Originally Posted by
Commodus
Your fitness doesn't change how much you sweat, but it does change your definition of 'slow'. A new rider may well be working hard, and sweating appropriately, at 25 km/h. A trained rider will be casually carrying on a conversation and dry. I see it all the time when I'm out with my friends who don't cycle regularly.
Of course if it's just hot out, maybe you're sweating sitting in a lazy boy.
This seems to be an interesting question being contended here. A serious ex-volleyball player friend of mine once helped me with my motorbike racing fitness regiment. Even outside his own regular routine, he could beat the pants off me in just about any form of cardio. He did specifically say to me that sweating was a good sign from the overall fitness level perspective. Obviously different people may sweat more than one another, but his point was that for an individual, sweating generally comes with a good cardio balance. Even for the same level of intensity, you could expect yourself to sweat more as you got in better shape. Anyone here with any medical or scientific chops wanna chime in on this smelly subject?