REF-261 · Annaheim, Boutellier & Kohler, 2010 · European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2010; · Paper
The energetically optimal cadence decreases after prolonged cycling exercise
Participants
n=14 experienced cyclists.
Protocol
1
Baseline: energetically optimal cadence (EOC) determined from pulmonary gas exchange at six cadences (100-50 rpm in 10-rpm steps)
2
55 min of prolonged cycling with cadence fixed either high (>95 rpm) or low (<55 rpm)
3
EOC determination repeated after the prolonged ride
Key Results
EOC decreased after prolonged cycling at both the high and the low fixed cadence (P < 0.01)
Authors' interpretation (via Hill's generalized muscle equations): most likely more type I muscle fibres contribute to power output after fatiguing exercise than at the start
The authors propose EOC as a potential non-invasive marker of qualitative changes in the activated fibres, needing further investigation
Mechanism
Inference, not tested (the authors' own reading, not a measurement): as type II fibres fatigue during prolonged work, a larger share of the power comes from type I fibres, whose optimal contraction velocity is lower — so the cadence that costs least energy drifts down. No EMG or biopsy data in this study.
Practical Application
55 min of sustained cycling lowered the energetically optimal cadence (measured across 50-100 rpm) significantly (P<0.01) in n=14 experienced cyclists, whether the ride was done at >95 or <55 rpm — read by the authors as type II fibres fatiguing and type I taking over more of the work.
Let cadence fall as a long ride goes on: a lower self-selected cadence late in a ride is the body tracking a moving optimum, not a technique fault to correct.
Inference, not tested: expect the comfortable cadence in the last hours to sit below the first hour's, on the flat as well as on climbs; forcing the early cadence costs energy.
Inference, not tested: the abstract gives no size for the shift after 55 min; whether a 3-5 h ride moves the optimum further is untested — the base has no direct measure.
Inference, not tested: long rides in the fatigued state are where the lower cadence gets practised; REF-258 gives the cadence-by-intensity baseline for the fresh state.
Limitations
14 cyclists — moderate sample; no control (unfatigued) comparison
Only 55 minutes of exercise — longer rides may show larger EOC shifts (untested)
Lab ergometer — not road bike with outdoor inertia and terrain variation
EOC measured via gas exchange only — no EMG or biopsy data to confirm the fibre-recruitment reading; the abstract gives no magnitude for the EOC change
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
regraded 2026-09-27 from B+: uncontrolled pre-post measurement, n=14
Content correction 2026-09-27
Level B+ -> B: pre-post measurement without a control condition, n=14. Tier "mixed (review/meta)" -> Tier 2-3 (experienced cyclists). Sport "cycling, swimming" -> cycling.
"The shift after 55 min is modest" -> the abstract gives no magnitude; removed. "3-5 h" extrapolation and fibre-type mechanism labelled as inference / the authors' interpretation.