Originally Posted by
RecceDG
I disagree.
While it is unquestionably true that some people will have a genetic advantage (and some people will have a genetic disadvantage) the majority of people will have sufficient genetic potential to be able to perform within the top percentile. ...
Two problems:
1) top percentil of cyclists doesn't make you "elite". I think you can make a pretty good case that being a good Cat3, or certainly a Cat2, puts you in the top 1% of people who ride bicycles with some regularity. However, the jump from Cat 2 to European Pro is huge.
2) No amount of training, motivation, coaching, etc. can overcome a genetic disadvantage in cycling at a Professional level. The people that rise to that level all train extremely hard. If you're genetically inferior, you're simply not going to be fast enough to keep up with people that train as hard and as long and as smart as you do, but have higher natural geneitc limits.
Most of us are not approaching our theoretical limits, and we can improve, and even win with less natural talent than the other guy, by getting a greater percentage of our potential. That quits working when everyone is on the edge of their maximum capability.
Sorry to rain on the Walter Middy parade.