Cadence: The Control System Most Riders Ignore

Blog - Inside the Ride • CIS Training Systems • Cadence + Control

Cadence: The Control System Most Riders Ignore

Cadence is not preference. It’s the mechanism that protects momentum, manages torque, and preserves repeatability under load. More importantly: cadence is a Central Nervous System skill—the visible output of neuromuscular control.

Hook: When cadence collapses, torque spikes. When torque spikes, match cost explodes—and the athlete loses repeatability. That’s not just legs. That’s the nervous system losing rhythm under stress.

If you want better climbing, better late-race performance, and cleaner files: stop treating cadence like a vibe. Train it like an operating system.

The context

Riders love to talk about watts, but cadence is where control becomes visible. In real riding, cadence breaks first: the hill steepens, fatigue rises, and the athlete starts grinding. Power might stay “fine” for a moment, but the cost changes. Torque spikes load the legs, breathing gets louder, and repeatability disappears.

Here’s the truth most riders miss: cadence control is not primarily a “fitness” issue. It’s a coordination issue. It’s the CNS trying to preserve output while managing discomfort, fatigue signals, and motor-unit recruitment. Train cadence and you train neuromuscular patterning—the ability to hold rhythm, shift cleanly, and keep the file organized.

The CNS connection (why cadence is neuromuscular)

Cadence is the nervous system’s “rhythm output”

Your legs don’t “choose” cadence. Your brain + spinal cord run the pattern. Cadence is a motor program: timing, sequencing, recruitment, and relaxation—repeated thousands of times. Under fatigue, the CNS naturally tries to protect you by: tightening, reducing coordination, and defaulting to slower rhythm and higher force per pedal stroke.

That’s why many riders get “stronger” yet still fall apart when the ride gets loud. Fitness improves, but the CNS pattern stays inefficient. The rider becomes a high-output grinder—fast early, fragile late. Neuromuscular control training fixes this by building:

• Timing: smoother stroke sequencing, fewer dead spots, less wasted torque.
• Recruitment strategy: better distribution of work across muscle fibers (less “all quads, all the time”).
• Relaxation under load: the ability to stay loose while producing pressure (critical late).
• Change-of-rhythm skill: raise or lower cadence without panicking power.

Coach David-ism:

“Cadence is your nervous system’s honesty test.” When pressure rises, do you keep rhythm—or do you default to torque panic?

Why

Cadence determines the cost of your watts. When cadence drops, force per stroke rises. That raises muscular strain, accelerates fatigue, and destroys late-ride options.

How

Cadence training builds neuromuscular patterning: hold rhythm under discomfort, change cadence on command without spiking power, and protect momentum through early shifting and controlled relaxation.

What

Cleaner files and cleaner racing: fewer spikes during rhythm changes, smoother climbing pressure, better repeatability, and more “options” late because the CNS doesn’t collapse into grinding.

The 5 cadence breakdowns we see in ride files

If you want to improve cadence control, you need to know what “failure” looks like. Here are the usual culprits:

1. Torque panic: cadence drops and power spikes every time the grade changes.
2. Late-ride grind: the final third turns into slow cadence + rising heart rate + fading repeatability.
3. Over-spinning chaos: cadence rises but power becomes noisy because the rider can’t stabilize pressure.
4. Bad shifting timing: the rider shifts late, then surges to “catch up.”
5. Recovery not used: cadence never truly downshifts to reset, so the CNS stays “amped” and control erodes.

Notice how none of this is “just watts.” These are coordination and decision errors under fatigue—exactly what cadence patterning trains.

Execution Standards

• Shift early: don’t wait for cadence collapse before reacting.
• Hold rhythm: terrain doesn’t get to dictate your cadence.
• No surge spikes: cadence changes should not create panic power.
• Recoveries reset: cadence downshifts to reset the system on purpose.
• Stay loose: tension is the first sign the CNS is losing control.

Simple test:

Can you change cadence by 10 rpm without changing power by more than ~5%? If not, your “cadence control” is not control yet.

Anchor Session

Cadence Control Ladder (CNS Patterning)
3 × 10 min steady pressure (same power band) with cadence steps, 5 min reset between blocks:

• 2 min lower cadence (controlled torque)
• 2 min moderate cadence (baseline rhythm)
• 2 min higher cadence (relaxed speed)
• 2 min baseline (re-stabilize)
• 2 min choose-one (pick weakest range, stay smooth)

Goal: power stays smooth while cadence changes. Train rhythm and relaxation, not hero watts.

Pro tip:

Don’t chase cadence by bouncing. Make cadence change come from early shifting + relaxed legs. If your upper body tightens, your CNS is fighting—back off, reset, then rebuild.

Cadence micro-drills (5 minutes that upgrade the CNS)

If cadence control is a nervous system skill, you need frequent “signals” that teach timing and relaxation. Add one of these to warm-up or cool-down 2–3x/week:

• Spin-ups: 6 × 10–15 sec smooth acceleration to high cadence, then 45 sec easy reset.
• Rhythm holds: 3 × 2 min at a chosen cadence (ex: 92–96) with “quiet upper body” rule.
• Change-of-rhythm: 5 min continuous: 30 sec low cadence → 30 sec high cadence, same easy power.

These aren’t “extra workouts.” They’re nervous system reps—like technique reps in martial arts. Small reps, huge transfer.

How CIS Solves This

CIS workouts build cadence as a skill: cadence targets are embedded, gear decisions are trained, and Effort Control keeps files clean. We’re not just building engines—we’re building drivers. Cadence control is the gateway to neuromuscular mastery: smoother climbing, better repeatability, fewer wasted matches, and calmer late-race execution.

Offer

If cadence and climbing execution are your limiter, you don’t need random intensity—you need cadence patterning and coaching feedback. Workouts + Coaching + Execution = Results.

Explore CIS Training Systems Elevate My Execution

© CIS Training Systems • Inside the Ride