20 Classic Sportive Rides in South East England. Colin Dennis

      Performance cycling is all about optimising efficiency, and cadence is the cycling term for RPM or revolutions per minute. If cyclists turn their pedals at one rotation per second, they are deemed to be working at 60 RPM. Other factors do come into play, however: the selected gear, whether the terrain is rough or smooth and whether going up or down a hill, for example. Weather variations also play a part, especially wind conditions.

      All these factors play their part in how cyclists ride. Ultimately, the desire is to pedal as smoothly and efficiently as possible to get the greatest return for the effort put in. It is better to spin the pedals efficiently rather than churn out a big gear and simply burn out the legs in no time.

      Keep a higher cadence for more efficient pedalling, and aim for somewhere between 80 to 100 RPM. Don’t worry too much about the speed at first, work on cycling efficiently; over a long distance a high cadence is the most effective way to ride.

      Linking up routes

      For riders who really want to test themselves before an event, a selection of routes in this guide join, or link together, at certain points along the way. Riders taking on the extra miles will experience what it’s like to complete a full sportive event of approximately 100 miles or even more.

ROUTE 1

      Rattle and Hum (New Forest)