There are two ways to increase your speed on the bike: push bigger gears or increase your cadence. (Cadence is the number of revolutions of the crank per minute otherwise known as RPM and roughly speaking, this is the rate at which a cyclist is pedalling/turning the pedals). If you tend to have a relatively slow leg turnover on the bike, upping your RPM slightly above normal while staying in the same gear, can dramatically increase your power and speed.
Whether you are a newcomer to cycling, ride sportives, time trial or road race, learning to pedal quickly will enable you to hold a faster speed without draining so much energy out of your legs and will develop a faster and more efficient pedal stroke.
* If you are serious about improving your cycling then I would recommend investing in a cadence meter which attaches to your bike and will be an invaluable tool to help you monitor your cadence. If you don’t have one though, you can measure your cadence by counting how many times one knee rises during a 30-second interval, then double this number and you have your revolutions per minute.
This high-cadence training drill will help to develop a faster leg speed and a more efficient cycling style.
Fast feet workout: Choose a flat (ish) route and warm up for at 15 – 20 minutes at your normal cadence. Gradually increase your RPM until you start to “bounce” in the saddle and at this point you start to reduce your cadence slightly so that you no longer bounce. Sustain this higher cadence for 1 or 2 minutes before gradually slowing back down to your normal rate for 5 minutes before trying again, aiming for 3-6 sets over the course of your ride. Cool down for 15 minutes.
