A novice road cyclist and an experienced cyclist going on a tour together will look at each other's feet with irritation: While the long-time road cyclist is spinning his legs fast, the novice is pedalling at the same speed but only half as fast and wonders what this hummingbird-like cranking is all about. Good question. Especially as fast and slow pedalling can mean more than just the difference between a beginner and an experienced cyclist. Even professionals pedal differently. In the recent past, it was above all the contrast between the stoically powerful pedalling of Jan Ullrich and the extremely fast-paced Lance Armstrong that had fans and experts discussing pedalling technique.
The speed of the pedalling is given as the cadence in revolutions per minute (rpm) and refers to one complete rotation of the chainring in which each leg is raised and lowered once. The easiest way to measure the cadence is with a bike computer that has a crank sensor; it is good if the handlebar computer records the data for later analysis. But be careful: Some computers include the cadence "0" (if you are only rolling) in their calculation, the value for the average cadence is then not very meaningful. This option can be set on some computers. However, you can also look at your watch and count how many times a foot pedals downwards in ten seconds and multiply this value by six. 60 rpm is normal for beginners. Racers, on the other hand, usually pedal at 90 to 100 rpm. In their pursuit of world hour records, professionals pedal at an average of 102 rpm.
You can find lots of tips on the optimum cadence in TOUR 7/2012.
Not every amateur athlete can pedal at a high cadence. Watch our video for tips on motorised training.
