This still doesn't address the question of how they came up with the basic premise that "recreational" cyclists spin "too fast" because they ...see pros spinning on TV? Who counts pedal strokes anyway?

I am not here to argue with anybody, nor do I expect anyone to answer my questions. I just feel like there is a lot of flawed science being published. Sure the experiment was well designed to test oxygenation of thigh muscles at different fitness levels and cadences ... it was a pretty narrowly conceived experiment. What, if any, connection it has to or value it offers to actual people who ride bicycles is tenuous at best.

Whatever. This has run its course, i think.