The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn't Have to Mean Thin

[Jason Spaceman]

From the article:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By GINA KOLATA
Published: July 17, 2007

Andy Hampsten, the former pro cyclist, the only American ever to win
the Tour of Italy, the first American ever to win the grueling Alpe
d’Huez stage of the Tour de France, does his best to discourage casual
riders from signing up for the cycling trips he leads in Tuscany.

“All of our trips are designed to satisfy experienced riders,” Mr.
Hampsten writes on his Web site. To train, he suggests, “you should
ride at least 100 miles a week for at least 6 to 10 weeks” on routes
with “as many hills as you can find.”

So I had an image of what our fellow cyclists would look like when my
husband, son and I arrived in Castagneto Carducci for a cycling
vacation. They would look like Mr. Hampsten, who at age 45 remains
boyishly thin and agile, bouncing with energy.

I was wrong. For the most part, our group consisted of
ordinary-looking, mostly middle-age men and a few middle-age women.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read it at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/nutrition/17essa.html

















J. Spaceman

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
Jason Spaceman <[email protected]> wrote:

> From the article:
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
> By GINA KOLATA
> Published: July 17, 2007
>
> Andy Hampsten, the former pro cyclist, the only American ever to win
> the Tour of Italy, the first American ever to win the grueling Alpe
> d’Huez stage of the Tour de France, does his best to discourage casual
> riders from signing up for the cycling trips he leads in Tuscany.
>
> “All of our trips are designed to satisfy experienced riders,” Mr.
> Hampsten writes on his Web site. To train, he suggests, “you should
> ride at least 100 miles a week for at least 6 to 10 weeks” on routes
> with “as many hills as you can find.”
>
> So I had an image of what our fellow cyclists would look like when my
> husband, son and I arrived in Castagneto Carducci for a cycling
> vacation. They would look like Mr. Hampsten, who at age 45 remains
> boyishly thin and agile, bouncing with energy.
>
> I was wrong. For the most part, our group consisted of
> ordinary-looking, mostly middle-age men and a few middle-age women.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
>
> Read it at
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/nutrition/17essa.html

Gene beat you to it, but yes.

I think another factor not mentioned there is that if you're overweight,
running has a good chance of wrecking you. It doesn't impose the same
strains to ride.

Use injuries suck,

--
Ryan Cousineau [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos