RPM's - what should i be at ?

Hey everyone, while i am eagerly awaiting the purchase of my bike, i have been keeping my legs going in the gym on the exercise bikes, what RPM's (since the bike doesnt show kms/miles per hour) should i be on if im doing say 30mins-1 hour at a time??
(ps im training for track and am a beginner)

ness

 

90-100 would be a good figure to aim for

 

Ahh sweet, ive been sticking on 100-110 (for 20 mins so am going to increase the time now)..
ps what does that work out to kms per hour roughly? ie if i start training on the road (flat) once i get my bike, what is a decent speed to start off with and what should i work up to (if i want to be a track sprinter)
ness ;D

 

I don't think speed is a good indicator of what you should shoot for. Keep your rpms at no lesser than 90, and then monitor your HR depending on what your workout is.

 

without all sorts of fancy equipment whats the best/easiest way to monitor what rpm you are doing at any stage.... do you get a feel for it after a while?? ???

 

Without any equipment? Count how many strokes you make with your left leg in 10 seconds, and multiply that by 6.

 

Ness,

RPM's and speed don't really go hand in hand because of different gearing, on a road bike your cadence shouldn't go outside 85 to 120 RPM because you can change gear to compensate for changes in speed!

For normal riding aim for around 90 to 110 RPM.

On the track though you don't have gears so you will need to pedal faster to go faster! You'll need two skills that normal road riders don't have in abundance; (1) the ability to acheive very high pedal cadences and (2) the ability to change cadences from slow to fast in a short period of time.

Track sprinters can acheive cadences of around 300 RPM during sprints. Just imagine the power they need to generate to accelerate their legs (and bikes) to that speed over the duration of a track sprint!

So Ness, get practicing fast pedalling and changes in cadence so your ready for your new bike! 8)

 

Hey again
ok, so how does training on the road fit into my track training? obviously i do need to work on getting my cadence fast and like you said, go from slow to fast very quickly, with regards to training, could you give me an idea of how to train for track? just a basic overview say for a week of what Im in for?

sorry for all the question!

ness

 

Some good questions, but as ever its not quite that easy! You will need to adapt your training based upon your individual needs and your targeted events.

If you have just started training you will need to do base training, where you gradualy increase the volume of your training but leave the intensity very low. This will be followed by a pre-competition and competition phase where training becomes both more intense and more specific. The final and perhaps most important phase is the recovery phase!

The training for track endurance will be similar to that of a road rider, but adapted to meet those specific demands of the track event (e.g. demands on cadence, repeated sprints with little time to rest, etc). You can get information from road racing books or off this website.

The training for track sprinting needs to be more like that of a 100m sprinter, but will still contain the above phases. I haven't seen any good books/resources on sprinting in cycling, but look towards cycle speedway, BMX, specific track resources or athletics for this.

 

hmm well i might speak to my bf then, i live with him, he is one of Australias top 100m sprinters (and the nsw open 100m champion) so maybe I can adapt some of his training to cycling!
ness

ps thanks for all the advice!

 

Cool,

I'm considering becoming a sprinter I fancy the lifestyle...

Going fast, having a big rest, going fast again, more rest, suntan and big muscles!

 

hehehe, yeah going fast is a good thing My only issue with being a sprinter is getting huge legs! im only short, i guess i will just have to keep up the weights on my upper body so i match!!