :stuck_out_tongue:), but as my FTP has increased, I’ve been able to increase my cadence in certain situations which has helped save my legs for later… all that and I’ll also throw in a “YMMV” and throw a grain of salt on that with an N=1 :smile:

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People with saddles too high tend to mash low cadence (beneath 80-85) because a normal and efficient cadence is difficult and uncomfortable.

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Sound like you just need to focus on this a little. As CurnchyGears mentions, a range of cadences that you can work comfortably at is really helpful for XC Mountain biking where the demands of the trail can change a lot and your ability to use a specific cadence may be limited by your gearing.

I’ve gotten used to spinning at a higher cadence since starting to use TR some years back. Easy aerobic workouts like Petit are great ones to work on a steady spin without being too fatiguing overall.

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Is there any other way to correct this other then lowering FTP?

Yes drill work. Do sets on your endurance rides/workouts. Over unders of 105/85 or whatever you feel like. 10min on/off or longer or shorter. Just find whatever stresses you out and keep pushing that.