During my workouts I was doing Raymond +7. My target power was 219 and I was able to hold it or just below it for the duration of the interval. However, my cadence drops to around 40 rpm. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong. For reference, I am using a kickr as my power source in ERG mode. I normally maintain an average of 90 cadence on rides. Thanks for the help…
In ERG, the cadence is purely up to you to maintain. You need to watch it during the intervals and pick it up as needed.
No magic other than the effort you put in to it.
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When you use your trainer in ERG mode don’t try to maintain power, but maintain cadance. Let the trainer maintain the power.
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it’s not clear if you could have maintained your cadence or not. If my cadence was 40, I would be standing or just about to stop.
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I was able to maintain the 40 rpm at the target power
What percentage of FTP?
That is a super low cadence, and could lead to issues at higher power targets.
@mcneese.chad, it was 108% of FTP for 8 minutes
I should also note that I was in the small chainring in front (34) and around the 21 sprocket in the back…maybe should try the big ring up front…
small chainring doesn’t matter in erg mode. I always use the small chainring on my kickr
Can’t hurt to try. As mentioned above, you need to pay attention and keep your cadence at whatever target you prefer.
If you slip a bit, the resistance unit will increase (to maintain the power target) and this can lead to more cadence reduction. It is the “spiral of death” mentioned earlier.
So, more than anything, focus on holding your cadence as steady as possible and at your desired speed.
If it slips, you need to push extra hard for a short period, and get back up to the desired cadence. When you do that, the resistance unit will adjust and loosen a bit to hit the target power again.
Thank you for the help…I guess I fell victim to the “spiral of death” lol.
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How in the hell did you manage 40rpm at 108%?!?! Lol that’s wild. Talk about muscular endurance! I possibly couldn’t manage it as anything under 80rpm at high power destroys my knees. FWIW, I always train in the small ring, about 4th/5th gear (straight line chain drive).
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It was tough but i managed lol.
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I’m experiencing the same thing. For example, I just finished Kaweah in erg mode and found my cadence eventually dropping to 40 or so. I was hitting my power target, but really pushing it! In my routine outside riding, my self-selected cadence is often around 65 rpm and I ride in an area with lots of short, punchy hills where my cadence naturally drops. Today, Kaweah reminded me of doing 5 x 10 minute hill repeats around my neighborhood with the last few segments completed in the 40 - 45 rpm range. Once I get below 65 rpm on the Kickr Snap, I simply can’t compete with whatever the software is doing, and I end up at 40 rpm. Should I simply switch my workouts to resistance mode?