Tour de France vs. Ironman triathlon

[sparknote_s]

I was just wondering what most people thought. The TdF obviously is very long and tedious, many don't finish. Then again, many people don't finish Ironman triathlons.

Which do you think is a bigger accomplishment, winning the TdF, or winning Ironman Hawaii, and why?

 

[keydates]

They're kind of different. If the Ironman were somehow several days long instead of just one day, I'd say the Ironman.

 

[Roadrunner24]

I didn't vote, because IMO it's comparing apples and oranges. They're both seperate, but incredible accomplishments.

 

[Greg-O]

you can't really compare the two. the tour de france requires much more pacing day to day, while the iron man is the ability to master 3 sports but only go all out for one day.

 

[StarryMan]

you can't really compare the two. the tour de france requires much more pacing day to day, while the iron man is the ability to master 3 sports but only go all out for one day.

Yep I agree AND while the Ironman participants could be pretty much anyone... TDF you basically have to have some serious credentials and official invitation from TDF organizers.

Hey don't forget... before cycling... what was Lance's first major sport that brought him to cycling????? You guessed it... Triatholons. Not only that, he was pretty good at it. I believe he was state champion for his age group in triatholons. He was a competitor at a very early age and I'm sure he would agree that these are two very different sports. But I'd also say, that Lance would confidentally say that the TDF is in a different class of its own.

Nicholas

 

[jitteringjr]

I was just wondering what most people thought. The TdF obviously is very long and tedious, many don't finish. Then again, many people don't finish Ironman triathlons.

Which do you think is a bigger accomplishment, winning the TdF, or winning Ironman Hawaii, and why?

They are equal. He asked what was the bigger accomplishment Winning the tour or Winning Kona, not completing the tour or completing Kona.

While it seems completing the Tour is more difficult, there is only one winner of each contest each year. Due to the recent fascination with the Ironman, I would be willing to bet that there are just as many people are trying to win the Ironman as there are people trying to win the tour.

With that in mind, the odd of winning either is "how many umpteen million to one." Same odds means the same level of accomplishment.

That’s how I see it.

 

[ThrillBilly]

Which do you think is a bigger accomplishment, winning the TdF, or winning Ironman Hawaii, and why?

winning the world seris or the superbowl? best of 7 games or 1 day event?


TdF or IM: i would think that the training and effort required to reach the top level of either contest would be very similar.

which is better: blue or green? its in the eye of whoever holds the brush.

 

[ric_stern/RST]

I was just wondering what most people thought. The TdF obviously is very long and tedious, many don't finish. Then again, many people don't finish Ironman triathlons.

Which do you think is a bigger accomplishment, winning the TdF, or winning Ironman Hawaii, and why?

The TdF is the *hardest* sport there is. While it could be argued that a *single* day bike race may not be as hard as an Ironman, the TdF is (obviously) considerably longer, and harder. Whether that makes it a bigger accomplishment though is impossible to say!
ric

 

[mattp71]

Since this is mainly a cycling forum, the results I see after I voted really don't shock me.

I didn't think much of triathalon's until I went and watched a few friends compete in one. Well actually it was a duathalon, but I can only imagine tri's being that much harder. So I went home and tried it. I went out and rode 20 miles on my bike at a 22mph pace, then I tried to run. What a joke. After about mile 2 my heart rate was through the roof, and I wasn't going much faster than 5 or 6 miles an hour. My legs ached bad, and I'm thinking, oh my gosh these guys run for 6 miles, bike for 25, then run for another 3 or so.

It's easier to get good at one thing and perfect your position, technique. Now triple the time it takes to get good at one, and add swimming and running.

I think the ironman is a harder event in terms of mental toughness and preparation to win than the tour is. 3 events compared to 1. But then one could argue that the tour is 3 events also, team effort, time trialing, and climbing. I voted for ironman.

 

[Perro Loco]

Since this is mainly a cycling forum, the results I see after I voted really don't shock me.

I didn't think much of triathalon's until I went and watched a few friends compete in one. Well actually it was a duathalon, but I can only imagine tri's being that much harder. So I went home and tried it. I went out and rode 20 miles on my bike at a 22mph pace, then I tried to run. What a joke. After about mile 2 my heart rate was through the roof, and I wasn't going much faster than 5 or 6 miles an hour. My legs ached bad, and I'm thinking, oh my gosh these guys run for 6 miles, bike for 25, then run for another 3 or so.

It's easier to get good at one thing and perfect your position, technique. Now triple the time it takes to get good at one, and add swimming and running.

I think the ironman is a harder event in terms of mental toughness and preparation to win than the tour is. 3 events compared to 1. But then one could argue that the tour is 3 events also, team effort, time trialing, and climbing. I voted for ironman.

Somebody should ask Udo Bolts
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/features/ironman/interviewbolts.html

amazing if I remember correctly he finished with a decent time despite only 4 weeks non cycling training!

 

[mattv2099]

If Steve Larsen can win an Ironman then there's no doubt that Lance could win an Ironman if that was a goal of his... Steve wasn't that great of a runner or swimmer but his bike leg obliterated the competition. (steve was a motorola teamate of Lances and norba XC champ who quit cycling and found success in triathalon)

 

[sparknote_s]

If Steve Larsen can win an Ironman then there's no doubt that Lance could win an Ironman if that was a goal of his... Steve wasn't that great of a runner or swimmer but his bike leg obliterated the competition. (steve was a motorola teamate of Lances and norba XC champ who quit cycling and found success in triathalon)

He never won the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IRONMAN. Notice we're talking about Kona. In 2003 Ironman Kona he didn't finish. In 2001 Kona he got 9th. Never won it.

 

[gooders]

I compete in triathlons upto Half Ironman.

I love cycling and this year competed in the Etape du Tour. I trained hard and completed in just over 9.5hrs 150 miles.

Afterwards the I considered what it must be like to have raced for 10 daysand have another 10 days of racing to go, including all the mountain stages.

Whlist theyt are different races, I don't think there's any competition. TdF is much tougher.....as for the Etape. I'm sticking to Half Ironman and below....9.5 hrs on a bike isnt good for a newly married fella.

 

[RC2]

It's a different caliber of athlete that can maintain such high intensity for 21 days vs. 1. To me, these are very different physical demands to put on a human body. TdF gets my vote.

 

[jitteringjr]

I'm still not convinced. I would like to hear what someone who has at least attempted each has to say.

Remember we are talking about winning these events not just finishing them. Nobody could just show up at the event without training and win these events so we also need to take into consideration the amount of training time the winners do in preparation for the event in addition to the event itself.

Also, you do not get to draft in triathlons. Any one who has ever ridden in a group knows how much easier it is when they are not in the wind. Lance spends the majority of the TdF protected from the wind by his teammates. Whenever a TdF rider is in someone's slipstream, he is not exerting 100% sustained effort. Think about how much time Lance actually is exerting 100% sustained effort: a couple of hours in TTs, a couple more here and there, add four or some more hours in large climbs because the drafting doesn't help as much then. What you have left is about the same time as it takes to win an Ironman and he has plenty of time to rest between efforts.

If someone broke away from the peloton in a solo shot with 112 miles to go and ended up winning the stage, he would still have to do it 2 more consecutive times without rest to equal the effort needed to win an Ironman

I still think it is a toss up

 

[tamman2000]

The TdF is the *hardest* sport there is. While it could be argued that a *single* day bike race may not be as hard as an Ironman, the TdF is (obviously) considerably longer, and harder. Whether that makes it a bigger accomplishment though is impossible to say!
ric

Your incredibly firm answer indicates one thing to me:

You don't run a lot, do you?

I bike a lot and run a lot (don't swim much but have done a tri).

A 100 mile ride doesn't do anything near what a 20 mile run does, in terms of demanding focus, endurance and mental toughness, and causing agony.

I have run the marathon twice, and it completely destroys me, for a period of days. For the first 36 hours followinag a marathon, I have to do down stairs backwards, the act of standing up requires serious effort. A century is laughably easy by compairison.

Also, keep in mind that in triathlon there is no team to help, and no drafting is permited, so the 112 mile bike leg is substantially harder than a 112 mile cycle race.

Now to compair winning the two events is impossible in my opinion, they are both extremely chalanging.

 

[limerickman]

I know someone earlier has made reference to Udo Bolts doing the Ironman
competition and I have rehashed a copy of Cycle Sport where he talks about doing the Ironman competition :
Bolts was Riis/Ullrich superdomestique at Telekom :

Quote "for sure the Ironman competition is tough but it is not nearly as hard
as a TDF. They are both different events and they make different demands but in absolute terms one has to say the TDF is a lot harder.
The swim at the start was pretty tough going.
My swimming isn't good and I quickly started to fall behind.
I was also accidentally kicked a couple of times as well and I wasn't used to how closely the competitors
were bunched.
But I managed to get through the swim and as soon as I hit the bike I started to move through the group.
I finished the cycle and was in 13th place overall, before starting the running section.
My running isn't bad but again like the swimming, it became apparent that my running fitness is not up to
the standard of most of the competitors in the Ironman.
I was pretty tired when I finished the event.
I managed to finish in a good position overall in this event.
If I had more time to train at running and swimming, I might improve on my placing.
But cycling is my life and when you have to devote so much time to cycling and my team, I cannot afford
to train at other disciplines as much as I would like.
Working for Jan and Bjarne is my life and my cycling will always come first.
A lot of the competitors spoke to me about cycling V. Ironman and I have to say that cycling is tougher as a sport.
A TDF is a lot tougher than an Ironman event"

 

[jitteringjr]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Udo Bolts has never won a TdF or Ironman and I believe that is what we are talking about: winning it

I don't think anyone is debating which event is harder, clearly the TdF is, but we are talking about winning it. It is, however, good to hear the perspective of someone who has at least competed in both.

 

[SlowUnsteady]

But if one talks about simply winning something then surely one can say everything is pretty much as hard, whether it be the 100m gold at the olympics (only once every four years though, perhaps harder?) or Wimbledon tennis.. I guess it would come down to which sport has the largest number of potential winners (thus making it harder for any one person to win something?)... In which case TDF is probably relatively easy (only a few potential winners) where the USPGA would be relatively tough?

 

[ziatriguy]

I can't attest to the diffuculty of winning either event.....I did finish an Ironman.....I'm not too sure I could make it through TdF even if the speed was slowed WAAAAAY down to accomodate me. 1 day versus 23.