Originally Posted by
hack
Between watching Huff take Land Park and Friedman take Chico, it was impressive seeing those guys do what they do so well. I'm new to the game, so I'm still impressed by that
It impresses me even more now that I've been racing a while. Being able to put down that kind of power/speed is just astonishing to me, and it's more so each time I watch them. It made me realize that a rider needs talent just to have a chance at being so strong; training won't let you double your (trained) FTP for example, and you can't just double your (trained) peak power and become a good sprinter. If it were that easy we'd all be pro level riders.
I don't get to watch the pros very often, whether the Euro level or the domestic ones. I used to make the pilgrimage to Philly for a while and watched Yates win solo among other years, Somerville is pretty amazing, and I got to watch the Worlds in Hamilton. I only started appreciating the speed after I was racing for a few years - the first race I ever watched was the Crit Nationals and the whole experience just overwhelmed me so I didn't walk away with the sensations of extraordinary speed. I simply couldn't relate to it, sort of like watching (in 3rd person) a motorcycle race but never having ridden a motorcycle.
I'm always amazed at how fast they go, how fast they're turning the big gears. It's just incredible. It's hard to capture that sensation of effortless speed at a local race because no one can go that fast that effortlessly. The few times a rider does that they look like they're riding a motorcycle (and I read about them getting a contract later).