Pity our cyclist, it’s Saturday and he won’t shave his face, it might sap his strength but he has to shave his legs or he won’t look serious. He certainly can’t have sex, more strength stealing there, and kissing his wife, whoa, slow down, that could spread some germs. He doesn’t want to get sick so going to that birthday party tonight, that could be dangerous, crap fattening food on platters, touched by possibly sick people, and standing around, no way, think of the guns. Who can drink alcohol before racing anyway? I need some steak and pasta. Darling, I’ll go to your office Christmas party, I promise, if I can sit with my legs up a bit, and take the elevator up to the office on the second floor.
A little browse around the town center Saturday evening instead, can’t do that. That would require walking and standing. I’m an athlete, damn it. And this talk of going to the pool, basta! Every cyclist knows swimming is bad for the legs.
Pre-race Sunday morning breakfast- this oatmeal could stand some butter and maple syrup. In the name of Merckx, non-fat milk please and what part of high glycemic index don’t you understand? Oatmeal, does that contain gluten?
Our cyclist rolls with two teammates to the race. In the car all the talk is pre-race excuses: I’m too heavy, I might be getting sick, my legs are unbalanced (?!), I drank too much coffee, I stopped drinking coffee, I have too much inflammation in my body.
Cycling mythology never dies. In a world were we still can’t predict the day when we will have great legs, there are still a thousand things out there that will give us not-great legs, and I’m pretty sure it’s all crap. Having just read this amazing interview with Freddy Maertens (thanks @pistard), it’s plain what gives you great legs, train like a bastard. And by bastard I mean back to back to back to back 300 km training days. Only professionals need do this, or can do this (who has the time or will?). That, get a lot of sleep and eat well, that is what a professional from Freddy’s day might tell you. No one was losing sleep over their power to weight ratio, no Pros then looked like Chris Froome now. These passistas looked like guys you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
Now cyclists train smarter, watt meters and training coaches, weight rooms and soy milk, skinnier and colder. Is there a professional now who just scoffs at such data and just trains long and hard? Look at the legs of riders in the 1970s, almost no one looks like that now and it’s not drugs that did that. It’s unholy training in big gears, some V in the bidon, repeat tomorrow.
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@Ron
I take this as an approval of yoga pants. You know they say yoga would help with a cyclists flexibility. I find that I learn the most from the back of the class.
@Ron spot on. Fuckyeahyogapants.
@LutherB
Warming up the lungs
@DCR
All we've got is short socks or long socks.
Les Woodland: What time did you leave in the morning for a 300-kilometer training ride?
FM: 7:00 or 7:30.
Les Woodland: And you got back when?
FM: When I was finished. When there is a lot of wind, you can't know how fast you will go.
"When I was finished". That's old school cool.
@frank I remember coming into Camp 2 at ~18,000 feet on Ama Dablam and starting to gather ice to melt for water and my partner, Nema Tashi, a sherpa, pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights one up.
That's when I knew that I sucked.
@Buck Rogers We're letting you slide one that one Buck cause Nepal vs Green Mountains is Merckx vs cat 5...
@Rob
Or alpe d'huez vs the incline of my driveway...
@anrthony
I'll give you a couple of KG's if you want 'em! Mate, here it is plain and simple. If you are 170cm and 54kg you are the envy of pretty much everyone here, and anyone else is lying, so just bask in that glory...
I am a 2.5 in the pounds/height in inches calc, but it is not because I am heavy that I appreciate the riders of yore. From what I can tell, there isn't a backlash against climbers, I dunno where you got that from, if anything there is a backlash against climbers who can't descend, ala Schleck et Wiggo, for it is natural to prefer riders who are better all-rounders.
There is a preference here for reverence. It is just harking back to the classic images and tales of the past. For me the favourites are the black and white pics up some massive col, smashing the single speed they have for the 3000th km.