Greg LeMond looks like a normal dude to me. I ride with several guys who are built about like Greg. They can all kick my butt on climbs. I'm among the thinnest of most of the folks my age with whom I ride (I'm 5'11", 160 lbs, only 5-10 lbs about my amateur boxing optimal weight). I still can't climb worth a damn. The folks with a comfortable middle age pudge seem stronger. I got up to 205 lbs several years ago after car wreck injuries kept me on a walking cane for years. Hard to get back down to normal weight on just diet alone.

My background is boxing and if you watch enough before/after photos and videos you realize how much martial artists sacrifice to make weight -- boxers, wrestlers, MMA. Many of 'em balloon up between major bouts. You look at Roberto Duran or Naseem Hamed now, it's hard to believe those guys once fought at 125-132 lbs. And they could probably still kick my butt. OTOH, George Foreman lacked stamina at the weight most trainers considered ideal when he was younger. The older Big George had far superior stamina, even with a pudge, although part of that was learning to pace himself better.

Like dedicated cyclists, those guys and gals give up every comfort to strip down to that risky zone between optimal weight and poor health. Chris Froome looks downright skeletal. I'll bet after he retires he'll weigh close to 200 lbs and look perfectly normal to most folks.

OTOH, Lance Armstrong is still pretty ripped. He was here last week, stays in top condition for a guy his age. Ditto some other guys I know my age.