Mid-week bike workout

tswent

Hey Patrick,

On my Wednesday bike workouts where we're trying to get faster, should we be trying to push the biggest gear possible no matter the cadence, or should we be pushing the biggest gear possible while maintaining a cadence above 90?

Thanks,

Ted

Coach Patrick

Ted, the correct answer is the gear that gets you the most sustainable watts. But without power, it's the gear you can sustain for the duration of the interval with a consistent cadence. So if you start at 90 in a "tough" gear but across the 12 minutes it drops to 82 rpms, that's just too hard...so shift easier as the cadence drops a bit...eventually over time you should be able to handle a bit more time outside of your cadence comfort zone.

I personally mix up the intervals...so a 2 x 12' (3') session might see me do one at 95 rpms and one at 80 rpms (my "happy" space is 85 rpms)...I like the challenge of working outside my comfort zone...