If height is a big factor in cycling explain lance Armstrong

[cyclintom]

Taller person = bigger bike = less effort Shorter person = smaller bike = more effort Is this why height = speed?

I don't know where that is coming from. What we're talking about in climbers is power to weight ratio. That USUALLY means climbers are smaller riders. But not always. You can be heavy for your size and while you have a great deal of power you don't have the power to keep up with lighter riders. Likewise George Hincapie who I believe was 6'3" was with mountain stage breakaway groups in Grand Tours on a couple of occasions if memory serves. He had to have really slimmed down for these because George was really a sprinter.

What we need for a pacer for flat races is a man of normal weight but a lot of endurance. Power and endurance don't normally come in the same package because they are somewhat opposite.

Then there are the sprinters who have to be able to stay in the pack and be led out where they have a higher than normal speed. This requires continuous training. Two years ago I caught myself running yellow lights at 35 mph but now without the continuous training I am lucky to hit 25.

While you can train for an endurance or sprinter, usually you have to be a born climber.

Drugs could accomplish two things - stimulants could get you really going in a race but they cannot give you endurance. Endurance athletes would use several kinds of drugs such as EPO but Lance finally settled more or less on blood transfusions with his own blood to maintain a high hematocrit. This was very difficult to detect.

What did drugs lend to you? Endurance over a LONG race. One day races really aren't much effected by drugs despite what you hear from people that use drugs. Armstrong gained one thing - the ability to continue racing day after day without slowing up. He couldn't climb any better than he could without drugs and he couldn't stay in the pack any better and he sure as hell wasn't much of a sprinter. He was a "cheater" only because of the rules and you couldn't tell because everyone was using them.

However - with the blood passport testing it is extremely difficult to use drugs and they are probably relegated to training.

But the average speeds in the races CONTINUE to go up year after year. This is not because of drugs but from better training methods. And in the case of climbers - lighter bikes.

 

[BrianNystrom]

"Endurance athletes would use several kinds of drugs such as EPO but Lance finally settled more or less on blood transfusions with his own blood to maintain a high hematocrit."

Actually no, he micro-dosed EPO to boost his 'crit levels and used blood transfusions to boost his blood volume and keep his old-to-new blood cell ratio within a range that wouldn't raise suspicion.​

"One day races really aren't much effected by drugs despite what you hear from people that use drugs."

Wrong again. Drugs allow you to train harder and become stronger. On race day, increased oxygen uptake improves power output, regardless of the length of the race.
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"He couldn't climb any better than he could without drugs..."

Nonsense. Drugs improved his oxygen uptake and power-weight ratio, both of which are critical for climbing. You said this yourself.​

"...and he couldn't stay in the pack any better..."

How do you figure that? Improved power and endurance are no benefit?​

"...and he sure as hell wasn't much of a sprinter."

I guess one out of three ain't bad. ​

"And in the case of climbers - lighter bikes."

Again, no, the UCI has the same minimum bike weight for everyone. This is actually a disadvantage for smaller riders, as their bikes weigh a higher proportion of their total weight (bike + rider) than it does for larger, heavier riders.​

 

[BrianNystrom]

Here's one more gem:

"While you can train for an endurance or sprinter, usually you have to be a born climber."

While it's true that Marcel Kittel is never going to be much of a climber, there are plenty of cases of sprinters and all-rounders changing their body makeup and becoming great climbers. Laurent Jalabert (sprinter), Lance Armstrong (all rounder, triathlete) and Bradley Wiggins (former trackie) are three that come to mind just off the top of my head.


​

 

[Henrywrites]

To me, it is all about taking your time to practise for that is the best way to become perfect in all we do as cyclists. I am not that tall as well, but when I ride, it becomes a case of doing all the stunts you can mention that riders do. So, I think that it takes a lot of training to become better at riding on a daily basis.

 

[cyclintom]

I'm 5.10 and other taller cyclers have a way faster average pedaling speed.

That doesn't have anything to do with your height. The only place where size matters is with climbers. Human muscle strength in terms of size is fairly constant so smaller riders have higher power to weight ratios all else being equal. Of course things are rarely equal. i.e. less percentages of grade allow speeds to be higher giving the advantage to larger people the same as in an arm wrestling contest. Long steep climbs give the advantage to small people who have less weight to lift and physiology designed to allow more rapid distribution of calories. Which greatly simplifies the actual problems.

If you cannot pedal as fast as someone else, the cause is either that you have not practiced enough or you do not have the physiological construction to do so - you are a "lugger".

 

[cyclintom]

Taller person bigger crankset= more road being pedaled Shorter person more pedaling for the same outcome with smaller crank???

Did you ever hear of these things called "gears"?

 

[treecko142]

Taller people in general have a bigger advantage in cycling. Given the same bike and gears, between two average riders the taller one will almost always be faster. However, in competitive cycling, other factors have to be taken into account, such as the conditions of the race and the experience of the bikers on such weather/road conditions, amount of practice, cardiovascular endurance, among other things help determine who will be better.