Cadence in steady-state racing

Torque and cadence are common features of cycling training programs, but how should you really train them to get the most out of your training? Peter Leo is a sports scientist and high-performance coach working across cycling (Team Jayco-Alula, Cycling Australia) and triathlon (coach of high-level short-course athletes), and since he’s personally researched this topic, and applied it at the highest level, he’s a perfect guest to answer this question. We also discuss training principles, including debunking some common misconceptions and mistakes made when applying training principles in practice. 

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• The science behind the torque-cadence relationship
• Torque and cadence are performance limiters at different points on the power-duration curve
• Practical application of the science in different contexts (track and road cycling, short and long course triathlon), including specific workout examples
• Peter’s view on three core training principles…
• Individualisation. What are the biggest factors behind needs to individualise training? Is individualisation overrated in certain contexts? 
• Specificity. Is there an over emphasis on race specificity, compared to maximising core physiological capacities and general skills? 
• Progression. What does effective progression really look like in triathlon and cycling training? Are amateur cyclists and triathletes adopting too aggressive progression rates? 
• Evaluating response to training, AI and coaching, and Peter’s top tips for the listeners to improve their cycling and triathlon performance. 

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. 
• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts686/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• Peter’s ResearchGate
• Power profiling, critical power, and U23 cycling research with Peter Leo | EP#319 - Peter’s previous appearance on That Triathlon Show (January 2022)
• Rethinking Endurance Training: Insights from Peter Leo - Peter’s appearance on Joel Filliol’s podcast

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following related episodes:

• Dan Lorang | EP#417 - Head of Performance (at the time) at team Bora-hansgrohe, and coach of athletes like Jan Frodeno, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Taylor Knibb, Dan needs no introduction. 
• Training Talk with Ben Day (Team BikeExchange) | EP#289 - Another coach straddling the cycling and triathlon worlds, Ben is (was, at the time) a coach at Team BikeExchange, and coach of professional long distance triathletes like Chris Leiferman.

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