Tour de France 2012

[Spikey]

a couple of stages ago team sky just ****ing blew the peloton apart leaving evans basically isolated, and then evans tried to steal some time and froome flew past him like he was a bug. It's a bit like Evans v the Schlecks over all again, except these two can actually time trial. I'd love to say Evans is still in a good position and what not, but a mixture of a favourable course for wiggins and a team that's suss as **** (Froome? who the **** is he? Rogers? didn't he say he was quitting grand tours after 2010?! since when has wiggins been able to beat cancellara by 50 seconds in a TT?) makes it pretty hard to do so. I don't see Wiggins being isolated very often. team sky will be the guys setting the pace up the mountain. good luck getting away from there evans. he's basically relying on pinching time on descents, cause that's about the only sky/wiggins weakness available to exploit.

of course, it is early, and hell the descents could change everything, and I'd love to repeat almost all my previous form when i make serious posts, but man i just don't see how you can be anything but horribly pessimistic about evans. we're on the first rest day and the favourite has yellow, is almost up 2 minutes on the next favourite, and all the other team leaders are basically out of it. the chief domestique for wiggins is 3rd, and they've both just thrashed the man considered to be the best TTer in the world...and there's another TT to go. The 2nd favourite is left having to do something fairly foreign to him in the tour - make up time climbing

[Spikey]

On the plus side, all the other team leaders being toast, evans having to attack like hell to get back into it, and the extraordinary performance by Sky means the race should be fairly exciting despite the seemingly inevitable conclusion....and leaves a fair bit to discuss...

[BoyBrumby]

Plus side for you chaps is that Wiggins's old man was a crim, so you can bask in his reflected glory too.

[social]

Originally Posted by Spikey

On the plus side, all the other team leaders being toast, evans having to attack like hell to get back into it, and the extraordinary performance by Sky means the race should be fairly exciting despite the seemingly inevitable conclusion....and leaves a fair bit to discuss...

I think that this is my point

If they have any ambition, they will have to attack and try to break him (30 seconds per day wont cut it as there is still another time trial to come)

Fortunately, there are now a number of stages coming up that traditionally dont suit him (unlike the first week and a bit) so it could still be very interesting

[social]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Plus side for you chaps is that Wiggins's old man was a crim, so you can bask in his reflected glory too.

And 2 of the main guys in his team that will be expected to protect him in the mountains are Aussies

Would be an unbelievable victory for Wiggins as an Aussie only won for the first time last year - that puts Wiggins about 20 years ahead of the usual schedule for Brits

[flibbertyjibber]

Not really into the road cycling/tours but love it at Olympics. Will be a massive achievement if Wiggins wins it. He obviously is favourite now but you can't take anything for granted in sport.

Scary thing is that in a few weeks time him and Cavendish will be looking for Olympic gold and be one of the favourites. Some fitness involved in these guys, probably the fittest sports stars in the world.

[social]

Originally Posted by flibbertyjibber

Not really into the road cycling/tours but love it at Olympics. Will be a massive achievement if Wiggins wins it. He obviously is favourite now but you can't take anything for granted in sport.

Scary thing is that in a few weeks time him and Cavendish will be looking for Olympic gold and be one of the favourites. Some fitness involved in these guys, probably the fittest sports stars in the world.

A few years ago, a study was performed by the AIS iirc into relative fitness levels of athletes in different sports and professional cyclists ranked 2nd and were well above those below them

In first place, and literally off the richter scale by comparison, were world championship level boxers - not surprising when you consider that boxing requires endurance, explosive power, works every part of the body and requires the ability to perform whilsthaving some guy trying to beat the **** out of you

[PhoenixFire]

I agree with the point that both of them are totally incredible atheletes, but it's a totally different type of fitness that you can't really compare. Stick each of them in the other's sport and I doubt they'd last 5 seconds fitness wise.

[benchmark00]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFire

I agree with the point that both of them are totally incredible atheletes, but it's a totally different type of fitness that you can't really compare. Stick each of them in the other's sport and I doubt they'd last 5 seconds fitness wise.

Yeah exactly. If that study really did exist, it's the most ridiculous thing of all time. There are so many different types of fitness.

Think it's pretty commonly accepted that cyclists have a lower resting heart rate than most other types of athletes though.

[social]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFire

I agree with the point that both of them are totally incredible atheletes, but it's a totally different type of fitness that you can't really compare. Stick each of them in the other's sport and I doubt they'd last 5 seconds fitness wise.

Boxers would last (obviously not at the pace) as they train for endurance and leg strength is focused upon because it is integral to punching power

Cyclists would be no hope in boxing

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by social

Cyclists would be no hope in boxing

Nor would pace bowlers, they would get injured too quickly.

[PhoenixFire]

Originally Posted by social

Boxers would last (obviously not at the pace) as they train for endurance and leg strength is focused upon because it is integral to punching power

Cyclists would be no hope in boxing

Lol the type of leg strength require in boxing and that required in cycling is fundamentally different. See what happens when you stick ****ing Mike Tyson on a stage of any pro race. He'd probably last about a mile.

[social]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFire

Lol the type of leg strength require in boxing and that required in cycling is fundamentally different. See what happens when you stick ****ing Mike Tyson on a stage of any pro race. He'd probably last about a mile.

Despite the fact that most world-class boxers run up to 10 miles every morning, Tyson wouldnt be a distance athlete for sure

But then again, neither is Mark "water boy on anything other than dead flat" Cavendish

However, look at Tyson as a youngster - an incredibly explosive athlete with great endurance

Saying he couldnt last a mile is just nonsense

[PhoenixFire]

Running bears zero resemblance to cycling. Elite cyclists are notoriously useless at running, The level of conditioning required to compete on a remotely similar level to a professional cyclist is absolutely incredible and is only gained by doing one thing; cycling for 100s and 100s of miles. You can run as much as you like, you would still be fairly useless at cycling because of the muscles involved.

Obviously nonsense about Cavendish as well. He's completed several grand tours which are just about the most physically demanding professional activity there is, with regards to endurance, in respectable times. Just because you aren't challenging for the GC doesn't mean that you don't have to have a superhuman level of endurance to finish a grand tour.

Whatever you say, the type of endurance needed for Tyson over a 12 round in less than an hour boxing match is so obviously different to cycling 3000km in 3 weeks that I can't seriously believe I'm having this argument with someone. It's so painfully clear.

Just for the record, I'm not trying to put down boxers in any way, just making the point that it's a really ****ing stupid comparison to make because the sports are so massively different.

[uvelocity]

Originally Posted by benchmark00

Think it's pretty commonly accepted that cyclists have a lower resting heart rate than most other types of athletes though.

the lowest guy I can remember, maybe beaten now, was brad beven the triathlete.

hawaii ironmen the fittest imo