What difference does it make to my training if I put my bike in an easy gear and spin fast as opposed to putting it in a tough gear and using lots of force to pedal?

— Caleb Pattison, Chester, Vermont

One of the fundamental principles of exercise physiology is specificity, which, broadly defined, means swimming isn't the best way to prepare for the Tour de France. It can also apply within an activity like cycling. If you spend a lot of time using a high pedal cadence, or spinning, you'll have a little trouble on a steep climb where you can't keep your cadence very high. Same is true of the opposite: mash those gears all the time and you don't develop the neuromuscular coordination to pedal quickly, say having to sprint away from a bad dog.

There is no optimal cadence: it depends on the terrain, conditions and your muscular makeup. It's ideal to train using a range of pedal cadences, anything from 70-80 RPMs if you are climbing to 80-100 RPMs on the flats, to more than 100 RPMs on a gradual downhill or sprint. This helps develop your repertoire of cycling skills, making you a better overall rider.

Try this set during one of your rides to help develop your cadence abilities. After you warm-up for ten to 20 minutes, ride 2.5 minutes in an overly easy gear, but try go at a moderately high intensity, say 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. Switch into a big gear, one that you wouldn't normally ride in at that speed and ride for 2.5 minutes. Then change into a "just right" gear ride for another 2.5 minutes, keeping the same intensity for all the efforts. Finally, 2.5 minutes in an easy gear, just rolling along, recovering. The set takes ten minutes and you should repeat it three to five times.