What characteristics are required for a decent runner to become a great cyclist? Is it even possible?
What characteristics are required for a decent runner to become a great cyclist? Is it even possible?
ask lance armstrong: running->triathlon->cycling. many strength runners enter a triathlon somewhere along the line, and end up finding out their true calling, the bike. my old college roommate ended up running for 4 years and then cycling professionally. i played soccer in college, ran always, and ended up in triathlons post-collegiately. so great, ask lance. pretty good, sure no problem, as long as you have a few superior muscles: hip flexors, sartorius (and related quads), soleus.
Julian Paynter went from a 13.24 5km Olympian to pro cyclist. Donna Gould was Australia's most promising distance female at one stage then went on to become one of the best women cyclists in the world. Paul Crake who held the Empire State Building record was doing very well as a pro cyclist until a recent accident left him paralysed.
Phil Anderson was a very handy xc runner as a young man before going on to collect pretty yellow jerseys to wear on his little bike rides around France.
Brendan Matthias was a good Canadian runner who seems to have found that cycling may have been something he should have tried earlier. He always looked more like a cyclist in build.