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Is the build of an elite cyclist a healthy one?

Is the build of an elite cyclist a healthy one?

After coming across these photos on solo break blog i’m starting to feel ok about my problem of packing too much upper body on this winter. I'm still a skinny guy by most peoples standards but huge compared to these guys.


Pic: Tyler Hamilton using medical tape to hold his weak rib cage together

Pic: Michael Rasmussen using all his strength to put a sock on.


I think theses photos raise the question, is the build of an elite cyclist a healthy one. the gentlemen in these photos look like they are fragile and sick. No question that are incredible athletes and are super fast on their bikes but at what cost. They are so specialized for the sport of cycling that any muscles that aren’t needed to ride faster are considered useless oxygen sucking dead weight. I’m not a doctor but I’m guessing this must have some long term negative effects (lower bone density ? being more frail as a old man?) I don’t know for sure, I’m just saying it doesn’t look healthy.

grunting

I think I’ve been @ the gym with the grunters for too long this winter. In case you don’t know grunters are the huge guys that grunt when they lift weights. The grunts are like the screeches of the siren from roman mythology they draw you in and before you know it I’ve got packed on 5-7 Lbs of lean muscle. All on the upper body because that’s the way the drawing call of the grunters works.

So I’ve got this extra muscle that isn’t gong to do me any good on a bike and my fitness isn’t where it normally is because I’ve been lifting so much and ignoring my normal riding and cardio cross raining routine. My trip to visit my dad in WA DC was an eye opener, I found out just how bad my fitness is.
It’s time to turn things around and start riding again if I want to have decent fitness for the 2009 season.

Good buy grunters, time to join planet fitness.

WA DC riding

Did some riding with my dad in Washington DC. I got a free upgrade on my rental bike when the bike shop manager found out I was an influential photographer for the mid-Atlantic Spokes magazine. I wouldn't consider myself a photographer but one of my photos was asked to be used by someone who dose submit photos to spokes magazine and it ended up on the cover!!!. Just another thing to add to my resume. I'll put that between to 4th grade jump-rope champion and 2003 york ME pumpkin carving 2nd place finisher.






I haven’t rode outside in a few months , it was nice to get out again . My dad was in better shape than I would have expected. He has become a avid cyclist he recently lost 20 lbs and goes for 2 hour + rides when its nice out.




Felt a little weird being all race geared out on a unraced geared out bike in an unracing setting.

my dad and I laid the hammer down on all the other bike path riders. we showed no mercy, cutting off children in strollers and elbowing old men and woman and anyone who tried to pass us was put to the curb. just kidding

for the rest of the weekend see My Art Blog

landmine mountain bike race 2008

This course was one large 26 mile lap, super fast for the first half and super rooty and rocky for the second half.

I went all the way from hero to zero in this race. great start, led for the first 5 miles, I was caught by a rider from bikebarn (the big bike shop in the area so he knew all the good lines). We switched off for a while then he put in an attack on a technical climb and I couldn’t hang. My technical riding was good but his fitness was better than mine. Soon after he dropped me I got a flat and i had a bit of a problem fixing it. by thetime i did everyone in my category had passed me. I pretty much through in the towel right there. I tried my best to forget about being a zero and enjoy the rest of the ride.


Turns out my team mate john burns had bad luck too. he fell on one of the wood bridges breaking his handlebar (It rained very heavy the night before so they were wicked slippery)


i was cleaning out my car after getting home from the race and was getting the mud off my shoes with my fingers when I realized it wasn’t mud. It was poo. The end (true story)

kingdom trails in VT

went for a ride with John Burns. We went to kingdom trails in VT. Riding was great and the scenery was out of this world, the prettiest ride I’ve been on. Wildflowers, open meadows, especially gorgeous was this trail that followed along the side of a winding river. Called west bank trail, I think.

on a bridge of west bank trail

John and river

Hopbrook dam mountain bike race 2008

August 10th, 2008

This is a flat course, with some supper fun fast banked turns, some super rooky sections that i am pretty sure messed up just about everyone’s back. It was a fun day the weather was good and i had no mechanicals.

I went down with John Burns, we were the bikeman representation for the pro/ semi pro category. The race started off well for me , I was even leading for a bit, about 2 seconds till we hit the fist corner and I was pushed back to 5th and pushed back even a little further @ the fist climb. I slowly lost the lead group by the end of the first lap and found myself alone but I was happy to see that my team mate John made the move in the lead group. Not an easy, seeing as Mark McCormack (x national road bike champion) was pushing the pase on the fire roads.

I slowly picked off some riders and came in 4th (I think 13 started)

Rest of the results

McCormick ripping the fire roads