Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

[Pat]

x-no-archive:yes

> >
> > Haha. Could Lance luck out and get a hit or two, and get on base during
a
> > whole baseball season? Probably. Could Bo Jackson or Brian Bosworth get better than last place
> > overall on the TdF? Probably not.
>
> I'll bet with a bit of training, Bo could. He would likely do rather well in the sprints, since
> that's where he excelled. Brian Bosworth was nowhere near the natural athlete Bo was.
>
> ....
>
> --
> David Kerber

I am skeptical that Bo, with his tremendous bulk, could be a success at riding a bike for a long
distance--and even in the TdF the sprints are not short events. For one thing, he'd probably chafe
like crazy.

Pat in TX

 

[James Hodson]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 08:31:31 -0400, archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:

>Brian Bosworth was nowhere near the natural athlete Bo was.
>

Hi Archer

OFF TOPIC

Is the Brian Bosworth you mention the former US Footballer who once played for the Seattle Seahawys
(I think)? If so, is he the same guy who has appeared - I hesitate to use the word "starred" - in a
few films?

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

 

[Terry Morse]

> > Could Bo Jackson or Brian Bosworth get better than last place overall on the TdF? Probably not.
>
> I'll bet with a bit of training, Bo could. He would likely do rather well in the sprints, since
> that's where he excelled. Brian Bosworth was nowhere near the natural athlete Bo was.

Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the hills in the Tour. He
wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro cyclist
weighs 225 lbs.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 08:31:31 -0400, archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Brian Bosworth was nowhere near the natural athlete Bo was.
> >
>
> Hi Archer
>
> OFF TOPIC
>
> Is the Brian Bosworth you mention the former US Footballer who once played for the Seattle
> Seahawys (I think)? If so, is he the same guy who has appeared - I hesitate to use the word
> "starred" - in a few films?

I'm not sure what team(s) he played for, but I believe that's the one you're talking about.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > > Could Bo Jackson or Brian Bosworth get better than last place overall on the TdF? Probably
> > > not.
> >
> > I'll bet with a bit of training, Bo could. He would likely do rather well in the sprints, since
> > that's where he excelled. Brian Bosworth was nowhere near the natural athlete Bo was.
>
> Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the hills in the Tour. He
> wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro cyclist
> weighs 225 lbs.

No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the course
with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous power in his
legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

 

[Mark Hickey]

archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:

>[email protected] says...

>> Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the hills in the Tour. He
>> wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro cyclist
>> weighs 225 lbs.
>
>No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the course
>with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous power in
>his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.

Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona 500 because it has more
horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding
huge reserves of endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest sprinters
in the world.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >[email protected] says...
>
> >> Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the hills in the Tour. He
> >> wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro
> >> cyclist weighs 225 lbs.
> >
> >No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the
> >course with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous
> >power in his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.
>
> Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona 500 because it has more
> horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding
> huge reserves of endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest sprinters
> in the world.

It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would
have done ok.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

 

[Mark Hickey]

archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:

>[email protected] says...
>> archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:

>> >No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the
>> >course with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous
>> >power in his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.
>>
>> Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona 500 because it has more
>> horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding
>> huge reserves of endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest sprinters
>> in the world.
>
>It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
>did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would
>have done ok.

I dunno - how far does a running back run in the course of a game? 300-400 yards? Double that? In
the NFL, being able to do that without popping a cork may be considered "endurance", but in the
Tour, it'll get you about halfway through the prologue.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[helen]

In article <[email protected]>, archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
> did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would have
> done ok.

oh please,

dood you sure you don't want to re-consider the word "endurance." A running back plays only when the
offense is on the field so thats one half of an hour. More than half of that time is spent in
huddles. So, a running back spreads 10 minutes of exertion into 10 second blocks spread over two and
one half hours with a 20 minute break in the
middle.

It may be athletic but it AIN'T endurance.

At our Grand Tour ride this year 29 cyclists rode 300 miles in 24 hours (or less). THAT'S endurance.

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >[email protected] says...
> >> archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> >No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the
> >> >course with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous
> >> >power in his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.
> >>
> >> Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona 500 because it has more
> >> horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding
> >> huge reserves of endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest sprinters
> >> in the world.
> >
> >It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
> >did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would
> >have done ok.
>
> I dunno - how far does a running back run in the course of a game? 300-400 yards? Double that? In
> the NFL, being able to do that without popping a cork may be considered "endurance", but in the
> Tour, it'll get you about halfway through the prologue.

LOL! No, it's about 3 hrs of short sprints at 100% effort with 20 second rests between them, and a
couple 80 yard runs thrown in there for good measure.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

 

[Archer]

In article <290720031324509787%[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> In article <[email protected]>, archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
> > did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would
> > have done ok.
>
>
> oh please,
>
>
> dood you sure you don't want to re-consider the word "endurance." A running back plays only when
> the offense is on the field so thats one half of an hour. More than half of that time is spent in
> huddles. So, a running back spreads 10 minutes of exertion into 10 second blocks spread over two
> and one half hours with a 20 minute break in the
> middle.

So I exaggerated a bit <GGG>. But consider that that 10 minutes is spent at maximum exertion level,
wearing 20 lbs or more of padding, and that on nearly every play, he is either being tackled, is
running as a decoy for another ball carrier, or is trying to knock down someone.

> It may be athletic but it AIN'T endurance.

You've obviously never played the game at an organized level. I have, and I know how hard the
players work in a game. If you think there's no significant endurance requirement for playing
football at a high level, then there's probably nothing more I can say to convince you.

> At our Grand Tour ride this year 29 cyclists rode 300 miles in 24 hours (or less). THAT'S
> endurance.

Yes it is. That's pretty impressive.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.

 

[Terry Morse]

archer wrote:

> > Even with a lot of training, Bo Jackson would never make it over the hills in the Tour. He
> > wouldn't make the time cut, unless he lost a lot of weight. There is a reason why no pro cyclist
> > weighs 225 lbs.
>
> No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the
> course with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had tremendous
> power in his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50 years.

But did Bo Jackson ever demonstrate any aerobic talent? Leg power means nothing in cycling, at least
not in a stage race. It's aerobic power-to-weight ratio that gets those riders over multiple passes
per day within the cut-off time. Note the physiques of the pro riders, lean to the extreme. That's
no accident.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

[Zippy The Pinhe]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 20:03:51 GMT, Mark Hickey <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>I dunno - how far does a running back run in the course of a game? 300-400 yards? Double that? In
>the NFL, being able to do that without popping a cork may be considered "endurance", but in the
>Tour, it'll get you about halfway through the prologue.

Geez -- digging 'way back to my Physiology classes brings up the phrases "fast twitch" and
"slow twitch".

Course, I was doing a lot of Rapid Eye Movement during those lectures...

 

[Zippy The Pinhe]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 20:24:50 GMT, <[email protected]> wrote:

Going waaaay off topic but I was just following the crowd:
>
> A running back plays only when the offense is on the field so thats one half of an hour. More
> than half of that time is spent in huddles.

I've always been sort of simultaneously revulsed and intrigued with the close-ups of the
quarterbacks, who seem to spend half their time with their hand in the center's sweaty crotch, and
the other half licking the palm of the same hand.

Yecccchhhhh....

 

[Terry Morse]

archer wrote:

> It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
> did at the very highest levels.

No, it doesn't. At least not the type of aerobic endurance required for a stage race with huge
mountain passes. Running back effort: 10 second sprint, 1 minute rest, repeat a few times, sit on a
bench for several minutes. He could have held his breath while the ball was in play.

Now, had he been an elite soccer player, that would be a different story. Those guys are
aerobically strong.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

[Stephen Harding]

archer wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >[email protected] says...
> > >> archer <ns_archer1960@ns_hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >> >No way of proving it, of course, but I'll bet in his playing days he could have finished the
> > >> >course with no problem (at least if there was a bike strong enough for him). He had
> > >> >tremendous power in his legs, and is one of the greatest natural athletes in the last 50
> > >> >years.
> > >>
> > >> Which is a bit like saying that a dragster could finish the Daytona 500 because it has more
> > >> horsepower. I can't see Bo surviving the mountains inside the cutoff time, unless he's hiding
> > >> huge reserves of endurance, and that would be very rare for those who are the fastest
> > >> sprinters in the world.
> > >
> > >It takes a significant amount of endurance to play an entire NFL game at running back, which he
> > >did at the very highest levels. He would need to train for it of course, but I think he would
> > >have done ok.
> >
> > I dunno - how far does a running back run in the course of a game? 300-400 yards? Double that?
> > In the NFL, being able to do that without popping a cork may be considered "endurance", but in
> > the Tour, it'll get you about halfway through the prologue.
>
> LOL! No, it's about 3 hrs of short sprints at 100% effort with 20 second rests between them, and a
> couple 80 yard runs thrown in there for good measure.

And then a full week to recover for the next installment of doing it again.

The TdF is just about every day. I think that can make a huge difference in going the distance.
Furthermore, the psychology of the event might be more a factor than with other, shorter duration,
sporting events.

I've come to think the TdF is one of the toughest tests of human sporting activity to be found
anywhere in the world, and for endurance type events, usually the big "beefcake" types don't
fare so well.

SMH

 

[Michael]

"Stephen Harding" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> And then a full week to recover for the next installment of doing it
again.
>
> The TdF is just about every day. I think that can make a huge difference in going the distance.
> Furthermore, the psychology of the event might be more a factor than with other, shorter duration,
> sporting events.
>
> I've come to think the TdF is one of the toughest tests of human sporting activity to be found
> anywhere in the world, and for endurance type events, usually the big "beefcake" types don't fare
> so well.
>
>
> SMH

Yes, and what about other sports that require a different body types. Could Bo Jackson, for
instance, ever have seriously competed in the Olympic Marathon? I doubt it.

The concept is that any great athlete can win at cycling. But just like distance running, it
just isn't so.

M.

 

[Pat]

x-no-archive:yes

>
> I've always been sort of simultaneously revulsed and intrigued with the close-ups of the
> quarterbacks, who seem to spend half their time with their hand in the center's sweaty crotch, and
> the other half licking the palm of the same hand.
>
> Yecccchhhhh....

"Zippy the Pinhead"

Zippy, the quarterback is actually moistening the tips of his fingers to get a better feel for
the football. Maybe that's why Canadian football isn't as good as US Football---they're licking
their palms!

Pat in TX

 

[Terry Morse]

archer wrote:

> I didn't say he'd win anything; just that he might do ok in a sprint (maybe the prolog?), and
> wouldn't embarrass himself in the rest of the ride. I'm under no illusions as to his chances of
> winning even one stage, let alone the entire race.

Bo Jackson, or anyone else with his bulk, wouldn't finish the Tour. They'd miss the time cut in the
first mountain stage. This is simple physics. Strap 65 lbs. on Armstrong's back, and he would also
be eliminated.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> archer wrote:
>
> > I didn't say he'd win anything; just that he might do ok in a sprint (maybe the prolog?), and
> > wouldn't embarrass himself in the rest of the ride. I'm under no illusions as to his chances of
> > winning even one stage, let alone the entire race.
>
> Bo Jackson, or anyone else with his bulk, wouldn't finish the Tour. They'd miss the time cut in
> the first mountain stage. This is simple physics. Strap 65 lbs. on Armstrong's back, and he would
> also be eliminated.

Possible, but I doubt it: the extra 65 lbs on Bo's bike would be muscle, not dead weight. Of course
there are some top pro cyclists, mainly the sprinters, who don't make it through the mountains,
either; Cipo comes to mind from years past.

--
David Kerber An optimist says "Good morning, Lord." While a pessimist says "Good Lord,
it's morning".

Remove the ns_ from the address before e-mailing.