Pros - 100 centuries a year

[tv_vt]

Not an easy life -

Belgian daily newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported Silence-Lotto's Christophe Brandt and Olivier Kaisen had topped a list of rider's race-kilometre totals for the 2009 season. Over 102 days of racing, Brandt covered 16,641 kilometres, compared to Kaisen's 103 day and 16,348 kilometre totals. Their teammate, Philippe Gilbert, was fourth on the list with 15,987 kilometres, through 97 days of racing. (from cyclingnews)

16,641 km = 9984.60 miles over 102 days = about 98 miles for each of the 102 days. (Not counting training miles.) Wow. That's a lot of miles/kms.

[stephenmarklay]

Not really in the know I read the Bob Roll book Bobke II and I was amazed at the number of miles the average Joe Pro puts on. I guess if you are going to sprint up a mountain after 200km day in and day out - you can't let your endurance or lack of it to get in the way...

The thing that really stood out was that these guys do all of this to their bodies and eat so much nutritionally poor food like white pasta and such just to keep fueled and goo on the bikes and sugar sugar -yuck.

Then Human body is amazing with its potential though.

[BigDaddySmooth]

That is alot of miles, no doubt, but don't forget:
1) that is there job...at 20 mph = 5-hour "work" day
2) amazing ability to recover, helped by a daily massage/proper nutrition and afternoon naps
3) great genes.

Very few people on the planet (a few hundred of 6 Billion+) are professional and gifted enough to earn a living at a sport most think should be confined to little kids riding tricycles on the sidewalk. :crap:

[jpw]

I think a fair number of those 6 billion could get to within a few percentage points of the professionals if they had the time and resources to train and live right during that crucial optimum period of their lives. The pros are freaks, but the difference is perhaps not as great as we might think.

[spierfalls]

Not to take away anything from this top group of athletes, but what about the guys and girls working full time jobs and racing at the top level. Those are the ones I have the real respect for. Working the 9-5er, training 15-25 hours a week and then racing every weekend. Little or no pay with very little support. Doing it out of passion.

[dumbod]

On the contrary, I think that the difference is much greater than you might think. Remember that even the lowest level pros absolutely tore up top-level amateur races, usually while they were still teenagers.

The winner of the 2009 Etape would have finished last by about 5 minutes if he had been riding in the Tour. While that is impressive, you have to remember that the pro riders had well over 3,000 km in their legs over the prior three weeks compared to an amateur who was fresh and that the last riders in the TdF knew that they had no hope of winning so were not riding pedal to the metal.

Every sport is a completely different game at the top pro level. Cycling is no exception.

[whforrest]

Johan Bruyneel remarked recenctly that very few cyclist can become champions. You do need that extra genetic advantage. But I am sure that most of us who put in the miles of a pro could become very good. (when we were younger) But I am 38 and starting to train for the first time in 20 years. I know for a fact that I will be better and faster because I have a better diet and training program. I look up to riders like Larry Nolan (52 years old) up here in Nor Cal who just won his 11th gold medal on the track. Larry hammers on our club rides and frequently rides with incredible force and power around the local race scene.

I remember having so much respect when i was a junior rider on the san diego bike club occassionally riding with the San Diego Cyclo-Vets. (arnie baker) I used to think man, these guys are out there hammering every week with their full time jobs, raising kids, etc. That is impressive. I love to watch the pros race, but my role models in this sport are the men and women who manage to almost do it all.

oh yeah, this week i rode on M,W,Fri, and Sat getting up at 5 am, tues and wed I did plyo and stretching workouts. My body is tired but that's the first time i have done this in over 20 years. One ride at a time!

happy cycling, bill

[stephenmarklay]

"Every sport is a completely different game at the top pro level. Cycling is no exception" I agree.

I also think on the flip side our relative limitations are more in our heads than in our legs...

[victoryfactory]

"My last century was last century"

-VF