Very depressing ....

I found out recently that my VO2max is probably a lot less than one
third that of a dog's

According to the Wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max,
Miguel Indurain's VO2max was suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes
one wonder what the current crop of riders would be looking at.

I think Greg LeMond (?) made some comments wondering about the oxygen
debt which some riders were incurring when riding up the steep climbs in
the 2009 (?) Tour de France. Personally, I disagree with LeMond's
insinuations about some of my favourite riders but I am well aware of
the high incidence of ...eeerrrr... unregulated ...performance enhancing
... eeerrr... substances in cycling. An aside - I recall some years ago
being asked by this chappy if I could get him some EPO and whilst I
probably could, I told him to **** off in a very roundabout manner

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was smaller.

I take some comfort from the comments by Tim Noakes

"Geoff Lock" glock@home wrote in message ...
I found out recently that my VO2max is probably a lot less than one
third that of a dog's

According to the Wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max,
Miguel Indurain's VO2max was suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes
one wonder what the current crop of riders would be looking at.

I think Greg LeMond (?) made some comments wondering about the oxygen
debt which some riders were incurring when riding up the steep climbs in
the 2009 (?) Tour de France. Personally, I disagree with LeMond's
insinuations about some of my favourite riders but I am well aware of
the high incidence of ...eeerrrr... unregulated ...performance enhancing
.. eeerrr... substances in cycling. An aside - I recall some years ago
being asked by this chappy if I could get him some EPO and whilst I
probably could, I told him to **** off in a very roundabout manner

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was smaller.

I take some comfort from the comments by Tim Noakes

Rowing is all over in 5 or 6 minutes.

Shirley Nott.

On 10/04/2011 4:08 PM, Shirley Nott wrote:

"Geoff Lock" glock@home wrote in message
...

According to the Wikipedia entry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max, Miguel Indurain's VO2max was
suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes one wonder what the current
crop of riders would be looking at.

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was smaller.

Rowing is all over in 5 or 6 minutes.

Hm, that's a good point.

On 11/04/2011 2:10 AM, Geoff Lock wrote:
On 10/04/2011 4:08 PM, Shirley Nott wrote:

"Geoff Lock" glock@home wrote in message
...

According to the Wikipedia entry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max, Miguel Indurain's VO2max was
suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes one wonder what the current
crop of riders would be looking at.

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was smaller.

Rowing is all over in 5 or 6 minutes.

Hm, that's a good point.
Yes but that's the point. If you pick a world class rower you know you
have someone with high VO2Max. You can train in some bike skills and
strengthen the right muscle groups, then you have a cycling track rider.
Train in endurance and you have a time trialler. But it is
hard/impossible to take the wrong body and try to train in VO2Max that
even comes close to the top athletes.

So the statement that rowers make good cyclists is more true than
cyclists make good rowers.

"Patrick" wrote in message ...
On 11/04/2011 2:10 AM, Geoff Lock wrote:
On 10/04/2011 4:08 PM, Shirley Nott wrote:

"Geoff Lock" glock@home wrote in message
...

According to the Wikipedia entry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max, Miguel Indurain's VO2max was
suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes one wonder what the current
crop of riders would be looking at.

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was smaller.

Rowing is all over in 5 or 6 minutes.

Hm, that's a good point.
Yes but that's the point. If you pick a world class rower you know you
have someone with high VO2Max. You can train in some bike skills and
strengthen the right muscle groups, then you have a cycling track rider.
Train in endurance and you have a time trialler. But it is
hard/impossible to take the wrong body and try to train in VO2Max that
even comes close to the top athletes.

So the statement that rowers make good cyclists is more true than
cyclists make good rowers.

Rowers and cyclists use similar muscles, but not in the same pattern of
activation. Probably rowers have stronger back muscles, but I would
take advice on that.

You don't see peletons at regattas very often. Not many coxwaines on
the Tour de France, either.

Shirely Nott.

On 11/04/2011 8:41 AM, Patrick wrote:
On 11/04/2011 2:10 AM, Geoff Lock wrote:
On 10/04/2011 4:08 PM, Shirley Nott wrote:

"Geoff Lock" glock@home wrote in message
...

According to the Wikipedia entry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max, Miguel Indurain's VO2max was
suppossedly about 88ml/kg/min, which makes one wonder what the current
crop of riders would be looking at.

Interesting about rowers though - assuming an 80kg rower, some of them
could be looking at 100ml/kg/min!! Even better if the rower was
smaller.

Rowing is all over in 5 or 6 minutes.

Hm, that's a good point.

Yes but that's the point. If you pick a world class rower you know you
have someone with high VO2Max. You can train in some bike skills and
strengthen the right muscle groups, then you have a cycling track rider.
Train in endurance and you have a time trialler. But it is
hard/impossible to take the wrong body and try to train in VO2Max that
even comes close to the top athletes.

As you said, it may be difficult to train in me 90 y.o. dad's lungs to
pump the same VO2max figures as, say, Thor Hushovd I will ask the old
boy if he is game to have a go when I next see him in about 2 weeks

So the statement that rowers make good cyclists is more true than
cyclists make good rowers.

Pass. No idea about rowing.