"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Heaviest Professional/Semipro riders?

Hiya — I don't know much about the sport & I'm just curious...

What is the heaviest that professional riders go up to? I've read somewhere that Lance was in the 170lb range? Are there successful 220lb riders or do they tend to top out in the higher 100's?

Magnus Bäckstedt is a little over 200 lbs.

It's not JUST the weight. It's the power AND weight. You gotta have the skills to pay the bills in that department, unless you plan on being just a TT guy.

Edit: And yeah, big Maggie is listed at 90kg and 94kg, both figures appear multiple times. I'm inclined to believe 90kg, personally.

Michel Zanoli (pro with Motorola) was 200 lbs. Died of a heart attack at the age of 35.

Local strongman Fred "Robbie" Robinette has got to be over 200 lbs. He was the 2005 US national champion in the M40+ category, on the climbs around Park City, UT. He is so, so strong. He's gotten 2nd in King of Jester before (beating many lightweight elite riders).

http://vc.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/robinette_victory.jpg

I think Lance was supposedly in the 150s in Tour form.

http://www.offroadoverstock.com/pictures/interbike/magee.jpg

Here's the girlfriend with Magnus...he is by no means a small guy....

http://www.offroadoverstock.com/pictures/interbike/cipo.jpg

Still not a small guy....

http://www.offroadoverstock.com/pictures/interbike/bobkee.jpg

Not as big as you think he is.....

All in all they all have the cycling look to them....shortly after we met Bob DZ was there...he is not a big guy, a very nice guy just not big....

Fast Freddy is a lot smaller than you would think a sprinter would be....Thor Hushovd was the same.....small in size but they both looked like sprinters..

Magnus did mention that his team would fight to get to draft behind him...

Dutchman John Talen rode 3 Tours and I believe he was a Big Mac shy of 220 lbs. I remember seeing him in a team pic and my jaw dropped.

Someone needs to dig up a picture of Michael Rich (Gerolsteiner and Germany) doing a TTT with the rest of the Gerolsteiner boys. You will be amazed at the difference in size between him and the rest of them. It is truly amazing.

Someone needs to dig up a picture of Michael Rich (Gerolsteiner and Germany) doing a TTT with the rest of the Gerolsteiner boys. You will be amazed at the difference in size between him and the rest of them. It is truly amazing.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/jun05/protourttt05/nld-gero-83.jpg

http://www.sven-krauss.com/bildertour/rot_gerolsteiner_ei0509_big.jpg

Funky handlebar setup they have going on there. It looks like narrow cowhorns with brifters. Has anyone seen this before? What year is it?

2005 Eindhoven TTT. I can't remember what the deal was with the bars, but they were the only team running that setup, and they won...

The third guy isn't that small either, but the 2nd picture really puts it into perspective...that dood is ripped

Most of the guys you think are big, while looking at pictures, are rarely bigger than your medium sized club rider. Very, very few riders hit 80kg.

80kg = 176 lbs. Look at rosters and you'll find maybe one guy on each team over that weight.

The worst was always when Paul and Phil say "big Jan Ullrich", all 160lbs of him!

Signed,
another big guy (74", 80 kg super skinny race weight, 88kg retirement weight)

Michel Zanoli (pro with Motorola) was 200 lbs. Died of a heart attack at the age of 35.

Local strongman Fred "Robbie" Robinette has got to be over 200 lbs. He was the 2005 US national champion in the M40+ category, on the climbs around Park City, UT. He is so, so strong. He's gotten 2nd in King of Jester before (beating many lightweight elite riders).

http://vc.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/robinette_victory.jpg


Yeah and 180 pounds of the 200 are in his freakishly large legs!

Magnus Bäckstedt is a little over 200 lbs.

I think it was Flanders when he was out front with a couple of Spanish/Italian guys and it looked like a man riding with boys, hilarious to see him try to draft behind some guy 5'4" 125.

Bert Roesems is 6'5", but only 180..

http://www.bertroesems.com/fotoarchief/overzet15.jpg

http://estaticos01.cache.el-mundo.net/elmundodeporte/fotos_del_dia/2005/07/19/1121803814_extras_fotos_del_dia_0.jpg

Sosenka is 6'6", stated at 180.

BUT, keep in mind that rider weights are provided by riders, and many of them fudge these numbers by ten-12 pounds.

Dutchman John Talen rode 3 Tours and I believe he was a Big Mac shy of 220 lbs. I remember seeing him in a team pic and my jaw dropped.


Met him. Legend of a bloke.

Talk about a hard man....

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/jun05/protourttt05/nld-gero-83.jpg

http://www.sven-krauss.com/bildertour/rot_gerolsteiner_ei0509_big.jpg

Am I the only one that can't tell a bit of difference between any of them?

Look at the size of Rich (in white in both pictures) compared to the guy in third in the first picture, and the three riders on the right hand side of the second picture.

Or, numbering them from 1 to 6 from left to right, look at #2's quads compared to those of #4 and #6.

If you still can't tell, go see an optometrist. He's MASSIVE.

Look at the size of Rich (in white in both pictures) compared to the guy in third in the first picture, and the three riders on the right hand side of the second picture.

Or, numbering them from 1 to 6 from left to right, look at #2's quads compared to those of #4 and #6.

If you still can't tell, go see an optometrist. He's MASSIVE.

I saw him in the flesh at the worlds in 05. He's massive, huge man for a pro bike rider. Nearly all of them are whippets.