Effect of Fatigue and Incline on Cycling Cadence and Efficiency (2020)

We attempted to determine how factors associated with cycling (cadence or rate of pedaling, incline, and fatigue) affect efficiency, or heart rate/power output. Training and optimal cycling form should result in greater usage of more efficient aerobic muscle fibers and groups being, producing more ATP/glucose. Paradoxically, using more weaker, slow-twitch aerobic fibers should result in higher cadences with less force needed per pedal stroke (opposite for stronger, fast-twitch glycolytic fibers). Fatigue would also result in slower cadences, as more fast-twitch fibers are recruited to maintain power. Inclines away from 0% would result in similar changes, as less–trained muscle groups, with lower aerobic capacity, would be recruited to maintain body position. We hypothesize higher efficiency for higher cadences, lower fatigue, and 0% incline. As expected, fatigue resulted in slower cadence. Surprisingly, spontaneous cadence and a negative incline (on a stationary bike) were most efficient.