I think this is an interesting topic, and I would like to hear some ideas. I feel we do have the talent, but what is missing? Answers??
I think this is an interesting topic, and I would like to hear some ideas. I feel we do have the talent, but what is missing? Answers??
I think running is the most democratic sport in the world... people can argue that, of course, but I don't think that Lance faces the same amount of worldwide competition simply because cycling isn't as accessible.
Maybe he would still dominate, who knows, but cycling is mostly a European sport.
dean moriarty wrote:
I think running is the most democratic sport in the world...
I would say running and association football (soccer). I know it's not big in the US but in virtually every other country true talent finds a way to the top. Look how many nationalities play in the top European Leagues.
But fair point. How can Steve Redgrave's acheivements really be compared with a runner in a sport that 99.999% of the world will never get the chance to try even once.
If Lance had decided to be a runner, he probably wouldn't be the best in the world. You have two entirely different sports. One that involves the athlete only. The other that involves the athlete and a machine. So Lance was not only able to train hard enough to be one of the best athletes in his sport, he was able to master the machine as well. Cycling is also a team sport. Lance could not win the Tour de France on his own. And cycling is a very expensive sport - one that involves a lot more than just going down to your local bike shop, picking out a bike, and starting to ride. You can be sure that Lance would not be where he is if it were not for all the various people supporting him.
dean moriarty wrote:
I think running is the most democratic sport in the world... people can argue that, of course, but I don't think that Lance faces the same amount of worldwide competition simply because cycling isn't as accessible.
Maybe he would still dominate, who knows, but cycling is mostly a European sport.
I agree. You need equipment and a good team to excel in cycling. You need a ball, a team and a field in football. In running all you need is a pair of shoes. Even someone in a third world country can manage that.
......and if Dale Enhardt is the best on track (Daytona), why can't US runners emulate him?
Lance and Enhardt are normally carried by their bike and car respectively. Thatis the difference.
"and if Dale Enhardt is the best on track (Daytona), why can't US runners emulate him?
Lance and Enhardt are normally carried by their bike and car respectively. Thatis the difference."
But nascar drivers do not power there cars, they turn the wheel!!
Les wrote:
I agree. You need equipment and a good team to excel in cycling. You need a ball, a team and a field in football. In running all you need is a pair of shoes.
What do you need the shoes for?
True, some people go without shoes.
I don't think Lance would dominate at running for a second, although he might in the triathlon. Biking is a pretty thin sport at the top compared to running. Last 5 years its pretty much been Lance, Ullrich, Beloki, Pantini, and Zulle who have been tour contendors. Not that many other names.
A season for Lance is largely a matter of winning the tour. No small feat to be sure, but it does say something that his nearest competition is a man who routinely shows up for the spring classiques 15 pounds overweight and has trouble even finishing early season races (this year is apparently no exception, even after he showed so much promise last year).
No Kenyans cycling.
Kenyans cycle everyday. Cars are a rare phenomenon at home. Most folks either walk or cycle for distances below 10k.
I have come to believe Lance is a total stud.
I think other reasons that contribute to Lance's domination are that he has a sponsor that provides top notch equipment, a great support group and team members that are willing to sacrifice personal glory to help him win the individual title. The rest of his team dragged Lance through a lot of the tour and even made crazy moves to try to burn the other top individual competitors. The entire Postal team is focused on keeping Lance in the yellow jersey. Running is much more of an individual sport and I don't think that you see the same team effort as in cycling. Or, it could be those cancer fighting drugs...
I believe I read somewhere at some point that Lance's heart is about twice the size of the average human heart, thus he can pump a ridiculous amount of blood through his body.
Kenyans haven't gotten into bicycling yet. Running shoes are cheaper than bicycles designed for racing.
Americans dominate hockey .. so why don't they crush in the 5k/10k?
Cycling is a different sport than running and the group that dominates cycling is just as genetically gifted and drugged up for their sport (cycling) as the group that dominates d-running (North Africans).
Just like we have a lot of people who can hang with Europeans and Canadians on the hockey rink, we have some who can hang with the the Anglo-Saxons, Italians and Spaniards that dominate cycling.
Cycling is much different than running. D-running is more similar to XC-skiing than cycling.
Kenyans would not have a chance (as a group) at dominating cycling. They would be as bad as they are at XC-skiing.
And to the guy that said that Lance mastered "the machine" ... that is ludicrous. I have a bike better than Armstrong's and It really does nothing for me except that it allows me to do my best. Everybody I ride with has a $3000-6000 bike. Shit, my mom has a $7000 bike and she isn't slaying anyone.
All the pro riders have bikes that close in weight and speed and it really adds up to nothing at the end of the day. This year, T-Mobile (Ullrich's team) and USPS (Armstrong's team) will be one of just a handful of teams who are forced to ride production frames because their suppliers (Giant and Trek respectively) can't make the carbon frames to measure as they are built in an expensive mold and not welded. This is more of an impediment than a 17 pound bike. Look at how long the stem is on George Hincapie's bike, Ullrich's bike, or Lance's bike. Seriously a handicap. But again, it doesn't prevent them from winning big races.
cycling fan wrote:
And cycling is a very expensive sport - one that involves a lot more than just going down to your local bike shop, picking out a bike, and starting to ride. You can be sure that Lance would not be where he is if it were not for all the various people supporting him.
I think this is the major point of why America and Europe can dominate the cycling scene and not fair as well in running. I think this brings up an interesting question:
If someone was willing to put their money into cycling in Kenya or Ethiopia would they then be able to dominate in the same way that they do in running?
I mean, there is obviously some cultural (running to school at a young age) or biological (high aerobic capacity?) difference between Americans and Africans that causes them to produce more succesful runners. I would assume that if given the tools (i.e. a bike) that they could capatilize on those cultural or biological differences in order to dominate all endurance sports in the same way they do running. Just my two cents.
Lance gives pretty good insight into himself in his first book, he's had a crazy burning passion to be the best in the world at something, got the right coach, and manager, put it together with people like his mom and wife believing in him, and just busting his ass. Also, when he got a team "behind" him, he treats them great, he gives them much more money than the typical Euro team domestiques, and a double bonus when they win the tour. And he expects nothing less than the very best from them, in return, overall he's found the winning package.
Honestly, I don't remember anyone since Bill Rodgers ("to win a race, you've got to go a little crazy") or Al Sal (raced himself into the hospital ER more than once) to show that much passion, unless it was the singlemindedness of Frank Shorter (averaged 120 miles/week for 10 straight years)
NCRUNNER wrote:
I think this is an interesting topic, and I would like to hear some ideas. I feel we do have the talent, but what is missing? Answers??
Lance is best because the Kenyans and Ethiopians are not racing bikes... yet. Biking is a very expensive sport, which is one of the reasons we don't see the east African countries participating.