I am 16 year old at 5'7" 141 lbs and have just gotten into cycling and plan to compete competitively in the future. What is my optimal riding weight for my height if there is one? Thank you.
What is my optimal weight for road cycling?
- Thread starter Daniel Lomartra
- Start date
There's a range of weights at which most riders can perform well and be competitive. No one can nail down an exact weight at which you'll ride best in all courses (flat time trial, hilly road race, fast criterium, etc.) or at what weight you'll be able to generate and sustain the most power for the needs of your events.
But FWIW, your current BMI is roughly 22 which is on par with a lot of Tour de France riders:
TOUR DE FRANCE RIDER height (m.) weight (kg) BMI Pantini Marco 1.72 56 18.9292 Virenque Richard 1.79 65 20.2865 Leblanc Luc 1.73 62 20.7157 Zulle Alex 1.86 72 20.8117 Riis Bjarne 1.84 71 20.9712 Cipollini Mario 1.90 76 21.0526 Rominger Tony 1.75 65 21.2245 Andreu Frankie 1.88 77 21.7859 Ullrich Jan 1.83 73 21.7982 Jalabert Laurent 1.76 68 21.9525 Boardman Chris 1.75 68 22.2041 Zabel Erik 1.76 69 22.2753 Ekimov Viatcheslav 1.76 69 22.2753 Abdoujaparov Djamolidine 1.74 70 23.1206
IOW, you're not too heavy nor likely too light.
Focus on riding a lot, riding with faster riders if you're interested in racing and you'll likely do quite well if you stick with it long enough and develop the skills it takes to ride fast and race.
Good luck
But FWIW, your current BMI is roughly 22 which is on par with a lot of Tour de France riders:
TOUR DE FRANCE RIDER height (m.) weight (kg) BMI Pantini Marco 1.72 56 18.9292 Virenque Richard 1.79 65 20.2865 Leblanc Luc 1.73 62 20.7157 Zulle Alex 1.86 72 20.8117 Riis Bjarne 1.84 71 20.9712 Cipollini Mario 1.90 76 21.0526 Rominger Tony 1.75 65 21.2245 Andreu Frankie 1.88 77 21.7859 Ullrich Jan 1.83 73 21.7982 Jalabert Laurent 1.76 68 21.9525 Boardman Chris 1.75 68 22.2041 Zabel Erik 1.76 69 22.2753 Ekimov Viatcheslav 1.76 69 22.2753 Abdoujaparov Djamolidine 1.74 70 23.1206
IOW, you're not too heavy nor likely too light.
Focus on riding a lot, riding with faster riders if you're interested in racing and you'll likely do quite well if you stick with it long enough and develop the skills it takes to ride fast and race.
Good luck
Thank you i appriciate the responce. The only problem I have is that I simply cannot afford the equipment sadly that i will allow me to be competitive. Do you know of any grant/sponsorship programs?
You don't need fancy equipment, especially when you're getting started. A talented junior rider would drop an average rider on the latest Look bike equipped with the latest and greatest zipp wheels on pretty much any bike - even a $500 craigslist special like a cannondale caad5... Get something with two 700C wheels and go have at it... Good luck.Daniel Lomartra said:
At the current time im on a trek road bike that i was able to pick up off a friend real cheap. However i dont have a helmet, bike attire, or reasonable shoe (actually my shoes are really heavy). would it be worth investing in a few of these?
First and foremost is getting a helmet!!
After that I would focus on learning how to train properly, developing a solid base, there are a million threads here that can guide you. While you're accomplishing this you can always try to make some coin with odd jobs etc... to purchase shoes and riding gear.
I ride in a great training race every week and we have this 19-20 year old who rides in basketball shorts, on a clunky, squeaky, Cannondale, handlebar tape is shredded and he wears mountain bike shoes. This kid is handing it to the field every week! I've never seen so many $5,000 bikes getting dropped.
It's all about the engine!
At 16 I think you need junior gears.
As for weight. Growing kids eat a lot. Bicyclists eat a lot. Somewhere along the line you will run out of time to eat each day. That might determine your weight.
But before you start thinking that you are a bicycling god, go out on the fast club rides. No need to try the slow rides. A good 50 mile ride at 20mph will teach you a lot. (You will need a helmet.) (If necessary you can always ride with the slower group next time.)
While there are a some fast guys in T-shirts and tennis shoes, most guys even the ones in lycra and clipless pedals are just slow guys like me.
As for weight. Growing kids eat a lot. Bicyclists eat a lot. Somewhere along the line you will run out of time to eat each day. That might determine your weight.
But before you start thinking that you are a bicycling god, go out on the fast club rides. No need to try the slow rides. A good 50 mile ride at 20mph will teach you a lot. (You will need a helmet.) (If necessary you can always ride with the slower group next time.)
While there are a some fast guys in T-shirts and tennis shoes, most guys even the ones in lycra and clipless pedals are just slow guys like me.
Ullrich caught some grief for his weight--I'm the same height (6'/183cm), but have about 8kg/18lbs on him, and most people call me thin. That said, I can tell that I would never be a hill climber if I wanted to race (not happening at 37 years...), though I could see myself being able to develop into a sprinter. At 81kg/178lbs, I just have too much mass to move up a hill quickly, though more time in the saddle would chip away at that I'm sure.
The bottom line is that for a given power output, the lighter rider will be going faster (unless he pays no regard to his aero profile).
Jason
The bottom line is that for a given power output, the lighter rider will be going faster (unless he pays no regard to his aero profile).
Jason
well there is a long way for you to go before worrying about ideal training methods and ideal weight,
the ideal body for a cyclist comes natural through lots of riding, concentrate on the bike and do some gym workouts under guidance,
cycling apparel follow a need, its not just for fashion, so buy them as soon as you can,
Racing under 18 years old you are limited to the highest gear you may use. Something like a 53-14. Since most cassettes have a 11,12,13 or 12,13, you are not allowed to use those gears in races.
But you can buy cassettes that don't have 11,12, or 13 cogs, http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=8&description=Ultegra+Cassette+6600+10+Speed+B&vendorCode=SHIM&major=1&minor=10
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/rules/JUNIOR_GEAR_ADJUSTMENTS.pdf
FWIW in the races I've done with a junior category they have indeed enforced this rule via a rollout test.
FWIW in the races I've done with a junior category they have indeed enforced this rule via a rollout test.
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