RChung said:
At least you'd only flag half your posts as inappropriate - I know that I'm acting inappropriately most of the time.
Your sports history & cycling success
- Thread starter DancenMacabre
- Start date
At least you'd only flag half your posts as inappropriate - I know that I'm acting inappropriately most of the time.
frenchyge said:
A short while back that rating you get when you look at your list of approvals etc... I was at -70 something. LOL
I almost felt flattered that someone cared so much to take time to press either the thumbs up or down buttons. Personally I would have just skipped 'em.
swampy1970 said:football (soccer to you heathens that can't figure out that football is a game that needs foot-to-ball contact
When I was a kid (long ago) soccer was a girls only sport believe it or not. That seems a little crazy today does anyone remember those days or am I extremely old now?
wiredued said:When I was a kid (long ago) soccer was a girls only sport believe it or not. That seems a little crazy today does anyone remember those days or am I extremely old now?
You are only as old as you feel but in my case statistics do not coincide with that logic since nobody lives that long.
I agree, things change wehether we like it or not.
In my own case, the amount of time that I could devote to training and racing, between ages 16-23 diminished year on year.
Especially from 20 years of age onwards when I had finished my degree and had started to study for my professional exams (at night) and work during the day.
Time to race and train was minimal.
Not saying I would have won the TDF or anything .......
it came to priorities really.
Especially from 20 years of age onwards when I had finished my degree and had started to study for my professional exams (at night) and work during the day.
Time to race and train was minimal.
Not saying I would have won the TDF or anything .......
it came to priorities really.
wiredued said:When I was a kid (long ago) soccer was a girls only sport believe it or not. That seems a little crazy today does anyone remember those days or am I extremely old now?
Well, you can live safe in the knowledge that baseball, according the The History Channel, WAS derived from the girls game called 'Rounders'.
limerickman said:
That and realizing that after getting a degree you'd likely earn more than 95% of the domestiques out there during your first year on the job.
Salaries for riders back there ain't what they are today... Even now they aren't that great unless you're winning stuff.
swampy1970 said:That and realizing that after getting a degree you'd likely earn more than 95% of the domestiques out there during your first year on the job.
Domestiques have a very very tough life.
Take a guy like Sean Yates : he had a huge engine and was/is a great rider in himself.
But he just did not have whatever that .000001% to make it as a team leader/grand champion.
Yet Yates would probably expend more energy than the team leader who he was protecting during the race.
You're down to literally percentages of percentages in terms of the difference between a grand champion professional and a TDF domestique.
Very interesting programme on the Beeb the other night about Kieran Fallon, the jockey.
Talk about a hard life : consuming the diet of a 4yo in order to "maintain the (lack of) weight".
These guys have to starve themselves to nothing : drive up and down the country going to race meetings : maybe have to ride 6 races in a one day meeting and then back in the car off to the next race meeting.
While trying not to eat/drink.
frenchyge said:
You sure? B'cause I am getting plenty of those unhelpful post ratings. On one I gave tips for indoor training that the experienced people use. In another, said I looked forward to reading insights from Coach RapD. Guess that was super unehlpful right???
I am 99% sure who the negative nancy is thats giving me all of them too. Still hung up about weight lifting no doubt. Oh and he'll mark this post too 'unhelpful' of course Getting to the topic at hand...
Seems I am the odd one out b'cause.................a) I didnt skip any grades, though I skipped plenty of classes........ b) I was bigger/taller than most of my peers through school (still am), c) dont have nearly the diverse/accomplished (take your pick) sports history some of you do. I think it is great that y'all have tried so many sports - seems like the best way to find what you like & are best at.
Dave - thats some serious snow skiing you did. I hear skiiers have as high a vo2max as any group of athletes. Oh and 5.12 is impressive. Yeah I know Conrad Anker and other guys might get 5.14's but for real people who dont live off North Face paychecks, those are tough climbs you were doing. What were your favorite peaks?
Steve - you talk about elite athletes, that was some pretty awesome running you did!!! Not going to ask why you left running & took up cycling but it sounds like you were a darn good runner.
Lim - awesome! you were a pro cyclist in the days of the hard men. How does one become a domestic? I assume the team leaders are winning races from their youth, but what of those that become helpers & support riders. Were they frequent winners as amateurs also?
Hard to beat anything on El Cap, Half Dome or Yosemite in general for big walls, for big mountains I've gotta go with Denali, for sport climbs I've put up some of my best routes in the Vinales valley in Cuba but I sure like Smith, Wild Iris, Sinks Canyon, Red Rocks and a whole lot of other classic crags and for alpine routes I don't think I'll ever tire of the Grand Teton or the other big Teton peaks even though I can no longer count the number of times I've climbed 'em. For ski mountaineering descents it's gotta be Rainier or Shasta when they're in shape.DancenMacabre said:
-Dave
There are a number of guys on other teams here in NorCal that I'm now racing against in cycling that I used to race against in running. They were good then and are good now. On my cycling team alone, we have one guy who was a sub-4:00 miler, two guys that were low 14:00 5000m runners, and one guy who was an Olympic steeplechase semifinalist. Now we are just a bunch of old farts who still like to pummel each other.DancenMacabre said:
Gotta say - cool thread!
I`ve actually been wondering abit about the same myself - what would be the "ideal" sport to cross over from when beginning cycling
As for me, Im a previous alpine skier.
I did alot of sports from I was like 5, till i was 14 (soccer, baseball, basketball, track & field etc). But when I got 14 I only focused on Alpine skiing, and kept training on a fairly serious level untill i quit at 19. I never got to the highest national level (could`ve been maybe top 50-100, but never better at least!). After 19 followed some years of casual training. I did no sport competativeley, however i enjoyed training and did some running, weights, etc.
At 25 i got my first road-bike and started cycling for fun. My cycling-training was minimal, like 1-2 rides a week during summertime and none during winter. I participated in a couple of "touring-events" (like 160 km race with 2000 participants), and really started to like it.
It was first this summer/fall that I really got into cycling, and i was completley hooked. I got myself a powermeter and started training "seriously" (upped my volume and started getting some knowledge on how to train). I believe that all my training up till this fall was more or less half-done. This summer i did lots of long, slow rides, but no intervals of any sorts (other than the intervals that follow from hitting hills on my rides).
When i got my PT in september i did some testing and found i had an FTP of prob 275. After a couple of months now of some more solid L3/L4 training I think I`ve raised it to somewhere between 300 and 310, and Im still really exited. Cant wait to see if my new, improved cycling-regime pays off in some races next year! (I did one "serious" race after i got my PM, but the level of the race was way over my head. However, i was thinking of making a thread posting the WKO-file too see if I could get some help on what cycling-abilities I am lacking the most. In the race, i got dropped after 3 of total 20 laps :/)
Oh, i probably should mention, being a previous alpine skier, I`m a fairly heavy rider (Ironic - in skiing I was a real lightweight) at 80 kg. I guess that puts me somewhere around 3,75 w/kg atm.
Cheers,
I`ve actually been wondering abit about the same myself - what would be the "ideal" sport to cross over from when beginning cycling
As for me, Im a previous alpine skier.
I did alot of sports from I was like 5, till i was 14 (soccer, baseball, basketball, track & field etc). But when I got 14 I only focused on Alpine skiing, and kept training on a fairly serious level untill i quit at 19. I never got to the highest national level (could`ve been maybe top 50-100, but never better at least!). After 19 followed some years of casual training. I did no sport competativeley, however i enjoyed training and did some running, weights, etc.
At 25 i got my first road-bike and started cycling for fun. My cycling-training was minimal, like 1-2 rides a week during summertime and none during winter. I participated in a couple of "touring-events" (like 160 km race with 2000 participants), and really started to like it.
It was first this summer/fall that I really got into cycling, and i was completley hooked. I got myself a powermeter and started training "seriously" (upped my volume and started getting some knowledge on how to train). I believe that all my training up till this fall was more or less half-done. This summer i did lots of long, slow rides, but no intervals of any sorts (other than the intervals that follow from hitting hills on my rides).
When i got my PT in september i did some testing and found i had an FTP of prob 275. After a couple of months now of some more solid L3/L4 training I think I`ve raised it to somewhere between 300 and 310, and Im still really exited. Cant wait to see if my new, improved cycling-regime pays off in some races next year! (I did one "serious" race after i got my PM, but the level of the race was way over my head. However, i was thinking of making a thread posting the WKO-file too see if I could get some help on what cycling-abilities I am lacking the most. In the race, i got dropped after 3 of total 20 laps :/)
Oh, i probably should mention, being a previous alpine skier, I`m a fairly heavy rider (Ironic - in skiing I was a real lightweight) at 80 kg. I guess that puts me somewhere around 3,75 w/kg atm.
Cheers,
DancenMacabre said:
I was never a professional rider : I rode with these guys at junior/amateur level.
The top riders in my day (Paul Kimmage, Martin Earley, Lawrence Roche) : were winning as amateurs and all went on to ride the TDF and race (and win) in the professional ranks.
How does one become a domestique?
In the old days it was a case of riders "going to the continent" and if they did not win races they became domestiques.
You've got to remember that the amateur ranks are completely different to the professional game.
You can be a big fish in a small pool as an amateur but hundreds if not thousands of amateurs from every country are competing for a limited amount of professional contracts.
So you can see that there is a culling process through those circumstances alone.
Then when you get a place on a team you have to try to fight for top spot in the team.
Then, when you achieve that, you carry the responsibility of trying to get your team to beat all other teams.
In terms of physical ability : I am not sure that there is a huge difference between a top level team leader and a hard working domestique.
The great domestiques work harder physically than the team leader.
I think the different between the super strong domestiques and top riders may be down to their respective mental attitudes.
Some riders with all the ability in the world may not wish to have the responsibility of being team leader.
Others may like the challenge of being team leader.
I also am and have been a an alpine skier. So much so that I have made a living at it in one fashion or another over the years.
It can be hard on the knees at time. One of my perks is getting to make a few runs 3-5 times a weeks. I think I will pass today since it is raining and won't change over to snow until tonight.
It can be hard on the knees at time. One of my perks is getting to make a few runs 3-5 times a weeks. I think I will pass today since it is raining and won't change over to snow until tonight.
I'll hit the highlights and save you all the sordid details...
In sports since I was 7yo (American football).
Didn't skip any grades; but as with DM, skipped more than few classes.
Basketball, track (state HS long jump champ in '84), and football in HS.
Football and track at Univ. of Wash. Pac-10 (conference) long jump champ '85 (25'11 1/4"). 4.38 40yard dash. 10.7 100m. 35" vertical jump. 385lb bench press. 320lb power clean. 10' 7" standing broad jump.
Brief NFL career with several teams. Claim to fame is being dragged across goal line by Barry Sanders in last game of '89 season.
Started cycling in 2006 because a co-worker had a really cool looking race bike (Trek 1000) and I hadn't ridding a road bike since they were called '10 speeds', probably 25+ years ago. Several days later I had my first road bike, Specialized Allez Triple. 2 weeks later I was in my first race - got dropped after 3 laps on a flat crit course in Cat 4/5 race.
Various successes on the road (many top-5 finishes in flat crits), but I believe my calling should be on the track. Numerous first place finishes, mainly in the scratch races (condensed crits) and sprint events - Keirin, Miss-and-Out, Chariot, Match Sprinting. I like the track, but I prefer the road racing as it's more of a challenge due to the greater level of endurance involved. Further, I'd much rather ride outside.
Endurance sports for me is 'putting a square peg in a round hole' with my muscle type composition, but the journey has been extremely fascinating and the acquired knowledge thus far has changed my entire outlook on training and nutrition, such that I could never see myself becoming unfit - even as my age continues to advance.
In sports since I was 7yo (American football).
Didn't skip any grades; but as with DM, skipped more than few classes.
Basketball, track (state HS long jump champ in '84), and football in HS.
Football and track at Univ. of Wash. Pac-10 (conference) long jump champ '85 (25'11 1/4"). 4.38 40yard dash. 10.7 100m. 35" vertical jump. 385lb bench press. 320lb power clean. 10' 7" standing broad jump.
Brief NFL career with several teams. Claim to fame is being dragged across goal line by Barry Sanders in last game of '89 season
.Started cycling in 2006 because a co-worker had a really cool looking race bike (Trek 1000) and I hadn't ridding a road bike since they were called '10 speeds', probably 25+ years ago. Several days later I had my first road bike, Specialized Allez Triple. 2 weeks later I was in my first race - got dropped after 3 laps on a flat crit course in Cat 4/5 race.
Various successes on the road (many top-5 finishes in flat crits), but I believe my calling should be on the track. Numerous first place finishes, mainly in the scratch races (condensed crits) and sprint events - Keirin, Miss-and-Out, Chariot, Match Sprinting. I like the track, but I prefer the road racing as it's more of a challenge due to the greater level of endurance involved. Further, I'd much rather ride outside.
Endurance sports for me is 'putting a square peg in a round hole' with my muscle type composition, but the journey has been extremely fascinating and the acquired knowledge thus far has changed my entire outlook on training and nutrition, such that I could never see myself becoming unfit - even as my age continues to advance.
Wow, what an interesting group you guys are! I'm intimidated!
Most of my life I've been a halfway decent rock climber (actually the rest of the world has improved while I've stayed the same so 20+ yrs ago I was pretty good, and now I'm just okay). I've red-pointed up to 13b, on-sighted a fair number of 12's, bouldered V9, and generally climbed steep overhanging rock pretty much all over the planet, including a few buildings.
I've been a casual cyclist all my life but never got into racing until the last five years or so, and even then it's remained pretty casual. In past years I've managed to get my FTP >300 watts most years, but I'm kind of heavy at around 80kgs so that's nothing to write home about.
This winter I've stopped climbing completely (two small kids) so cycling is actually getting more attention now. I'm hoping to raise my FTP and do some more races next year!
Most of my life I've been a halfway decent rock climber (actually the rest of the world has improved while I've stayed the same so 20+ yrs ago I was pretty good, and now I'm just okay). I've red-pointed up to 13b, on-sighted a fair number of 12's, bouldered V9, and generally climbed steep overhanging rock pretty much all over the planet, including a few buildings.
I've been a casual cyclist all my life but never got into racing until the last five years or so, and even then it's remained pretty casual. In past years I've managed to get my FTP >300 watts most years, but I'm kind of heavy at around 80kgs so that's nothing to write home about.
This winter I've stopped climbing completely (two small kids) so cycling is actually getting more attention now. I'm hoping to raise my FTP and do some more races next year!
Nice work, that's some seriously stout climbing!lanierb said:
If there were a 'power profiling' chart for climbers you'd easily be up in the 'Domestic Pro' range or higher. Very cool...
-Dave
tonyzackery said:I'll hit the highlights and save you all the sordid details...
In sports since I was 7yo (American football).
Didn't skip any grades; but as with DM, skipped more than few classes.
Basketball, track (state HS long jump champ in '84), and football in HS.
Football and track at Univ. of Wash. Pac-10 (conference) long jump champ '85 (25'11 1/4"). 4.38 40yard dash. 10.7 100m. 35" vertical jump. 385lb bench press. 320lb power clean. 10' 7" standing broad jump.
Brief NFL career with several teams. Claim to fame is being dragged across goal line by Barry Sanders in last game of '89 season
Started cycling in 2006 because a co-worker had a really cool looking race bike (Trek 1000) and I hadn't ridding a road bike since they were called '10 speeds', probably 25+ years ago. Several days later I had my first road bike, Specialized Allez Triple. 2 weeks later I was in my first race - got dropped after 3 laps on a flat crit course in Cat 4/5 race.
Various successes on the road (many top-5 finishes in flat crits), but I believe my calling should be on the track. Numerous first place finishes, mainly in the scratch races (condensed crits) and sprint events - Keirin, Miss-and-Out, Chariot, Match Sprinting. I like the track, but I prefer the road racing as it's more of a challenge due to the greater level of endurance involved. Further, I'd much rather ride outside.
Endurance sports for me is 'putting a square peg in a round hole' with my muscle type composition, but the journey has been extremely fascinating and the acquired knowledge thus far has changed my entire outlook on training and nutrition, such that I could never see myself becoming unfit - even as my age continues to advance.
That is very impressive if I got results like that I would keep the ibuprofen L4 and above method too
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