Improving my Cadence (and I’m not talking Club Penguin)

It’s amazing how quickly our fitness has improved.

Our first training ride, I was going uphill at less than 4 MPH and in the lowest gear possible – last night I was hitting some in 5^th gear.

OK, OK to you cycle pros out there that might seem nothing, but it’s a vast improvement in a few weeks.

DJ Cadence Club Penguin

What is Cadence?

For those of you that don't know, in cycling (not music like DJ Cadence above) , cadence is the number of revolutions of the crank per minute – basically how quickly you turn the pedals. 

On our last ride, Dave said to me “you might want to try increasing your gears, as your little legs are going round like the clappers.”

As I wasn’t that confident I had been keeping my gears either low or mid range. Realizing this, I’m actually burning excess energy being in a lower gear than I would be in a higher.

Turning up it up a gear (or 5)

I flicked up to 3 and 7 and I was like – wow that’s so much easier. I know that I couldn’t have rode in that gear when we first started, but as my muscles have strengthened (must be all that chocolate milk) I can.

You can really feel the resistance in your legs. I’m actually now slightly worried about what I’m going to look like at the end of this ride.

I was reading a blog from another couple who rode from Vancouver to San Diego in 2011. In one of their last posts Lucas said Amy’s thighs had DOUBLED in size – jeez!

Perhaps I won’t be able to wear my hot pants on the beach in Tijuana after all... 

We will be cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from Vancouver to Tijuana over six weeks starting in August 2012 to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Please show your support by sponsoring us here, leaving a comment and sharing our blog.