Who is the best current British sports star?

[Stat Brother]

Is riding a bike that hard? It's just peddling, used to do it a lot as a child so I do have experience.

It never seemed that hard, especially when I upgraded my BMX for a racer, the gears made life a lot easier.

That is very true.

The summer days used to fly by, out on your bike, for 120 to 150 miles,.
Cycling along for 5 and a half hours.
It was always nice to either ride up and over 5 Alps, or perhaps finish with a 45mph sprint, for the last 3 miles.

It was so easy I'd get up and do it all again the next day, for 3 weeks.


Ah happy days.

We really need a bitten smilie to go with the fishing one!

 

[Bladders]

That is very true.

The summer days used to fly by, out on your bike, for 120 to 150 miles,.
Cycling along for 5 and a half hours.
It was always nice to either ride up and over 5 Alps, or perhaps finish with a 45mph sprint, for the last 3 miles.

It was so easy I'd get up and do it all again the next day, for 3 weeks.


Ah happy days.

We really need a bitten smilie to go with the fishing one!

At the end of the day, it's still just peddling, just that they're very very good at it/can do it for long periods.

Does this just not mean they're very fit? I'm struggling to see the skill set needed to do it apart from supreme fitness.

 

[Stat Brother]

At the end of the day, it's still just peddling, just that they're very very good at it/can do it for long periods.

Does this just not mean they're very fit? I'm struggling to see the skill set needed to do it apart from supreme fitness.

You are right, everybody can do it.
It's not like kicking a ball or hitting it with a bat, that's virtually impossible for us mere mortals.

 

[Bladders]

You are right, everybody can do it.
It's not like kicking a ball or hitting it with a bat, that's virtually impossible for us mere mortals.

I can kick a ball, Messi doesn't kick it better than me cause he's fitter. It's cause he has a better skill set in order to be a better footballer than me.

Serious question SB, what is the skill set that a top cyclist needs over an every day cyclist that has nothing to do with fitness or strength?

 

[Stat Brother]

I can kick a ball, Messi doesn't kick it better than me cause he's fitter. It's cause he has a better skill set in order to be a better footballer than me.

Serious question SB, what is the skill set that a top cyclist needs over an every day cyclist that has nothing to so with fitness or strength?

If they are a sprinter they need the millisecond timing of an F1 driver to position themselves for the victory, while 'just' pedaling at 40mph.
If they are a climber they need to be able to judge their physical effort precisely against the other riders and the road.
All cyclists need to be able to control a bike at 70mph on a decent.
All cyclists need the super human discipline for x amount of months prior to a big event.
To rise to the top all cyclists need to tolerant more pain and injury than most sports, while still competing. (rightly or wrongly in some cases)

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I can kick a ball, Messi doesn't kick it better than me cause he's fitter. It's cause he has a better skill set in order to be a better footballer than me.

Serious question SB, what is the skill set that a top cyclist needs over an every day cyclist that has nothing to do with fitness or strength?

I used to identify with the Tour de France on occasion when sitting on an exercise bike watching ot on the big screen at the Gym, but then remembered I was doing it for about 5 minutes, while they - as today - were doing 228.5kms, which is not much short of 150 miles, at an average of more than 25mph up hill and down dale. That in itself is about levels of fitness that are out of this world.

Then someone else mentioned the tactical nous, when to break, how to stay out of trouble, avoid crashes and so on and so forth.

About 10 years ago I was in South-west france and went to see the Tour in the Pyrenees, stationed where they come over the top of the Col de Tourmalet, the highest point in the Pyrenees. I have enormous respect for those who do it.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I can kick a ball, Messi doesn't kick it better than me cause he's fitter. It's cause he has a better skill set in order to be a better footballer than me.

Serious question SB, what is the skill set that a top cyclist needs over an every day cyclist that has nothing to do with fitness or strength?

So basically athletics to you devoid of skill is just running, jumping and throwing!? I could do all those before I rode a bike. No skill or talent required....Swimming, I was doing that by 4....in fact I could kick a football before I rode a bike.....as for someone mentioning triathletes, do me a favour, swimming-cycling-running, or should I say bathing-peddling-walking fast....easy.



I really hope you're on a wind up!

 

[teaboy]

If they are a sprinter they need the millisecond timing of an F1 driver to position themselves for the victory, while 'just' pedaling at 40mph.
If they are a climber they need to be able to judge their physical effort precisely against the other riders and the road.
All cyclists need to be able to control a bike at 70mph on a decent.
All cyclists need the super human discipline for x amount of months prior to a big event.
To rise to the top all cyclists need to tolerant more pain and injury than most sports, while still competing. (rightly or wrongly in some cases)

Just to add to the list:
The ability to ride at 40+mph with 150 other riders doing exactly the same just inches away from you takes a lot of skill. There's also the tactical skill of being in the right place at the right time (a second either side and the race is lost), and moving through the bunch to do so. How many professional sportspeople can you name who have competed with a broken pelvis, just as Geriant Thomas is currently doing?

Anyway, the only person on the list of names mentioned who is the best the world has ever seen at what they do is Mark Cavendish.

 

[Stat Brother]

Just to add to the list:
The ability to ride at 40+mph with 150 other riders doing exactly the same just inches away from you takes a lot of skill. There's also the tactical skill of being in the right place at the right time (a second either side and the race is lost), and moving through the bunch to do so. How many professional sportspeople can you name who have competed with a broken pelvis, just as Geriant Thomas is currently doing?

Anyway, the only person on the list of names mentioned who is the best the world has ever seen at what they do is Mark Cavendish.

Being a postie it's tough to get a coherent argument out of me at 11am, 11pm just forget it.

 

[Commander]

Cycling does seem like something you can get very good at even if you're generally not particularly good at sport. I know two people big into their cycling, and they freely admit this was the reason they got into it.

 

[Buzzer]

How many professional sportspeople can you name who have competed with a broken pelvis, just as Geriant Thomas is currently doing?

Just googled his name - turns out he's a cyclist. If a bloke can compete at the very highest level in a sport whilst nursing a broken pelvis, it doesn't say much for that sport or the sportsmen, really.

 

[Commander]

Just googled his name - turns out he's a cyclist. If a bloke can compete at the very highest level in a sport whilst nursing a broken pelvis, it doesn't say much for that sport or the sportsmen, really.

Indeed. Surely any of the competition who didn't have broken pelvises would win easily? If not then the standard can't be that great.

 

[teaboy]

Indeed. Surely any of the competition who didn't have broken pelvises would win easily? If not then the standard can't be that great.

He's not trying to win - he was never going to try to win. He's there purely for his team, working for someone else's victory.

 

[joeinbrighton]

Sportspeople competing with injuries is not uncommon. Watch Wimbledon this week and you will see a number of players with parts of their arm or leg bandaged. Juan Martin Del Potro won in straight sets yesterday despite hurting his already injured knee in the very first game of the match and requiring lengthy treatment and it initially impairing his mobility. Jorge Lorenzo raced in the Moto GP last weekend and I think finished 4th despite breaking his collarbone in qualifying. Cal Crutchlow I think came 5th in a race last year whilst racing with a broken ankle. Tiger Woods won the US Open a few years ago whilst pretty much operating on one leg and then missed several months' play afterwards. My point being that, it is pretty petty to demean a sport or a person's achievements with the 'my sport is better than your sport' arguments just because of the ease with which a competitor can seemingly participate despite being injured. If anything, that only serves to show how tough and resilient that competitor is.

 

[Buzzer]

He's not trying to win - he was never going to try to win. He's there purely for his team, working for someone else's victory.

But competing in the most prestigious race with the other top athletes. I've got that right, haven't I? Bloke with broken pelvis - still able to compete at very top of your sport?

 

[Buzzer]

Sportspeople competing with injuries is not uncommon. Watch Wimbledon this week and you will see a number of players with parts of their arm or leg bandaged. Juan Martin Del Potro won in straight sets yesterday despite hurting his already injured knee in the very first game of the match and requiring lengthy treatment and it initially impairing his mobility. Jorge Lorenzo raced in the Moto GP last weekend and I think finished 4th despite breaking his collarbone in qualifying. Cal Crutchlow I think came 5th in a race last year whilst racing with a broken ankle. Tiger Woods won the US Open a few years ago whilst pretty much operating on one leg and then missed several months' play afterwards. My point being that, it is pretty petty to demean a sport or a person's achievements with the 'my sport is better than your sport' arguments just because of the ease with which a competitor can seemingly participate despite being injured. If anything, that only serves to show how tough and resilient that competitor is.

Broken pelvis. Not a twinge, not a broken toe and not a sedentary sport. Pelvis.

 

[joeinbrighton]

Broken pelvis. Not a twinge, not a broken toe and not a sedentary sport. Pelvis.

Yes, I know what a pelvis is. For a cyclist to contemplate riding through the Pyrenees with a broken one either makes him mad or extremely resilient. Quite probably both, especially if their chances of winning is minimal.

 

[teaboy]

Sportspeople competing with injuries is not uncommon. Watch Wimbledon this week and you will see a number of players with parts of their arm or leg bandaged. Juan Martin Del Potro won in straight sets yesterday despite hurting his already injured knee in the very first game of the match and requiring lengthy treatment and it initially impairing his mobility. Jorge Lorenzo raced in the Moto GP last weekend and I think finished 4th despite breaking his collarbone in qualifying. Cal Crutchlow I think came 5th in a race last year whilst racing with a broken ankle. Tiger Woods won the US Open a few years ago whilst pretty much operating on one leg and then missed several months' play afterwards. My point being that, it is pretty petty to demean a sport or a person's achievements with the 'my sport is better than your sport' arguments just because of the ease with which a competitor can seemingly participate despite being injured. If anything, that only serves to show how tough and resilient that competitor is.

Indeed. Most tennis players seem to be held together by tape of some sort. They play/race with injuries because it's their job, where most people would call in sick.

 

[Bold Seagull]

But competing in the most prestigious race with the other top athletes. I've got that right, haven't I? Bloke with broken pelvis - still able to compete at very top of your sport?

What you've got right so far, is demonstrating a pride in your own ignorance.

Geraint Thomas got injured DURING the race, not before it. In football he would have been substituted (after 10mins of rolling around like he'd been shot), however you cannot substitute a rider once the Tour begins, and therefore his team would be a rider down for the remaining 17 or stages of the race.

Thomas is sticking it out because the Tour is about 21 separate stages, and if he can heal at least a bit, he'll be able to assist his team mates later on.

 

[armchairclubber]

Just googled his name - turns out he's a cyclist. If a bloke can compete at the very highest level in a sport whilst nursing a broken pelvis, it doesn't say much for that sport or the sportsmen, really.

Perhaps reading this may give you some idea of the pain thresholds endured by pro cyclists and their "jump back on" mentality. Much as I love football, it does make the fall to ground and roll around attitude to being touched quite pathetic. Cycling is most def a hard mans game requiring immense bottle and an ability to go through levels of pain surpassing any other sport IMO

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2004/jun/28/cycling.tourdefrance2004