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Re: Assuming "typical" means anything...

Started by gds · · Last activity · 4 posts · 364 views

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9 May 2005
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gds
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  1. Raptor said:

    Genetic gifts aside, what's reasonable to expect of the typical


    human's

    Quoted message said:

    potential in terms of cycling performance?

    For example, could pretty much any able-bodied human train themselves

    Quoted message said:

    into condition to ride a 4-hour century, given adequate time and
    motivation? I'd say 5 hours definitely, but 4 might be a stretch.

    --
    --
    Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
    "We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
    a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
    them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
    could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
    instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"

    Back in my running days it became apparent that despite my high level
    of fitness I was just plain slow for racing. While marathon training
    with much better runners I had no trouble staying with the group for
    runs of 2 hours. But the pace of those runs were in the 7 minute a mile
    range. The problem for me was not finess it was speed. I never ran a
    mile faster than 5:30. But most of the folks I trained with had easily
    run sub 5's. So, to keep up in a race I needed to race at a much higher
    % of my max speed than my partners. Thus for any given speed I worked
    harder and in the end could not hold it as long.
    I think the same holds true in cycling.

  2. gds said:

    I think the same holds true in cycling.

    Well, gearing at least evens the fields in some aspects, so I would
    expect that more can meet certain moderate standards, which IMO
    includes the 5 hour century. Or you can apply a quasi-Groucho Marx
    standard - I've done a 5 hour century, so the club can't that
    exclusive. Ain't done a four hours one, not even close, since I'm
    guessing anything like a pace line doesn't count.

    I've always wondered whether I could have trained myself to run in
    some other stride than my normal stride. Long and lumbering strides
    are evidently exactly what you aren't supposed to do, so my gearing
    was bad - I'm figuring I would have won the Boston Marathon two or
    three times, otherwise...

    (That was my first virtual victory - they're easier than I thought.)

    Curtis L. Russell
    Odenton, MD (USA)
    Just someone on two wheels...

  3. Curtis L. Russell said:
    gds said:

    I think the same holds true in cycling.

    Well, gearing at least evens the fields in some aspects, so I would
    expect that more can meet certain moderate standards,

    Everyone has gears. My problem is my genes. If it was simply a matter
    of training then there would be a lot more folks at the top as there
    are many motivated people. Sadly, some of us are motivated but simply
    lack talent.

    I do think that packs and pacelines evens the field a bit. I can stay
    in a 26 mph pack for quite a while, but I can't maintain it on my own
    or drive the train at that speed. (And off course if someone with
    talent decides to ride me off their wheel- well I get dropped)

    But I do agree with you that lots of folks can get fit enough and have
    enough native speed to do 5 hours. To break 4 I personally believe you
    need some talent to go with the training.

  4. "gds" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    Raptor said:

    Genetic gifts aside, what's reasonable to expect of the typical


    human's

    Quoted message said:

    potential in terms of cycling performance?

    For example, could pretty much any able-bodied human train themselves

    Back in my running days it became apparent that despite my high level
    of fitness I was just plain slow for racing.

    Bicycling and running have almost nothing in common. Running is plain
    painful and slow for some people whereas most people can cycle at or near
    their maximum outputs for long periods of time with relatively little pain
    when the bike fits properly and they train up to it.

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