How do I slow my cadence down

I am new to training with TrainerRoad and using a Wahoo direct drive trainer. I have only done 4 workouts so far. They have been great but I’m confused about how to keep my cadence in a zone where I feel more comfortable. I like to ride at 90-100 rpm. During my last training ride the text coming across was telling me to keep my cadence between 85-95 and that would be great but I find it impossible to do that in Erg mode. My average cadence for my first four rides has been between 104-112 with max cadence 129-134. My husband is doing a similar training plan and he can get his cadence in the 80-100 range. What am I doing wrong?

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Nothing - my cadence is generally higher on the turbo in Erg mode - 100rpm as opposed to 90-95rpm on the road. In Erg the trainer will keep the resistance at the level needed for the power on the workout. If you slow your cadence then the trainer will just increase the resistance so that 200W at 100rpm is the same power as 200W at 80rpm. If you want to slow your cadence just pedal slower and the resistance will increase to reflect this. That said if you are comfortable at 100+ rpm maybe that is the most efficient cadence for you :grinning:

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Worrying about it!

Pedal at what feels comfortable to you.

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What happens if you ride at a steady 90rpm? On my Kickr (with TR PowerMatch) it only fights me if I keep changing cadence or “chasing” power via cadence changes.

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You are doing nothing wrong. The text is aimed at average riders, and their cadence does lie in that range. I’d just try to adjust if your range of cadences where you feel comfortable is small. Or if your self-selected cadence is lower than 85 rpm.

But given the range you quote, that’s unlikely, I think. So just stick to what you are doing.

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Keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t let the police catch wind of it, because they’ll getcha.

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As your legs get stronger, you should find it easier to use a lower cadence if you want to.

When out on the road and because of the gears you have on your bike and the hills around you, you may have to use a lower cadence just to get over them, so I would suggest working on being able to vary your cadence a bit over the weeks and months ahead of you, but this will be a slow adaption that will happens over time, don’t try to knock great chunks off all in one go.

Many of us want to be able to increase our cadence, so celebrate the naturally high cadence you have!

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