The best thing is that this Master Class is available for free... Impressive summary of information in regards to cadence and rpm, there is no waste of time in the video and loved to see the comparison to other cycling sports not just road. Thank you very much!!!

My comment will have little relevance to most viewers of this video. I have never been a competitive rider, so I have virtually no interest in how long and how fast I can ride. I'm in it for health, overall fitness, and the pleasure of a nice ride on country roads. But as an 84 year old, cadence has this significance to me... MY KNEES. I shift down and pedal faster to protect these old knees. Thanks for including comments about that near the end of the video. Thanks for helping me understand the physics of cadence.

I've been a casual/ rec cyclist for decades, always been a diesel locomotive. Now approaching 60, living in hilly area, riding heavy tourer most days my knees became really sore, limiting any real fitness progress. After this presentation, started to trial 75-110 rpm, trying to stabilise around 90. 2 weeks in, improved endurance, no sore knees, faster recovery. I'm sold.

If you had told me 30 years ago I’d be on a 50/34 165 I’d have laughed my a$$ off and said that’ll never happen. But here I am doing just that. Just last week I tested how fast I could get my rpms up to and maxed at 179, not bad for a 67yo that used to love grinding the big gears.

Never understood why some road riders only keep one cadence - I switch up, low and slow then when the muscles get tired, spin and fast until my cardio gets tired then switch back. Works for me at least.

I remember reading in the late 1970's that cadence should be 60 - but I always pedaled at 90 and change, and for 3 years I rode everywhere in Calgary, 4 seasons of the year.

Twenty years later, I got a compliment from Greg Bauer during a winery tour, pedaling out of Jordan Valley to the parking lot at the end of the day. I built up a head a of steam, and took  the whole hill without leaving my seat. Greg's comment: "It's been years since I saw that done."

I always felt best in terms of endurance, back in the 1980s to present, between 98-106 rpm, and had always designed my drivetrains (read that as ring/cog sizes) to keep me in that cadence range.

One the best videos on this subject for sure.  There are some dubious issues though with PEDs not just with Lance but Ulrich, Banesto, Team Sky and even the "motor doping" and so forth.  The advice presented here is as solid as you're going to get.  Train your spectrum of torque and speed and let your body decide however don't neglect the science of durability and how cadence plays a role in this, mind over muscle.  Again, a fine video on this topic.

I like to learn some confirmation of what I - and we - had to do as elite riders in road racing when I was, well, at a certain age. Often spinning along during races in a gear like 53x15 approx 100 rpm, which seemed to me a rather universal gearing and cadence; not tiring to much, flexible for a quick change of speed. But in the finale, when the strong guys began to punish competitors with violent attacks, or when there was a certain selection during 15-20 minutes, often they only way to survive was putting head down, eating the handlebars and just push a high gear, for the time, of 53x12, and no attention to whatever optimal pedaling technique we had a learn, just generating power from the large thigh muscles and flat feet to the pedals - which is, by the way, the most difficult element of cycling to learn outside racing.

Great historical background and research you showed there, thank you

Spinning out after mashing always relieves me, so much so I was able bodied to sprint the last two miles of a end of a 35 miles zone two on a canal towpath.

@24:23 +, thanks for going over all this in detail. I think of it as what is my individual body made for. I'm a casual endurance rider that does about 150 miles a week and my cadence has fallen into the 70-80rpm range over the years and I'm happy with what it lets me do in life.

Great info again, I’ve been lucky to have a coach who had me doing  cadence up to 130 for 5 minutes.
Now my average cadence in ITT is 105
And in a road race in the 90’s.
Relying on cardio over legs.

Incredible video. So immersive and interesting. Thanks..

Paradoxically, the on and off knee pain that I had for decades as a cyclist has gone away when I ride regularly since I began riding exclusively single speed six years ago.  My theory is that it’s because my legs have gotten more muscular from pushing at low rpm on hills and I also have to spin above 120 regularly which has taught me how to mentally differentiate muscle firing so I can isolate from too much knee pressure even at those low rpms .

Back in the day (late 1960s-early 1970s) I rode a British style out-and-back 25mile TT on 86" fixed gear in a time of 55:30. The editor of the magazine "Cycling" remarked that I must have been "twiddling my balls off" when I passed him. I've used the nickname "Twiddler" since that time.

That's not Chris Froome 12:08 winning Stage 8 of the 2013 TdF.  You've given us Ritchie Porte coming second behind Chris Froome who finished 51 seconds earlier.

Zwift says my cadence e is around d 76 all the time. It just feels right for me

As a triathlete who must run a half marathon at the end of a 56-mile bike race, higher cadence is best for me.

back in the day people generally ran 165mm on the track