Tour de France - is it unAmerican?

[Terry Morse]

archer wrote:

> > 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.

You need to study up a tad on power-to-weight ratio, because you're missing the point entirely.
Muscle, fat, bone, water, they all reduce one's power-to-weight ratio. If your ratio is below a
certain amount, you can give up any hopes of making the time cut on a mountain stage.

The best cyclists in the world can produce over 400 watts indefinitely, giving them a
power-to-weight ratio over 5 watts/kg. For the sake of argument, say that Bo Jackson could produce
as much power as the world's best cyclists. His power-to-weight ratio would be 3.5 at best. If the
guys at the front are finishing the climbs in 2 hours, the hypothetical Bo would be doing them in 3+
hours, and he would be eliminated.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

 

[Archer]

In article <[email protected]>, mdw3- [email protected] says...
>
> "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.

Of course not.

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

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.

--
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.

 

[Paul Turner]

Preston Crawford wrote:

> it was his assuming this is an American trait we should be proud of that bothered me more than
> anything else.

Anyone who thinks that was Kaufman's point is impervious to irony.

--
Paul Turner

 

[Chris Phillipo]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> archer wrote:
>
> > > 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.
>
> You need to study up a tad on power-to-weight ratio, because you're missing the point entirely.
> Muscle, fat, bone, water, they all reduce one's power-to-weight ratio. If your ratio is below a
> certain amount, you can give up any hopes of making the time cut on a mountain stage.
>
> The best cyclists in the world can produce over 400 watts indefinitely, giving them a
> power-to-weight ratio over 5 watts/kg. For the sake of argument, say that Bo Jackson could produce
> as much power as the world's best cyclists. His power-to-weight ratio would be 3.5 at best. If the
> guys at the front are finishing the climbs in 2 hours, the hypothetical Bo would be doing them in
> 3+ hours, and he would be eliminated.
> --
> terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/
>

Of course then you look at a guy like Indurain and say, "What's he, a wrestler?"
--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia http://www.ramsays-online.com

 

[Michael]

"Chris Phillipo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,

>
> Of course then you look at a guy like Indurain and say, "What's he, a wrestler?"

Indurain didn't win until he lost around 20 pounds to put him at around 165, and even then he had to
win in the time trials, never attacking in the mountains.

M.

 

[Terry Morse]

Chris Phillipo wrote:

> Of course then you look at a guy like Indurain and say, "What's he, a wrestler?"

Indurain at his heaviest was still almost 50 lbs lighter than Bo Jackson. Armstrong pre-cancer
weighed almost the same as Indurain.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/