General Cycling Discussion - Shortest professional cyclist?

Who is the shortest professional cyclist currently alive?

What about the shortest cyclist to win the Tour De France?

I'm a short rider myself and I'm wondering how height issues affect success in cycling.

Cheers.

Fledge, welcome to BFC., as for your question, I don't know, I have seen the picture of Francois Simon, I think he stand a little over 5 feet, Miguel Indurain is over six feet tall.... and Lance I beleive is 5" 10"

HMM As far as men go, Roberto Heras at 5' 7" is short. As for the women HMM Missy Giove at 5' 6" is real short. Other than that I do not know this is what I have noticed.

Miguel Martinez is like five feet four, and I think Paolo Bettini is even shorter. Laurent Roux of Jean Delatour is also a shrimp- I remeber seeing him on the podium last year and he was the same height as the podium girls were - only they were standing about a foot below him! ANd of course Pantani- he's a runt!

David Etxebarria of Euskaltel is 5feet 3 inches.
I think he was smallest in peloton this year.

Marty

To answer the other part of your question about why size is an issue in cycling, here is a quick answer.

Size matters

Pros:
Wind resistance - a smaller rider offers smaller frontal area to the wind requiring less effort to move at the same speed as a larger rider. Overcoming air resistance is a big part of a cyclist's energy expense, hence drafting.

Weight - a lighter rider with a high power to weight ratio makes a great climber because he/she has less weight to lift up the hill.
Gravity - it's not just a good idea; it's the law.

Con:
Muscle mass - small muscles just can't develop as much absolute power as larger muscles. Note that none of the sprinters are lightweights.

Note that most male cyclists, with a few notable exceptions, tend to be smaller than the average population. If they are tall, like George Hincapie, they are still light for their height. Conversely, most female cyclists seem to be larger than average. Interestingly many of the better riders of both sexes tend to be in same general size range - 5'6"-5'9".
Regards,
Raymond

hehe..I'm 5'7''...there's still hope for me :D

Originally posted by RainmanP
To answer the other part of your question about why size is an issue in cycling, here is a quick answer.
Regards,
Raymond
http://www.kraproom.com/other/images/wrong.gif
Your pros and cons are theoretically correct but you make some big assumtions.
most male cyclists are smaller than the general population of which country? ALL endurance atheletes are thin.
Where do you find female atheletes larger than the average population??? That is totally off base.
as for the general size range of "better riders", how do you come up with 5'6"-5'9"? Indurain, Armstrong, Meuseuw, Millar, Extebarria, Bettini, Bartoli, etc etc etc are all outside this range.
As for sprinters not being able to develop as much absolute power- hogwash! Did you see who won the Green Jersey this year? Hello? Robbie is about 5'8"/ 160lbs. did you see who won the World championship rr 2 years in a row? Friere is about 5'6" and known as one of the best sprinters in the world.

Size is not important. It is the power you can produce in comparison to your body weight, lung capacity, mental toughness. All that other stuff, while interesting, has no real meaning in any race and doesn't show anything of how great a cyclist can be.

Originally posted by KennethToronto
hehe..I'm 5'7''...there's still hope for me :D
Kenneth,
I like your attitude, one day your ganna be a great cyclist:D :D :D :roflmao: :roflmao:

Thanks for that, guys.

Yeah I'm 5'3" myself so maybe there's hope for me too!

I'm 6'3', and I could crush Francois Simon between my toes. However, I have never had the desire to become a professional cyclist. I'll never be a specialist at mountains, and I'll never find myself competing in a TT. I'm not worried about comparing myself to other cyclists. I cycle because it is an enjoyable form of exercise.

You mean there is some hope for me?

I used to be 5', 8" but then I "adjusted" a coupple of vertabrae...
now Im 5', 7-3/4"

Originally posted by RacerX

All that other stuff, while interesting, has no real meaning in any race and doesn't show anything of how great a cyclist can be.

Irrelevant! The topic is on professional cyclist height not greatness or racing.

Now that we know the shortest guy...does anyone know the current tallest pro cyclist? My guess would be Axel Merkcx.

did you read the original post? Height as related to its effect on performance.


Originally posted by Hunter


Irrelevant! The topic is on professional cyclist height not greatness or racing.

Racerx,
Let me see if I can address your concerns. I am using caps for my resp

"...most male cyclists are smaller than the general population of which country? ALL endurance atheletes are thin...."

I'm not sure I understand how this makes what I said wrong.

"Where do you find female atheletes larger than the average population??? That is totally off base."

I did not say athletes. I said cyclists. Take a look at the ladies winning the races.

"as for the general size range of "better riders", how do you come up with 5'6"-5'9"? Indurain, Armstrong, Meuseuw, Millar, Extebarria, Bettini, Bartoli, etc etc etc are all outside this range."

I guess I could have stated that better. I was referring to all the pros good enough to make the better teams in Europe, not to the elite of the elite. The pros on US teams seem in general a little larger.

"As for sprinters not being able to develop as much absolute power- hogwash! Did you see who won the Green Jersey this year? Hello? Robbie is about 5'8"/ 160lbs. did you see who won the World championship rr 2 years in a row? Friere is about 5'6" and known as one of the best sprinters in the world."

I said smaller muscles could not develop as much absolute power and that sprinters are not lightweights. At 160 Robbie is not a lightweight for someone 5'8". He has huge thigh muscles which certainly do have a lot of absolute power. Ditto Freire. Besides, don't both these examples support the point above.

"Size is not important. It is the power you can produce in comparison to your body weight, lung capacity, mental toughness. All that other stuff, while interesting, has no real meaning in any race and doesn't show anything of how great a cyclist can be."

While this is a theoretically accurate statement, I don't think we will be seeing many 6'6" 250 pound riders on pro teams.

I think my response to the question was on point and accurate. I could probably go through all the male and female pro team rosters and support my points, but frankly I don't care that much.

What about the shortest cyclist to win the Tour De France?

I would guess Marco Pantani(sp?), he looks short on TV.

CHEERS.

Mark

sorry tall people,.

but the first ever Tour de France champion was short,..1m62,.

Maurice-Francois Garin was only about 5'3 ft

he won 1903 and 1904

but was disqualified in 1904 due to rules broken

They wear Lycra. It's easy to see who's the "shortest". Unfortunatelly, too easy.

If you're a male and under 5'4", you should be a jockey, not a cyclist. ;)

Cofidis's Sammy Dumoulin is 5'3"...on a good day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Dumoulin

Wonder if anything has changed since this thread was last active over 9 years ago.:thumb:

I don't think Cavendish is very tall at all. But he does have some pretty big legs.

Wikipedia says 5'9". But I bet that is with 3" lifts.
Another source puts him at 5'7". That is more like it if you asked me.

Just me but he seems like a first-rate dick! Could be wrong.

HMM As far as men go, Roberto Heras at 5' 7" is short. As for the women HMM Missy Giove at 5' 6" is real short. Other than that I do not know this is what I have noticed.

Emma Pooley, 5'- 2" weight 110 lbs. Garmin Cervelo womens' team.

This thread should have been called "I can't see over the kitchen counter, please massage my ego."

No dude who is under 5'7" has every achieved anything in any sport. Ever. Absolutely no exceptions. They just die poor and lonely. ;)

This is a real problem that you should worry about and spend time trying to solve.

the height is not something to argue about any sports,.

"heart is what determines an athlete",.

even when there's stupid people,.commenting about stupid things,.

Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (NBA player) and Maurice-Francois Garin (1st and 2nd Tour de France Champion)

is the perfect example,..sometimes,.they are better humans,.than the gifted ones,.....peace out?!!!

http://www.kraproom.com/other/images/wrong.gif
Your pros and cons are theoretically correct but you make some big assumtions.
most male cyclists are smaller than the general population of which country? ALL endurance atheletes are thin.
Where do you find female atheletes larger than the average population??? That is totally off base.
as for the general size range of "better riders", how do you come up with 5'6"-5'9"? Indurain, Armstrong, Meuseuw, Millar, Extebarria, Bettini, Bartoli, etc etc etc are all outside this range.
As for sprinters not being able to develop as much absolute power- hogwash! Did you see who won the Green Jersey this year? Hello? Robbie is about 5'8"/ 160lbs. did you see who won the World championship rr 2 years in a row? Friere is about 5'6" and known as one of the best sprinters in the world.

Size is not important. It is the power you can produce in comparison to your body weight, lung capacity, mental toughness. All that other stuff, while interesting, has no real meaning in any race and doesn't show anything of how great a cyclist can be.

----------------

Your post makes sense, but I know one 'body type' that I see in some better cyclists...the long, lean, lanky rider like the Schleck brothers. I've thought on this, wondering if perhaps 'long legs' [along with lighter, slimmer body weight etc], gives some cyclists some sort of advantaged mechanical leverage? Is there any study on how longer human legs [it's length etc] might provide that mechanical advantage. Of course, as you say, it's a combination of things I'm sure, including muscle mass, type, and how about desire (don't count that one out either).

I'm thinking that to be a professional cyclist, there must be a gargantuan DRIVE behind it that I wonder might outshadow's other sports? Just a guess, once experiencing the sustained energies involved...

This thread should have been called "I can't see over the kitchen counter, please massage my ego."

No dude who is under 5'7" has every achieved anything in any sport. Ever. Absolutely no exceptions. They just die poor and lonely. ;)

This is a real problem that you should worry about and spend time trying to solve.

Laffit Pincay, Jr.

Born: December 29, 1946 in Panama City, Panama
Resident: Panama City, Panama
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 117 lbs.

Yes I know, I'm completely messing around. Sarcasm doesn't translate well at times ;).

I was more poking fun at the idea of having to ask the question, since many, many shorter people have done a lot.

Being a hockey fan, I look at Martin St. Louis. I hate playing against him, but he is an incredible player. I'm terrified if I see him on a breakaway....all 5'6" of him (or less since sports stats always round up).

I hope you think twice before, posting something like that,.

this is our countries CHAMPION

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao a.k.a PACMAN

Born: December 17, 1978 (1978-12-17) (age 32)
Resident: Philippines
Weight: Light middleweight (current champion)
Height: 5 ft 6 1⁄2 in (1.69 m)

He is the first eight-division world champion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octuple_champion),..

(Originally posted 2002)
I would guess Marco Pantani(sp?), he looks short on TV.

CHEERS.

Mark

Wonder if anything has changed since this thread was last active over 9 years ago.:thumb:

For starters, Pantani has been dead for a couple of years. He was short and fast, though.