Cadence
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You can use the club run to work on group skills, climbing, sprinting, cadence and nutrition (Pic: Mark Blakeley)
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Practice your bunch skills ahead of riding in bigger groups later in the year (Pic: Velothon)
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You can use designated climbs to let off some steam - but always re-group
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Sprinting needn't be reserved for racing (Pic: Tim de Waele/OPQS)
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Use the club run to find out what nutrition products work for you
Cadence
Changing up your cadence is a great way to work on something specific without affecting other people in the group.
During winter you can focus on your pedaling technique by using a higher cadence during periods of the ride. Try riding for ten to 15 minutes at 110rpm – this builds muscle memory, essentially teaching your muscles the contractions needed for your position on the bike.
The opposite of doing high cadence efforts is to low cadence efforts. These build muscular strength and endurance – two elements which are very important when climbing or riding time trials.
To do these, lower your cadence to between 40 and 60rpm. Be careful that you aren’t overloading your joints as this could cause injury. The best way to do this is to start by doing the efforts on the flat at 60rpm. Lower your cadence each week by 10rpm down to 40rpm. Once you are comfortable doing this on the flat then try doing this on gradual climbs, again start at 60rpm and then lower by 10rpm with each week.