Why bike racers have ridiculously high power to weight ratio

General discussion on Training. How to get better on your erg, how to use your erg to get better at another sport, or anything else about improving your abilities.
FordScrote
Paddler
Posts: 3
Joined: September 27th, 2008, 2:53 pm

Post by FordScrote » September 28th, 2008, 7:22 am

I've just changed from cycling to rowing (getting knocked off your bike 3 times in 6 months kind of dents your confidence). I'm quite top heavy so finding it a good change.

Rasmussen and Hoy are just about the two extremes - sprinters being muscly and hill climbers being ... well ... skinny.

Most of the cyclists I know actively avoid any upper body work (or keep it to a minimum) on the grounds that if you can't climb hills you can't win road races.

FS

User avatar
Citroen
SpamTeam
Posts: 8019
Joined: March 16th, 2006, 3:28 pm
Location: A small cave in deepest darkest Basingstoke, UK

Post by Citroen » September 28th, 2008, 1:22 pm

FordScrote wrote:I'm quite top heavy so finding it a good change.
Er, why? Rowing is 70% legs.

FordScrote
Paddler
Posts: 3
Joined: September 27th, 2008, 2:53 pm

Post by FordScrote » September 28th, 2008, 5:13 pm

Citroen wrote:
FordScrote wrote:I'm quite top heavy so finding it a good change.
Er, why? Rowing is 70% legs.
Cycling is about 95% legs :)

That's great for me. At least my top heaviness can be put to some use rather than none!

FS

Nosmo
10k Poster
Posts: 1595
Joined: November 21st, 2006, 3:39 pm

Post by Nosmo » September 29th, 2008, 2:12 pm

Citroen wrote:
FordScrote wrote:I'm quite top heavy so finding it a good change.
Er, why? Rowing is 70% legs.
What a row and cyclist would consider top heavy is very different.

Post Reply