- [Simon] We've been doing some research recently into cadence,
and more specifically what, if any, is the optimal cadence for you as a cyclist?
And there was one point in particular that really piqued our interest,
and that was with regards to the world's top pro cyclists. More specifically,
the likes of Chris Froome, who pedals with a cadence of about 100 RPM when he climbs,
versus his arch nemesis Nairo Quintana, who pedals with a cadence closer to 75
when he is climbing.
- [Dan] So, we devised a very simple experiment which we are about to carry out
right now to find out whether Si and I most resemble Chris Froome or Nairo
Quintana. So, what we're going to do are two reps up this fairly long climb in the
Wye Valley. We are going to record our data. It's not just cadence,
of course, but also power, and heart rate, and also our own perceived exertion on the
climb. And at the end of it, we should decipher for both of us,
what's the most efficient cadence, and therefore who we resemble as pros.
- Yeah. Now, I imagine it will be quite clear rather quickly that we resemble
neither Chris Froome nor Nairo Quintana in many ways. However,
as Dan said, hopefully we will know at the end of it how fast we really should pedal.
♪ [music] ♪
- Two, one.
♪ [music] ♪
- I'm no Chris Froome.
♪ [music] ♪
- Well, aside from being a brutal test, we do actually have some hard data.
Dan, what did you find out?
- Yeah, I'll kick this off. So, I was faster on the slower cadence run than I
was on the high cadence one, quite significantly. Twenty-three seconds was
the difference, despite the fact that my heart rate was actually lower.
Only by two BPM, but still. Perceived exertion, I would actually say slightly
higher for the higher cadence than the lower cadence, but only slightly.
- So lower cadence was faster, lower heart rate, and felt easier, as well.
- It did, for those runs.
- Well, for me, the time difference was much smaller. Still faster on the low
cadence run by 12 seconds, but my heart rate was 5 beats per minutes lower by the
slower cadence. And then my rate of perceived exertion, as well, the high
cadence, actually, I felt was almost unsustainable. I really,
really suffered doing that.
- Yeah, I mean, there's no doubt I was far more comfortable and closer to what I
would have chosen as a cadence on such an effort when I was at 75 RPMs.
So, I wasn't having to look down too much to make sure I was at the correct cadence,
whereas when I was trying to hold 100 RPM, I was constantly having to look down to
make sure it was high enough. In fact, I was going up there thinking,
"Maybe the reason Chris Froome looks down so much is not to look at his power,
but to make sure that he's keeping up his reputation as a high-cadence spinner."
- Well, from my perspective, I was desperate for us to have added in a third
dimension. I wanted Vincenzo Nibali in the mix, because I really wanted to ride a
little bit quicker than our Nairo Quintana cadence. Now, the one question,
Dan, that I do really want to see answered about cadence now, is actually to see
whether or not we, or you, could ride faster by training to pedal at a faster
cadence. So, could Nairo Quintana ride faster by pedaling faster?
I want to know.
- Or could Froome go faster when he grinded it out at a lower cadence?
I guess only those two could provide us with that answer, and there's probably no
chance that they will, unfortunately. Now, if you would like to subscribe to the
Global Cycling Network, we will have loads more experiments like this coming to you
in the not-too-distant future. All you've got to do for that
is to click on the globe.
- Yeah. In the meantime, once you've subscribed, then why not check out couple
more videos where we tackle the rather difficult subject of cadence?
So up there, Dan and I went to the laboratory and actually really did some
hardcore science with it, and then, just down there, you can actually see the
benefits of our research on the subject of whether or not you can improve your
cadence. So make sure you go and check one of those out.