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Old 08-23-22, 07:38 AM
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Mtracer
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Originally Posted by koala logs
If the easier rides are at different pedaling cadence that may explain it.

I get similar experience as you do when I'm doing lower HR ride at higher cadence. Shorter rides in my case but higher intensity. Zone 3 at high cadence will get my legs sore while zone 4 at significantly lower cadence will not get my legs sore at the same period of time.

Pedaling out of the saddle can also make a difference and we tend to do it in intervals at higher zones and can actually reduce soreness.
If anything my cadenced is likely a bit lower on the easier rides. In general, I find my preferred cadence is lower the lower the effort all other things being equal. But between a low or high zone 2 effort, I'm talking maybe an average of 82 RPM vs 84 RPM, not a huge difference.

For a similar distance ride, of course the lower the effort the longer the ride takes and therefore for the same cadence there would be more pedal strokes. I could compare actual numbers from Garmin data, but I think the number of extra pedal strokes would be in the range of 6%. I don't think that's something that would make a noticeable difference.

I think it's possible it's just using muscles differently, though it's not like I do these lower intensity rides rarely. So, I would think I would adapt to them. I wonder if it could have something to do with post-ride recovery. Maybe for some reason higher intensity efforts clear something from from the muscles that lower efforts don't. That perhaps there is something to be done near the end of the ride or post ride.
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