Speed Skill and Coordination Drills for Cycling

There are several types of drills that cycling coaches and training plans use to help develop Speed Skill or Coordination. These two terms are mostly the same thing so I am going to use coordination from here on. There are numerous things that could be called coordination drills, at least a few you will likely have heard of including spin-ups, one-leg pedaling, high RPM and Low RPM drills. In this article we will focus on why you might include coordination drills in your training and introduce the 5 most common types of drills we use.

“If you have some endurance and coordination you can do a lot of sports” *28:00
Geoff Kabush on the Consummate Athlete Podcast discussing how he thrives in so many different styles of racing.

Why Do Cycling Coordination Drills?

The evidence for different types of coordination drills is not substantial. Using event specific cadences by riding event specific terrain at event specific paces is likely the most practical thing to make sure you do. This looks like a mountain biker spinning quickly before a technical climb or pushing a low cadence at high effort on a steep climb. The more formal ‘drills’ listed below have some ‘tradition’ and some targeted uses beyond the typical rationale of ‘improving pedal stroke’. It is not clear that we want a ‘smooth’ or ’round’ pedal stroke so likely we should look at reasons a coach might program coordination drills or an athlete might choose to do them!

1. Tradition – this isn’t a reason to include things without thinking but I think when things have been around for a while and there isn’t a clear harm or alternative it is likely ok to continue to sprinkle them in and share them, simply for the sake of variety, if not to elicit a training benefit. Sometimes athletes just like doing something, perhaps for the sake of routine (or superstition). Something like Low RPM pedaling at low intensity (under threshold) is not something I prescribe that has been used in the past. I am open to being wrong but I can’t see a good rationale so I don’t use it.
2. Enhancing Efficiency: There is a hope that coordination drills like pedaling quickly (or slowly) improve the neuromuscular system so that the body recruits muscles in a precise and efficient way. It is possible that ‘just riding’ would get you to an efficient pedal stroke as well but I think doing drills such as Spin-ups and High Cadence Drills and Muscle Tension provides more variety and likely pushes the athlete to be more adaptable and perhaps finds better solutions more often. This is especially true if an athlete doesn’t train in their goal environment (e.g. they train indoors). Single-speed or fixed gear riding over different terrain can accomplish this more naturally than intervals with specific cadences/durations.
3. Improving Bike Skills: I include bike skills of all type in with coordination and speed skill. Shifting and cadence are obviously part of this and taught in many bike skills clinics. Most other skills require use of the drive train either directly in the skill (a wheelie) or prior to the skill to get up to speed (e.g. bunny hop). Beginner riders are often in the wrong gear or can’t accelerate and so both their bike skills and ‘speed skill’ are limited.
4. Time chunking – If coaches are honest many of these drills serve to chunk up a workout (e.g. do a spin-up every 5 minutes) and I think this is okay to admit, especially for indoor workouts that lack natural chances to spin quickly, shift or use any sort of skills.
5. Adaptability – whether moving between disciplines or recovering from an injury many of these drills will help you adapt and progress. Advanced riders in good health rarely need to practice these often and can use them

Coordination Drills for Cyclists

There are several effective drills and exercises to build coordination. Let’s look at some of the most popular drills we recommend that echo and have undeniably been influenced by books and resources from Joe Friel, CTS and others. These are listed with the frequency that we use these coordination drills in the training plans and coaching plans we build.

1. Spin-Ups or ‘single speed attacks’
   • Goal: Increase cadence efficiency and acceleration skill by practicing using the gear you are in to accelerate. The simplest way to do this is to pick a gear and pretend you are attacking with a single speed, your only option is to pedal fast->faster->Fastest!
   • How: Begin with 10 sec at a fast cadence (~100 rpm) then 10sec at faster (~110 rpm) then your fastest cadence for 10 sec (>120 rpm). Spin-ups help fine-tune muscle coordination and can reveal any imbalances in your pedal stroke
   • Caution: If your cleats are clicking, replace your cleats!
   • Duration: 5-10 x 30 seconds done as fast-faster-fastest, recover 1-5 minutes between
2. Sprints
   • Goal: Stand up (mostly) and Sprint as fast as you can, usually to a finish line or certain point (e.g. race to the corner or into the singletrack or first corner).
   • How: Pick a point ahead or a goal duration and stand up and stomp the pedals to get there ASAP! These can have many different styles (uphill, downhill, flat, standing race start) and can be done competitively or solo for training and skill practice. Like all drills many of your reps should not be a ‘full max’ but rather done for form and to accumulate practice.
   • Duration: 5-10+ reps of 8-15 seconds, with full recovery (5-12 minutes) in between.
3. High Cadence Drills or “Fast Pedal”
   • Goal: Develop the ability to maintain a high cadence smoothly and efficiently. Very important to expand a cyclists effective cadence range so that they are comfortable pedaling quickly for extended periods (e.g. in a group or tailwind).
   • How: On a trainer or a safe stretch of road, start by pedaling at a moderate cadence (e.g., 90 RPM). Gradually increase your cadence to 110-120 RPM, focusing on smoothness rather than speed. These high-cadence drills teach your body to pedal faster without bouncing or losing form.
   • Duration: 1-2 minutes per set, with several repeats, focusing on keeping cadence and power stable while avoiding excessive bouncing in the saddle.
4. Muscle Tension (low rpm / high effort seated), also called force intervals
   • Goal: These are quite valuable and can be quite overwhelming, so can be overdone. These make you put out max effort but limit your cadence to around 60 RPM. It could go lower or slightly higher but 60 works well because people without a cadence meter can use seconds as a metronome.
   • How: On a trainer (set on steep hill or an old fluid trainer) or a moderate hill shift to a harder gear that lets you push hard but keeps your cadence around 60 rpm while you stay seated and focus on staying smooth.
   • Duration: We typically do 6-10 x 1-2 minutes since the load and fatigue can be quite high and take 2-8 min recovery
5. One-Leg or Isolated Leg Training (ILT)
   • Goal: We use this mostly to challenge cyclists ability to clip in and out of pedals and to interact with their bike in different ways. They may help beginner or intermediate riders develop a more effective pedal stroke. These do not need to be over done or progressed past 30-60 sec periods.
   • How: On a trainer, unclip one foot and HOVER the other leg outside the moving pedals to get additional hip/adductor work. Aim to Pedal smoothly with the clipped in leg for the duration of the interval. Listen for a ‘clunk’ and focus on pushing through the top of the pedal stroke smoothly to eliminate the “dead spot” at the top of the stroke. If you notice your cleats ‘clicking’ replace your cleats!
   • Duration: Aim for 2-10 sets of 30-60 seconds (we don’t usually do much more then 5x)
6. Stomps, Power Starts, Tractor Pulls, Force Reps:
   • Goal: There are a lot of things that look/sound like this and we think they are great but will let you find the one you love most and what makes sense with your discipline. These types of drills enhance the force needed to push an extra gear in your sweet spots, to explode of the start line and/or to climb better.
   • Setup: Great on old turbo trainers, on gradual grass or paved climb that makes getting to 80 rpm in your chose gear challenging to reach and hold onto.
   • How: From stopped or very slow speed and in hard/high gear, stand up and pedal hard for 10-15 seconds (or 10-15 pedal strokes). Try to accelerate your cadence from very low (0-30 rpm) up to 80-90 rpm. We typically do these seated to develop hip strength but they could be done standing. This drill not only builds strength but also helps with bike handling under high force/effort.
   • Duration: 5-8 reps with full recovery between.