your legs to spin faster without a massive
amount of training.
There is no case for grinding gears!
Learn from professional cyclists like
Chris Froome. By taking a lower gear and
spinning faster, he is able to ride faster
for longer up the big mountains. Riding a
lower gear is not only softer on the body
but also saves your legs for the run. Yes,
your heart rate will be slightly higher, but
the heart recovers a lot more quickly than
fatigued legs. Jan Frodeno, Javier Gomez
and Ben Hoffman all follow this example
– with top results as we know.
Of course, getting to a consistent
cadence of 90 takes lots of dedicated
work over a long period of time. But I
promise you it will be worth your while.
First off, you need to practice pedalling
properly, in a round, smooth circle. Then
practice pedalling faster. The best place
to do this is on an indoor trainer where
you have a controlled environment.
Interval training works best. Do one-
minute intervals, starting at a cadence
of 110rpm and working your way up to
120. Keep the cadence smooth and the
same for the duration of the interval.
This kind of training will help you build a
wider range of cycling abilities. It stands
to reason that the faster you peddle, the
faster you will go. The sky is the limit!
RUN MORE EFFICIENTLY
As with cycling, a high cadence is
important. Why? By increasing your
cadence, you’re doing more than moving
your feet faster – you’re changing the
positioning of where your foot lands.
With a higher cadence, your foot lands
under your hips, in your centre of gravity.
This decreases your stride length and
increases your turnover, which means
you’re wasting less energy moving up
and down. Rather, your body is focused
on moving forward, making you faster.
Runners who use long strides place
their feet in front of their hips. This is like
running with a handbrake on. It not only