IS LOW CADENCE BETTER FOR ZWIFT RACING? | ZRL RACE RECAP

Race 1 | Zwift Racing League | Season 3 | January 2024.
Race recap | Category B.
Back in category B, this is my first attempt in B proper!
Course: Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop, Watopia
Thanks all for watching, commenting and for those who also subscribe!
Please drop a comment if you have any advice that you think would help me become a stronger rider - hope you all enjoy!
I'm a category B Zwifter, with an zFTP of 278 weighing 77.7kgs.
Equipment:
Wahoo Kickr V5
Wahoo Kickr Climb
Apple TV 4k
Samsung 27" M50B monitor
Garmin HRM-DUEL

[@MarkyMarkZwifts]

Great racing mate, you got a load of points for your team in this one 👊💪 Regarding cadence, I think everyone has their own preference, just go with what feels natural to you. Low cadence makes my legs burn quicker so I use a higher cadence, which raises my heart rate instead. It's good to be able to mix it up, especially when climbing. To me, 300watts at 100rpm feels much easier than 300watts at 70rpm, but my heart rate will be jumping up very quickly.

[@notpogi]

Thanks mate, really appreciate that and hope you’re still on the mend 👍🏻 It’s interesting to hear how it works for you, I think I may do a little test to see what each feels like over 5 mins, but as you say mixing it up depending on how I’m feeling may also work 👍🏻

[@philcox810]

Great question on cadence Ollie! I'm like you I'm always around 75-80, it works for me as for whatever reason I can't get the legs to spin faster than 90 at a push (training would obviously help). I got dropped at the same point as you in this race but pushed out my best ever 5 minute power to catch the front group one bend before going down the second bridge, had nothing left for the sprint so came 28th. I love these races as you're up against some real hitters no matter what cat you're in! keep it up mate.

[@notpogi]

Hi Phil, I’m exactly the same mate - I get so gassed over 90 rpm for some reason, maybe I’m not that aerobically fit? I’m definitely going to work on this! Amazing work with your best 5 minute power! Almost exactly the same position too, great work 👍🏻 ZRL is fun, don’t know about you but I get proper nervous just before the start of these races! Speak soon mate 👍🏻

[@philcox810]

@@notpogi nerves are good before a race i think, once that initial minute of carnage is done and things settle down then I tend to get into the flow of things. I'm a bit of a weird case, Vo2 max is 48.8 according to Zwift which apparently is excellent for my age (nearly 40), I've always been able to go high on the HR doing fitness, I hit a max of 191 on the ZRL on Tuesday but to me that's normal. You're definitely aerobically fit to do what you do in the B cat!

[@pawedawiec8562]

Great effort! future is bright for the team✨

[@notpogi]

We got this mate 👍🏻💪🏻

[@raymead7016]

Good racing. That hill was killer I was on the edge half way up just like you and just had to keep stomping to stay at the front. With the cadence on the flat in the pack I’ll try to keep a higher gear and spin faster to save the legs, but for the longer climbs or if I’m attacking I’ll always go lower gear and lower cadence, and when climbing I’ve been trying to work on being out the saddle more and keep the power up as being heavier on the climbs I just go backwards but I think practicing that has paid dividends. But as most people have said I think it’s just a preference and what works best for you. Good luck for week 2 if you’re riding!

[@notpogi]

Thanks very much matey 👍🏻 The climb, although not that long, just felt like it went on forever! I think your right, I always seem to use a lower cadence on the longer climbs and I really need to practice being out of the saddle more as it’s something I’m not great at. Good luck in week 2 also, it’s a bit of a sprintfest! 👍🏻

[@DanceonthePedals]

I got dropped in the exact same spot, was trying to use full setting and couldn’t decide on gearing going on. Just trying to stay connected I was going backwards and had to shift on the climb. But standing up, definitely good , just can’t use arm strength the same as outside. Also needs maintaining core strength, with standing.

[@chrishill1774]

Well done, mate. Enjoy your videos. I've been on zwift for around a year now, and my cadence is as low as 52. It's hard on my muscles, and after speaking to a friend who's a semi pro rider, he said, "Mix it up and my cadence is far too low. I just dont enjoy anything above 75 cadence, my legs feel like there going too fast. But im 19 stone with an ftp of 270, and im happy sitting at around 225 watts for most of my 45 to 1 hour rides. Whatever works for you, i suppose, and keeps you coming back to your bike and enjoying it 😂

[@notpogi]

Thanks very much Chris, much appreciated! 52 is on the lower side (for me) but as you say, whatever is most comfortable and makes you keep coming back to the bike! I also like sitting at about 75, seems more natural to me indoors, I just can’t get a good feeling anything over 85 really. Hope to see you sometime on Zwift matey 👍🏻

[@ZwiftingWithGranny]

What a great ride! As for spinning, for me all it does is drive up my heart rate which makes me gasp for air more. Spiinning for me is anything around 80. I've watched some of the elite A riders on Zwift and they don't spin. Adam Zimmerman will put it in a lower gear, get off the saddle and slowly crank. I'm not able to get off the saddle yet. That will come later this year, but there is no way I'm going to stay with anybody unless I grind. Going up a hill like the Leg Snapper I have to spin. But anything between 3 and 5 percent I have to grind to keep with the pack.

[@notpogi]

Thanks Linda 😊 it’s exactly the same for me - gets my hr higher and makes me want to stop pedalling all together! I also need to practice getting out of the saddle more, when I attempt this now I quickly have to sit back down 😂 looking forward to watching your Achterbahn vid later 😊

[@JasonLeBel]

Higher cadence is better than low grinding cadence However, not everyone can spin at a high cadence, and therefore doing it would not be beneficial to them. It's something that you have to learn/train to do. High cadence is less power per stroke (watts is measured per second. More revolutions per second means less watts per pedal) and is cardio. Low cadence is muscular and will tire your muscles. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you're comfortable with

[@notpogi]

That’s good information to know Jason 👍🏻 I really struggle with anything over 95 rpm for longer periods. I thought my cardio was ok but I will need to practice this more often as I tend to slip back to what I normally find comfortable - I think higher rpm will be more beneficial in the long run and for when I cycle outdoors 👍🏻

[@tristanm8250]

Riding out of the saddle is absolutely a "hack" in zwift. There is no aero penalty like there is outside and it significantly delays the onset of muscular fatigue. It's free power!

[@notpogi]

I completely agree, I do struggle to stay out of the saddle for long periods but I guess it’s something I can work, especially for the longer climbs on Zwift 👍🏻

[@nockee]

I did a 12 minute power effort up the Willunga hill standing up for the majority and it was 20 watts higher than I was able to do outside. Agree that it’s a hell of a hack in Zwift.

[@pauldyerdyer2731]

This was brutal!

[@notpogi]

Glad it wasn’t just me that thought this Paul! It was a real struggle! 👍🏻

[@danielkent7136]

I generally race @t 85-90 but have recently for 5 min efforts using 65ish and finding this works really well. Great race I double dipped yesterday got a 5th and a 1st place. Think I’m slowly creeping towards B

[@notpogi]

That’s amazing Dan! You’re on super form at the moment, come on over to B mate!! Interesting what you say about the 5 min efforts at 65, I find the lower I go helps keep the HR under control 👍🏻

[@danielkent7136]

@@notpogi just won another race tonight aswell..I did try a B race last week and it was brutal..think I finished like 123 out of 160.. I'll no doubt be moved up soon as I feel like I'm getting stronger weekly..yeah I like to drop cadence in a bigger gear to take just mix muscle use up aswell..works well indoors

[@notpogi]

Nice work, that’s excellent mate! Big week next week for you in ZRL, expecting to see you right at the top mate 👍🏻

[@cryptocretin]

I was watching Ewan Mackie on twitch and he is category A with I think a 450watt ftp(on ramp test at least) and he always seems to have a really low cadence over 70 or under a lot of the time. I found recently I found keeping my cadence low feels so much better for me. Might just be because I need to just practice more at high cadence but I find it a lot more comfortable at a cadence of about 70 my zone 2 stuff and for races as well.

[@notpogi]

Wow that’s a crazy high FTP Ewan has! Interesting how he seems to have a low cadence, I’ll go and check him out. I’m similar to you - I definitely feel more comfortable at 70 than I do at 95-100, the hr is lower and it just feels easier 👍🏻

[@cryptocretin]

@@notpogi He has a youtube channel but seems like he hasn't posted for a while but is active on twitch still. I used to aim for a cadence around 80 which felt ok but then I think I just discovered 70 felt so much better for me and still not too hard on the legs.

[@lkb3rd]

I don't force any cadence in races, but for training rides, I sometimes practice low watts high cadence for smooth spin. 100 watts 100 rpm is tough and requires very smooth spin to not get wonky. It also gives me something to do on recoveryu/z1 rides to fight the boredom.

[@notpogi]

I like the way you’ve set up your training, sounds like a good way to eliminate boredom for those lower intensity rides - I’ll give it a go 👍🏻

[@FabioCycling]

I just did this race with the A's. I got a clip on my channel from it and went for a pretty long period of time above 200 HR on that climb. It's a short but tough one

[@notpogi]

I’ll take a look at the clip Fabio! 200 hr sounds like you were pushing super hard - not sure my hr has ever been that high, even when I was younger! 👍🏻

[@dustind9242]

During zwift races, I try to alternate quite a bit... On lumpy/rolling terrain, I like to high cadence up the lumps... I'm mainly an outdoor rider/racer; road years ago, but mainly XC the past decade.. Leg speed is everything IRL racing scenarios, but in zwift not as much. I typically see a 10rpm difference in my indoor vs outdoor cadence. Mix it up a bit. It might help you later in the zwift races when critical moves start to happen.

[@notpogi]

Thanks very much for the advice Dustin 👍🏻 I’d like to get more involved in outdoor racing during the spring / summer so I’ll bear that in mind. I feel that my cadence is also around 10 rpm less indoors compared to my social outdoor rides. I’ll do what you suggest and mix it up a bit which will hopefully help on Zwift 👍🏻

[@CycleXplorer]

Lots of people said it was a dull route. But it was the first time I’ve managed to get in a small breakaway of 6 that stayed away to the end! Some grinding of the pedals was done to stay away.

[@notpogi]

Nice, that’s excellent work 👍🏻 Great to get into the group at the front and stay away! It’s such a battle of mental strength to keep turning those pedals! I thought the course was alright, used to be one of my favourite short courses but I seemed to have raced it a lot recently 👍🏻

[@CycleXplorer]

It did make for a more interesting race than I expected@@notpogi

[@doomguyzwifting]

I tend to do both in a ride… mixing it up all the time to try and rest the legs.

[@notpogi]

Yeah I think that’s a really good way to do it, I just really struggle with anything over 95rpm!

[@Cyprusmichalis]

I wish you would join the rest of the world and race in kilometres, great videos though 😊

[@notpogi]

Thanks very much 🙂 I keep going back to kilometres, I think this’ll be the year I finally convert for good!

[@philipplummer5202]

I watchec a guy who I raced in wtrl C cat youtube up the alpe he was pushing 3wkg plus at 49rpm !!.stomping on the pedals

[@notpogi]

Wow that seems very low! Not sure I could hold that sort of cadence but I guess it works for some people 👍🏻

[@philipplummer5202]

The whole video his cadence is low , I'm normally around 80 ,but interesting watching someone you know is strong having such a low cadence

[@gregorygout]

I do this as well, my average for every race is 65rpm, racing with a stages SB20. I was previously low on kikr v5 at 75ish, but somehow the design of the sb20 with the use of brakes to bring immediate high gears makes me race at an even lower avg.

[@SimonTheChimp]

That's how I ride, my legs don't go fast 😂

[@Yi5Zhou]

I prefer 70 around , one of reasons is zwift is 30min race. It just works better for me

[@notpogi]

A lot of the time it’s personal preference, I find around the 70 rpm cadence works for me on a climb 👍🏻

[@Yi5Zhou]

@@notpogi Me too

[@DontGetDroppedCycling]

High cadence outdoors, low to med Zwift racing for me. I can’t explain it, it just works!

[@notpogi]

Yeah it’s really interesting, I’m very similar- find it easier to up the cadence outdoors without even thinking about it.. wonder what it’s like riding outside - bring on spring!

[@MB-pq4hx]

Same. Here’s why I think low cad works indoors. Lower cad is lower HR which you need indoors due to the heat. Trainer flywheel/resistance has a lower momentum and an even 360 degree drag than outside which means power delivery needs to be more equal across whole pedal stroke which is done more easily with lower cad. Do this experiment. Turn off the trainer variable resistance on Zwift, instantly you’ll cadence will be 10 rpm higher.

[@notpogi]

Really interesting way to put it but it 100% makes sense what you say 👍🏻 I’ll turn off the variable resistance later on and give it a go

[@sigfreed11]

How do you get to be a part of the Zwift racing league? I just started Zwift a few months ago and I would like to take part next season, but I’m not sure how to do it. Maybe a video topic idea?

[@notpogi]

Great comment 👍🏻 and a good idea for a video as you said! The easiest way to get involved is to join this FB group: facebook.com/share/RibJaHi2NKYHkSAv/?mibextid=K35XfP If you put a message that your looking for a team / what category you are they’ll be loads of options for you!

[@roadcyclist1]

High cadence for long races. Low cadence for shorter races

[@notpogi]

Interesting point, never thought about it that way - I’ll give this a go and see how it feels 👍🏻

[@ashleyhouse9690]

Higher cadence has a higher oxygen cost so it depends how aerobically fit you are. I would suggest you try out various cadences following a robo pacer of your appropriate W/kg to see how much power you can sustain.

[@notpogi]

Great idea, I’ve never really used the robo pacers for something like that and it would be interesting to test out in a non-race environment, cheers 👍🏻

[@s4iforshort]

Higher cadence is more beneficial in criteriums or outside races as there is a lot of surges and way way fast cadence changes even when fighting for position. Not so much on zwift

[@notpogi]

That’s an interesting point, I’d definitely like to race more outdoors in the spring/summer so maybe it’d be good to get in the habit on Zwift, even if it’s not super useful for Zwift racing 👍🏻

[@blackflamesolutions526]

I race Zwift at 90-110, just like I race outdoors. I don't want to get into the habit of riding at +/- 70 as racing outdoors I'll get dropped when I struggle to respond to surges.

[@notpogi]

I agree, its good to get into the right sort of habits - I ride at a higher cadence outdoors also so good to practice that when indoors on Zwift 👍🏻

[@xxhank]

I'd say add in some higher cadence training but stick to what feels comfortable in races

[@notpogi]

That sounds like a good idea, I sometimes try and do my z2 rides at a higher cadence but gradually fall back to my comfort zone about half way through. I’ll definitely make the effort to do the whole session at a higher cadence from now on and see how the body adapts 👍🏻

[@xxhank]

@@notpogi try them as intervals maybe? I hated them at first as it just feels wrong and it knocks the HR up quite a bit, but I think there is a benefit.....also, play some more golf 😄

[@notpogi]

I’ll give them a go as intervals, sounds like a plan 👍🏻 I have managed to get the odd (disastrous) round in, bit cold out there still though 🥶

[@drewbuffington]

Low cadence is better for zwift. Train it.

[@notpogi]

I definitely feel more comfortable at 75-80 and I know a lot of people I speak with prefer even lower. I may have to build up the leg strength first as it starts to feel uncomfortable for long periods anything around 60 👍🏻