Originally Posted by botto
you consider a cadence of 90-95 fast?
90-95rpm can be considered fast if the subject is normally touring at 60-70rpm. It's horses for courses, not a Lance-fest. Everyone's natural cadence is different, some fast, some slow, and it will vary depending on the prevailing conditions (flat, climbing, headwind, temp, humidity, etc). And for those who are willing to put in the time and effort, that natural cadence can be adapted for a new task with training (eg. to convert a strong road rider to a track pursuiter).
The 'perfect cadence' is actually your natural cadence. Most bike riders don't even know what their natural cadence is. Mine's 97rpm, what's your's? How do you find it? At what revs does your action start to break down? Does action breakdown really mean you are no longer able to deliver power to the pedals? Does it mean you can't spin faster? Apologies, for I digress... back to the subject matter at hand:
Is it important for everyone to strive for those "incredible" LA cadences of 120rpm? Of course not. It's far more important for everyone to strive for the cadence range which suits their bioligical makup, specifically the way in which their muscles burn fuel. For some ppl high cadences can be just as taxing as low cadences are at the same speed for others just because of the way their muscles convert energy stores and oxygen into work. Your coach will be able to work out your optimal cadence range with one or two weeks of ride information if they are worth the money you are paying them.
'Scientific studies' on small subject groups (<1000) of ill-defined fitness ("well trained athletes" - WTF is that?) that say one thing or another about just about anything are becoming a bore. Why? Because they shoehorn every athlete into a generalisation, and they allow charletans like RFS to jump on a bandwagon, preach rubbish with impunity, and profit from people's naivity.
If it's any consolation, juniors as young as 10 in our club spin at over 200rpm for long periods of time. When they are older and they're muscle mass increases they will find it hard to keep up more than 199rpm for long periods of time.
