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Tour de France - is it unAmerican?



 
 
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  #41  
Old July 30th 03, 12:05 AM
Terry Morse
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

archer wrote:

Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the
hills in the Tour. He wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a
lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro cyclist weighs 225 lbs.


No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he
could have finished the course with no problem (at least if there was a
bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous power in his legs, and is
one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.


But did Bo Jackson ever demonstrate any aerobic talent? Leg power
means nothing in cycling, at least not in a stage race. It's aerobic
power-to-weight ratio that gets those riders over multiple passes
per day within the cut-off time. Note the physiques of the pro
riders, lean to the extreme. That's no accident.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/
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  #42  
Old July 30th 03, 12:11 AM
Terry Morse
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

archer wrote:

It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at
running back, which he did at the very highest levels.


No, it doesn't. At least not the type of aerobic endurance required
for a stage race with huge mountain passes. Running back effort: 10
second sprint, 1 minute rest, repeat a few times, sit on a bench for
several minutes. He could have held his breath while the ball was in
play.

Now, had he been an elite soccer player, that would be a different
story. Those guys are aerobically strong.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/
  #43  
Old July 30th 03, 02:29 AM
Stephen Harding
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

archer wrote:

In article ,
says...
archer wrote:

says...
archer wrote:


No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he
could have finished the course with no problem (at least if there was a
bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous power in his legs, and is
one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.

Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona
500 because it has more horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the
mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding huge reserves of
endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest
sprinters in the world.

It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at
running back, which he did at the very highest levels. He would need to
train for it of course, but I think he would have done ok.


I dunno - how far does a running back run in the course of a game?
300-400 yards? Double that? In the NFL, being able to do that
without popping a cork may be considered "endurance", but in the Tour,
it'll get you about halfway through the prologue.


LOL! No, it's about 3 hrs of short sprints at 100% effort with 20 second
rests between them, and a couple 80 yard runs thrown in there for good
measure.


And then a full week to recover for the next installment of doing it again.

The TdF is just about every day. I think that can make a huge difference
in going the distance. Furthermore, the psychology of the event might be
more a factor than with other, shorter duration, sporting events.

I've come to think the TdF is one of the toughest tests of human sporting
activity to be found anywhere in the world, and for endurance type events,
usually the big "beefcake" types don't fare so well.


SMH
  #44  
Old July 30th 03, 03:25 AM
Michael
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?


"Stephen Harding" wrote in message
...

And then a full week to recover for the next installment of doing it

again.

The TdF is just about every day. I think that can make a huge difference
in going the distance. Furthermore, the psychology of the event might be
more a factor than with other, shorter duration, sporting events.

I've come to think the TdF is one of the toughest tests of human sporting
activity to be found anywhere in the world, and for endurance type events,
usually the big "beefcake" types don't fare so well.


SMH


Yes, and what about other sports that require a different body
types. Could Bo Jackson, for instance, ever have seriously
competed in the Olympic Marathon? I doubt it.

The concept is that any great athlete can win at cycling. But just like
distance running, it just isn't so.

M.


  #45  
Old July 30th 03, 03:48 PM
Pat
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

x-no-archive:yes



I've always been sort of simultaneously revulsed and intrigued with
the close-ups of the quarterbacks, who seem to spend half their time
with their hand in the center's sweaty crotch, and the other half
licking the palm of the same hand.

Yecccchhhhh....


"Zippy the Pinhead"

Zippy, the quarterback is actually moistening the tips of his fingers to get
a better feel for the football. Maybe that's why Canadian football isn't as
good as US Football---they're licking their palms!

Pat in TX


  #46  
Old July 30th 03, 04:21 PM
Terry Morse
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

archer wrote:

Bo Jackson, or anyone else with his bulk, wouldn't finish the Tour.
They'd miss the time cut in the first mountain stage. This is simple
physics. Strap 65 lbs. on Armstrong's back, and he would also be
eliminated.


Possible, but I doubt it: the extra 65 lbs on Bo's bike would be muscle,
not dead weight.


You need to study up a tad on power-to-weight ratio, because you're
missing the point entirely. Muscle, fat, bone, water, they all
reduce one's power-to-weight ratio. If your ratio is below a certain
amount, you can give up any hopes of making the time cut on a
mountain stage.

The best cyclists in the world can produce over 400 watts
indefinitely, giving them a power-to-weight ratio over 5 watts/kg.
For the sake of argument, say that Bo Jackson could produce as much
power as the world's best cyclists. His power-to-weight ratio would
be 3.5 at best. If the guys at the front are finishing the climbs in
2 hours, the hypothetical Bo would be doing them in 3+ hours, and he
would be eliminated.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/
  #47  
Old August 2nd 03, 07:39 PM
Paul Turner
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

Preston Crawford wrote:

it was
his assuming this is an American trait we should be proud of that
bothered me more than anything else.


Anyone who thinks that was Kaufman's point is impervious to irony.

--
Paul Turner

  #48  
Old August 6th 03, 04:06 PM
Michael
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Default Tour de France - is it unAmerican?


"Chris Phillipo" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,



Of course then you look at a guy like Indurain and say, "What's he, a
wrestler?"



Indurain didn't win until he lost around 20 pounds to put him at around
165, and even then he had to win in the time trials, never attacking in the
mountains.

M.



 




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