I'm agreeing with the article.
I read about ankling when I began reading about biomechanics of the pedal stroke with the Ed Burke books. He gives examples and illustrations about ankling, but does add a warning at times that ankling may not be achieved by the everyday individual.
I believe that ankling can be done by some of the elite athletes that practice using more power in their pedal stroke and less cadence- the Jan Ullrichs of cycling. Folks on the other extreme- like Lance Armstrong are the polar opposite of ankling. I remember reading somewhere that Lance's style of faster pedalling cadence causes his toes to look almost pointed (like a ballerina) at times while cycling. The faster you pedal, the less effective ankling will be for you.
In spinning, it seems as though faster pedalling is often encouraged. For some instructor to encourage ankling during these high cadence drills, it would be of no advantage- ankling is much more effective at lower cadences, encouraging locking of the calves when the heel is in the down position in the pedal stroke (90- 180 degrees or the 3 o' clock to 6 o'clock position of the pedal stroke). With such a degree of flexion in the ankles, there's just not enough time when doing high speed cadence to pull the ankle out of that angle (like 20 degree angle, I believe). So I'd skip the ankling thing if you're working on higher speed cadence, but if you're working on building power, or if you're interested in pedalling more like Jan, then it could be something to work on.
Even then, I know Ed Burke admitted that he'd only seen effective ankling techniques done with elite athletes- to me, that suggested that for the average individual, ankling may not be attainable. Fine with me- I prefer higher speed cadence training.
As far as spinning classes, the author is correct- spin instructors should encourage using more resistance in class and working with slower cadences that they're more comfortable with. With the extra resistance, strength in the legs overall can be developed, and as the participant increases speed against the increased resistance, they will become much stronger cyclists. I absolutely do not allow people to pedal with high cadences in class with low resistance- I don't see the point, and I dont think it serves a purpose, other than to show off to everyone else that they can spin fast with little or no resistance. So what? I'm not impressed, and I don't see what the point is.
I'm not versed on walking styles and ankling, so I can't comment on that- so in a way, I probably deviated a little from the topic. Sorry.
I would love to see a discussion on the biomechanics of the pedal stroke- it's such a fascinating topic. I could spend hours in a lecture just on the anatomy of the leg and the biomechanics of the leg in relation to the different parts of the pedal stroke (well... alright, I have attended those lectures, but it's always fascinating to go back to those lectures and debate and talk through that stuff).
Koffee