Research summary · Para sport
Cadence-guided training in elite wheelchair racing
A small pilot explores a three-week training programme using individualized cadence zones, wearable feedback and metronome cues in elite wheelchair racers.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Single-group pre–post pilot study
- Journal
- Journal of Sports Sciences
- Population / context
- Elite wheelchair racing
What the publication reports
Twelve athletes, equally divided between men and women and aged 18–35, trained on indoor rollers for 21 days. Laboratory 3-km time-trial performance improved by approximately 16 seconds. Preferred cadence did not change, and cadence changes were not associated with performance gains.
Limits and interpretation
Without a separate control group, training-specific causation and mechanisms remain uncertain. The small sample and roller-based testing limit transfer to competition, and improved performance cannot be attributed specifically to a cadence change.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
The effect of cadence-based training on time trial performance in elite wheelchair-racing athletes- a pilot study
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42484091DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2026.2705703Reader discussion
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