Comparison of cyclists to other sports
 

Would cyclists make good:

Track runners? <sprinters, long distance runners etc.>

Seems like they have the lung capacity and drive etc. I'm wondering if there is a direct transition from one to the other.

Speed skaters?

Cross country skiers?

None of the above.

Cycling is the ultimate sport:

Easy on the joints (except for the occasional hip avascular necrosis from recent hip fractures - Don't fall next time Landis!)

Good for even old guys (exhibit A = Creekster),

It doesn't require getting your trash pinned by the rim when trying to dunk beyond your prime ( I think we all know who we're talking about here).

Not as expensive as golf (beyond the initial investment and occasional equipment upgrade - actually scratch this last point).

Safer than downhill skiing (aside from the occasional roadside fatalities). You'll never tear an ACL on a bike.

Fewer overuse injuries than running (plantar fasciitis, shin splints, tendonitis, stress fractures).

Not as girly as speed skating (Remember the teenage girl drama at the olympics a few months ago between Shani Davis and that other guy?)

Why would anyone want to change?

Some runners become good cyclists, but the reverse is not always true.

I know cyclists that become good cross country skiers, and speed skaters.

Most of what goose says is true.

The only athletes more manly than cyclists? Triathletes, cuz we tri all cuz we can't anything right.

Thanks for that. Glad I could serve your point.

So if power point demonstrations are given, do two pictures of Creekster and Archaea serve as what happens to old, but in Creekster's case successful cyclists, and in Archaea's case, a wannabe?

Oh man, this is so far from the truth. I am the ultimate wannabe. But for a few golden years when I was young and my legs were springy I am the never-really-was-but-talks-like-he-still-is poster child for biking. I am a sunday stroll in the park to Archaea's, Bg's and Steelblue's fast run, not to mention Q's 30 mph charge (soprry Q, but this is really a compliment).

Seriously though, you hear fewer cases of elite level cyclists transitioning into an elite level in another sports.

The opposite is often true. Consider Eric Heiden, for one. Gold medal in speed skating, decides to get a pair and becomes an elite cyclist. I've seen other examples of elite runners becoming good cyclists as well.

But for some reason, the opposite is not always true.

Those that take up other sports seem more often than not to do it for cross training in the cycling off-season. Running and cross country skiing seem to be most guys favorite here. A couple of guys on Discovery play hoops in the off season to stay in shape.

Archaea, who makes the best triathletes? Swimmers, bikers or runners? My guess, being a poor swimmer, is that swimmers have a distinct advantage, at least at recreational levels. At higher levels, I would guess you can probably win a race more with the bike than the other events. What do you think?

It sort of depends on what cyclist you are looking at. All cyclist's that are competitive have good aerobic capcity and so have the potnetial to do reasonably well in aerobic activities, although how well will depend on their bodies and interest. Track cyclists tend to do well as speed skaters as do sprinters; simialr muscle groups. (remember Eric Heiden?) Road riders and mountain bikers that climb well can sometimes be good distance runners. Few bike riders are good spritners, however, as they have bad upper body development (typically, although Archaea Schwrazenegger is the exception)

For fat old guys, cycling is great becasue it is low impact, makes you sweat without hurting too much, and allows you to pretend to work hard so you can consume vast quantities of food without a guilty conscience, later marvelling that you're not losing weight any faster than you are, even though you work out so much.

I started cycling becasue I wanted to get in shape earlier for skiing (alpine) and then after moving to Calif. skiing sort of receded into the past.

Cycling is a good sport for life.

Did I get my chronology backward? Was Eric Heiden first a cyclist or a skater?

I don't think the opposite is often true. WHo else, besides Heiden, can you name that went from an elite level in one sport to the elite level in pro cycling? Moreover, Heiden didn't exactly set the biking world on fire. Very average rider.

My perception is that very few elite athletes in any sport move to any other sport at the elite level, esepcially if there is a curveball involved.