A question on ladies cycling

[ColinJ]

If that were true, you'd wonder why these 2 bother with the leg exercises. BTW the skinny one is Griepel
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...re-monster-thighs-and-picture-goes-viral.html

They are both sprinters ...

(Forstermann is incorrectly described as a mountain biker rather than a track sprinter, presumably because of the sneaky trick used to get an extra rider into the German Olympic squad by registering him for the MTB team, but letting him race on the track!)

 

[Ningishzidda]

Testosterone.

 

[Ningishzidda]

Climbing up one flight of stairs should not be a problem for any individual, even those who live in a bungalow.
When it becomes a chore is when the duration of the exercise extends to longer than the individual is accustomed to.
Take 14 flights of a tower block. The person who can leap up to the first floor in their house will find it more difficult to leap up the stairway of all fourteen floors. Although the instantaneous intensity is the same, muscle fibres tire. The small group of fibres that do the first bit of work tire and others which have less capillarisation and are less trained are asked to continue. They have less oxygen and fuel supply, are not trained and tire quicker. This goes on until most of the person’s muscle fibres have been recruited, tired and stopped working. Then the person collapses in a heap.

A purpose training regime will enable the person to leap up all 14 flights, or, their muscles develop due to repetitive attempts.

Why are men generally stronger, more durable and faster than ladies? The hormone which encourages muscular growth is about 15 – 20 times more abundant in males than females.

 

[Ningishzidda]

Seems wrong, who is arguing this? Although how you measure fitness holistically in two different human beings, I don't know

VO2 uptake.

Watts for O2 uptake.

 

[buggi]

But that's precisely my point, it's argued on here that leg strength is largely irrelevant to cycling, it's purely down to fitness.

well, as a woman, i would say i would love a bit more strength in my legs to get up the hills, my lungs are fine. i think it's all things combined, heart, lung and muscle capacity. i know when i'm cycling with my male friends that it's the strength in my legs that lets me down. take our Sunday morning rides, i always drop back on two of the hills and then i'm playing catch up until the next coffee stop. If it was flat all the way, no problem. Therefore, i reckon is down to pure muscle strength that separates the ladies from the men. i'm sure there are women that have more strength in their legs than me and can compete with above average men at top club riding level, but pit the best olympic standard woman against the best olympic standard man and i reckon she'd have the same problem. the man would just have the edge.

i don't think i'm being sexist or letting my side down when i say that. From what i remember, men have 57% muscle and women have something more like 27% muscle in their body (can't remember the exact figures but it's something like that). and that's the starting point. you can only build on what you've got. also women have a higher fat ratio (to protect our offspring) so another thing we have to fight harder. we are genetically different, although there are variations of course. but basically we're working twice as hard to be just as good.

So, the only way they are ever going to really sort it is to put a female team in the TdF. something i'd love to see!!!

(of course, if we have to work twice as hard to be just as good, just because of our genetics, this does, in fact, mean we're better!)

 

[lesley_x]

I don't think leg strength is irrelevant. My brother in law is an absolute tank and puts out 1600W on the powerwatt machine. He is so fast it's untrue because he does squats and has massive legs. He flies round the velodrome track despite not being terribly fit in aerobic terms.

Look at the legs on Chris Hoy

I mean it has to play a part, right?

 

[Rob3rt]

Key word again, SPRINTER! It is a very specific discipline in which, by its very essence, very short, maximal efforts are applied. In any other discipline, this is not the case.

 

[ufkacbln]

It simply isn't true!

Sooner or later every tourist will be in the following situation:

You are struggling up a hill on your wonderfully equipped toutring bike

A little old lady of small stature and riding a sit up and beg roadster of 50 year (or more years) vintage will creep up alongside you

Then she will overtake you and bimble up the hill she has travelled every day and fade into the distance

 

[Rob3rt]

It simply isn't true!

Sooner or later every tourist will be in the following situation:

You are struggling up a hill on your wonderfully equipped toutring bike

A little old lady of small stature and riding a sit up and beg roadster of 50 year (or more years) vintage will creep up alongside you

Then she will overtake you and bimble up the hill she has travelled every day and fade into the distance

Not comparing like for like.

Compare world records for the same disciplines:

Flying 200m
Men: 9.572 seconds
Women: 10.643
Winner: Men by 1.071 seconds

Flying 500m
Men: 24.758 seconds
Women: 29.655 seconds
Winner: Men by 4.897 seconds

Hour record
Men: 49.7 km
Women: 46.065 km
Winner: Men by 3.635 km

Looks to me like the men are faster both in sprint and longer duration events! It is a fact of life, it doesn't make women's sports any less exciting or credible though!

It would be good to compare over other disciplines too (just for completeness, but the picture would not change), but men and women tend not to compete over the same distances in other events such as team sprint, team pursuit, individual pursuit etc.

If you dropped a female team in the male peloton of a grand tour like the TdF, you would likely do more damage to the image of women's cycling than you would improve it's status and it would just highlight the gap between the genders.

 

[zizou]

At amateur level mixed sex races are not uncommon particularly in development road races where it tends to be Cat 3 / 4 males, Juniors (16 and 17) and open category women. It is also common in track leagues.

It would be interesting to see Chris Hoy V Victoria Pendleton or Wiggo against Laura Trott as a one off exhibition show.

There wouldnt be any competition i'm afraid the gap is just too big.

That doesn't mean women racing other women isn't exciting to watch.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I don't think leg strength is irrelevant. My brother in law is an absolute tank and puts out 1600W on the powerwatt machine. He is so fast it's untrue because he does squats and has massive legs. He flies round the velodrome track despite not being terribly fit in aerobic terms.

Look at the legs on Chris Hoy

I mean it has to play a part, right?

A perfect argument from ignorance. Track disciplines are not comparable to road disciplines, the physical requirements and training differ entirely.

 

[ufkacbln]

Not comparing like for like.

Your insight is amazing...... who would have guessed that a tourist on a modern well equipped bike was not comparable with a geriatric on a 50 year ld sit up and beg

 

[phil_hg_uk]

True i watched Hannah on the TV win that race in York, it was great to see and long may it continue.

I was stood right next to the finish line for that. When the main peloton came through I had my camera ready to take a pic of Hannah winning as they where only a few seconds from lapping them, but they had gained that much time on the last lap that I thought the breakaway was going to run right up the arse of the peloton they were that close and I missed getting the picture

 

[Hill Wimp]

I was stood right next to the finish line for that. When the main peloton came through I had my camera ready to take a pic of Hannah winning as they where only a few seconds from lapping them, but they had gained that much time on the last lap that I thought the breakaway was going to run right up the arse of the peloton they were that close and I missed getting the picture

It looked excellent and those streets looked so tight but im glad it was shown on normal TV rather than Sky/Eurosport etc. I wish the BBC/ITV would just dedicate a channel to any sport other than football and athletics as they are already well covered and then sports like cycling, canoeing and sailing would get far more coverage and encourage a whole new generation which would be fitter, take the strain off the health service and be able to live independently to a ripe old age.

Have i covered all our problems in this country ?

 

[phil_hg_uk]

It looked excellent and those streets looked so tight but im glad it was shown on normal TV rather than Sky/Eurosport etc. I wish the BBC/ITV would just dedicate a channel to any sport other than football and athletics as they are already well covered and then sports like cycling, canoeing and sailing would get far more coverage and encourage a whole new generation which would be fitter, take the strain off the health service and be able to live independently to a ripe old age.

Have i covered all our problems in this country ?

Yes it was a good race. you don't realise just how fast they are going until you see them doing it live and try to take a picture

I also went to the Otley Cycle Racing a few weeks earlier and tried a few times to get a picture but in the time between pressing the button and it actually taking a picture they are 100 yards down the road Hannah was also racing then but her chain came off just before the finish line which was a shame.