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How has cycling affected your other sports

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

How has cycling affected your other sports

Old 07-10-16, 07:20 AM
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Running firstly but last 8 years much more serious on the bike. Now my running has really slowed but age and years of training probably has much to do with that. I think too much on the bike interferes with smooth running stride. Problem is I enjoy the bike more than running in many respects. I would say cycling has made me slower runner but probably helps keep weight down without pounding.
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Old 07-10-16, 07:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Inpd
How much do you cycle and how has it affected your other sports? Good and Bad.

I've only been cycling for 18 months seriously and racked up 12K miles.

Good
===

Hiking is easy! Particularly up-hill. Did a 4 miles uphill hike with 2000 feet of non-stop climbing and it was a breeze whilst others in my group really struggled.

My trunk strength increase and trunk width decrease(!) due to riding in the drops makes golf much easier. A proper swing involves some trunk rotation and if your trunk is smaller and stronger that helps.

Sports that require some level of endurance (i.e. Tennis) improved. By the 3rd set my legs are still fresh.

Bad
==

Cycling tends to dominate all my other sports as its: i) enjoyable, ii) great workout and iii) great way to clear out the mind and relax. Most sports only tick 1 or 2 of those boxes. Golf only ticks i)!

Ironically, because biking is so cheap, I do have the funds to golf, play tennis etc. just not the time.
What other sports.
Rather do one thing well than many poorly.
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Old 07-10-16, 07:28 AM
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I like cycling. Best fun is when cycling at the new trail.

But cycling is too much work out on the legs. I cut grass and do things around my yard and thats upper body exercise.

I will do more cycling if I dont have to work on my yard and things around my house.
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Old 07-10-16, 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by BillyD
I hate to be the one to immediately take this off track, but golf only marginally qualifies as a sport. It's a stretch, a technicality, a culturally accepted norm to classify it a sport. Real athletes play golf when they retire, because of the competitive aspect, but not because it's strenuous in any way.

Just my 2 cents. Obviously others disagree.
In terms of sports, golf is like darts or bowling, a game yes, a sport no.
If one can be a pro golfer and be an obese, cigarette smoking alcoholic ( John Daley) then it's no sport.
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Old 07-10-16, 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by jon c.
Riding 40 miles on a 95 degree day is significantly less physically taxing than walking 18 carrying your clubs.

I don't think riding has helped my golf, but having played golf all my life made it easier when I took up cycling.
Of course almost no one walks 18 carrying there own bags. The pros certainly don't. And if you get more exercise playing golf then you aren't cycling right.
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Old 07-10-16, 07:53 AM
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I don't do other sports and find anything with a ball to be a complete bore. If I was going to take up another sport it would be hiking.
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Old 07-10-16, 08:01 AM
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Cycling is the only sport for me. It's done wonderrs for my aerobic abilities.

Last edited by philbob57; 07-10-16 at 03:52 PM.
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Old 07-10-16, 10:50 AM
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As a somewhat lifelong golfer, I'll be the first to admit that golf is mostly a game and not a sport. Walking 18 holes twice a week is decent exercise for those of us who work 40-50 hours a week sitting at a desk, but it's not anything like hiking, cycling, etc. There are athletic elements to the game. Watch any pro or amateur with a good swing who hits the ball really well. There's a good amount of balance, coordination and flexibility in those swings. I know a lot of fit gym rats who can't hit a golf ball to save their lives.

I've been off the bike for four years. I screwed up my knee while riding in 2012 and lost interest after that for several reasons. Last fall I started playing in an inline hockey rec league. It is a blast to play. My previous street hockey experience when I was a kid and lifelong involvement in stick and ball sports helped me to quickly pick up the the game's shooting/passing/puckhandling aspects, but aerobically I was a mess...better than most in my very low-level league, but still not good. Because rink time is so limited, I can't practice except for shooting down in my basement. I thought I'd start riding again to at least improve my cardio and regain all the other benefits that come along with cycling. I picked up a "real" roadbike (as opposed to my Crosscheck) and started to reintroduce my body to cycling.

Cycling has always complemented my other activities very well. Like the OP mentioned, it's a good activity for a golfer, and I guess I got the same benefits during my softball and raquetball playing days. Then again, softball is no more a sport than golf, but cycling certainly didn't hurt me when I was chasing down fly balls in the outfield or running the bases (all 240' at most...whew!).

The only negative thing about cycling when combined with other sports is the time demand. I can ride three times during the week for exercise, but those long weekend rides that I used to enjoy are pretty much out if I want to play golf on the weekend, or if I have a Sunday night hockey game.
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Old 07-10-16, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by surgeonstone
Of course almost no one walks 18 carrying there own bags. The pros certainly don't. And if you get more exercise playing golf then you aren't cycling right.
I used to play 30-40 rounds per year and I almost always walked, carrying my own clubs. The odd exception might be during a tournament. And I normally walk even when the green fee includes the cart. It's just a better way to enjoy a round. Some of these courses had some dramatic elevation changes, and walking 18 holes with 30 lbs strapped on your back on these is a workout in itself.

Top PGA golfers nowadays are in excellent physical condition. You don't see many guys who look like John Daly or Craig Stadler on the tour any more. Jason Dufner, okay.
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Old 07-10-16, 01:30 PM
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
― Ernest Hemingway
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Old 07-10-16, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by surgeonstone
Of course almost no one walks 18 carrying there own bags. The pros certainly don't. And if you get more exercise playing golf then you aren't cycling right.
Yeah. I used to caddy in high school, and let me tell you, there isn't a much better workout than hoofing it 36 holes carrying two bags in August heat.
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Old 07-10-16, 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by woodcraft
Cycling has seriously cut into my climbing.

The good climbing is 3-4 hr drive, while the good cycling

is out the front door.
Even though good climbing is only 2 hrs away for me, same thing only intentionally.

Osteo in the toes and fingers has turned climbing into an occasional pursuit now.

Riding beats taking up golf.

(BTW still use a Trango Pyramid when I do get out)
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Old 07-10-16, 02:27 PM
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Riding is pretty much it for me. I have a pretty severe disdain for endurance sports in general but I love getting out on the bike. Anything else for me is a hobby or pastime. However, I hunt way to much during the fall and winter, but cycling as only helped with that. I bought a fat bike and threw a cheap rack on the back, and now it's my primary mode of transport in and out of the woods.
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Old 07-10-16, 06:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Inpd
Interesting. I found cycling put me off swimming. Why? Because swimming became monotonous and boring looking at the bottom of the pool hours on end. I used to swim a lot!

I actually enjoy looking at the bottom of the pool, provided it is an outdoor pool and it is nice out. I like to zone out and let my mind wander. Can't zone out during my usual after work ride in rush hour traffic. Swimming is also a much better all body workout. I get much leaner swimming 2k meters/day than I do cycling 30-35 miles/day.

Last edited by TheGMan; 07-10-16 at 07:20 PM.
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Old 07-10-16, 06:32 PM
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Cycling has cut into my trap shooting but not so much into handgun.
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Old 07-10-16, 06:46 PM
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Is baseball a sport or a game? They don't do much more than golfers, do they?
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Old 07-10-16, 10:15 PM
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Originally Posted by PepeM
Is baseball a sport or a game? They don't do much more than golfers, do they?
Communist.
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Old 07-10-16, 10:38 PM
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Originally Posted by BillyD
I hate to be the one to immediately take this off track, but golf only marginally qualifies as a sport. It's a stretch, a technicality, a culturally accepted norm to classify it a sport. Real athletes play golf when they retire, because of the competitive aspect, but not because it's strenuous in any way.

Just my 2 cents. Obviously others disagree.
I think it is enough of a sport that getting to ride in a cart while others have to walk makes a difference. Like you can tool along in cycling, you can do rec golf. But like baseball, the better players get there because of talent and physical practice. Since it requires lots of physical practice to be near the best, it is a sport.
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Old 07-10-16, 10:40 PM
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Rifle is a NCAA (college) sport. Some of those college kids that shoot are pretty fit.
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Old 07-10-16, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Doge
I think it is enough of a sport that getting to ride in a cart while others have to walk makes a difference. Like you can tool along in cycling, you can do rec golf. But like baseball, the better players get there because of talent and physical practice. Since it requires lots of physical practice to be near the best, it is a sport.
So that would make horseshoes or darts a sport?
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Old 07-10-16, 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted by woodcraft
Cycling has seriously cut into my climbing.

The good climbing is 3-4 hr drive, while the good cycling

is out the front door.

There's also a GF factor- that works better if I'm not gone too many weekends.
Cycling cuts into my spring/fall climbing, climbing cuts into winter snowboard/splitboarding, and splitboarding cuts into early season cycle training. Then the cycle continues. The end result is being mediocre at all of them at any given time
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Old 07-10-16, 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted by adamhenry
So that would make horseshoes or darts a sport?
I would think so. It may not be competitive as so few train for it, but both require physical practice.

You could, I guess say to be a sport say one has to have a HR of 3X resting to be a sport, or you could say a certain amount of power is required.

For me, if:
- It has published rules of competition and judges/refs/officials for them
- requires physical skill and physical training to win
Then - it is a sport.

So while tree climbing also requires physical ability, it has not been formalized and therefore is not a sport.
Non competitive bike riding is also not a sport - it is recreation even if the HR is 180 BPM. Just like a gym class is also not a sport.
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Old 07-10-16, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by redlude97
Cycling cuts into my spring/fall climbing, climbing cuts into winter snowboard/splitboarding, and splitboarding cuts into early season cycle training. Then the cycle continues. The end result is being mediocre at all of them at any given time

Next year they're coming out with a fat splitbike (splatbike).

That'll tie it all together.
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Old 07-10-16, 11:47 PM
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Cycling has definitely increased my overall fitness but it was killing my upper body strength. I ride 50/50 on mountain and road and I wasn't doing the upper body workouts that I use to do. I use to mainly rock climb and backpack. Since I didn't do much cross training, any sport that required upper body strength suffered. Obviously climbing suffered but also swinging a club or bat. I also started getting shoulder pain which I first thought was tendinitis from 20+ years of climbing. It turned out that wasn't it, it was due to under developed back muscles and the constant impacts to my shoulders from riding my cross bike on dirt fire roads and general road and trail riding. Since cycling is so singularly focused on lower body strength, I had to start doing upper body work to balance myself out. Climbing, especially back country climbing routes, offer a much better all around workout.
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Old 07-11-16, 05:42 AM
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Several people have mentioned climbing and hiking. I have watched competitive climbing where it is race to complete the obstacles. But what is competitive hiking? I assume it is a race with some type of orientation. Are there rules to keep it from turning into a trail run?

Or am I completely off base and we are saying sports do not need to be competitive
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