Originally Posted by
chas58
So, what do you expect people should be targeting for a cadence in a standard pace line, and for sprinting (i.e. in a points race)?
Pacelines are dependent on a lot of things. But, what I've learned is that as one progresses through the ranks, cadence ranges generally stay the same, but gearing goes up. I would say that the cadences in a points race are:
Pacelines: 100-120 RPM
Sprints: 120-140 RPM
A beginner racer would use like a 88-90" gear in such a race. An elite racer might choose 94-99" depending on their riding style.
Disclaimer: This is just from my personal experience and from what I've learned by watching others around me. There are lots of factors that go into this, like for example: Track geo (333M vs 250M, 25 deg vs 44 deg), track surface (Siberian Pine vs concrete). Plus, I'm not much of a points race guy. There are others that know more than me (Paging: Biting Duck).