You guys keep talking like our 100 kg with 20kg of fat guy example is at peak fitness or something. The training (along with dieting) that he does to lose that weight is going to more than make of for any loss of muscle mass unless he’s doing something really stupid with his diet.

Example. I went through a fat phase while injured and having other interests in the early 2000’s. I went from 195 down to 160. And guess what. I was a **** of a lot more fit and went uphill and on the flats a hell of a lot faster than when I was 195. FYI, I got underwater weighed at the start and along the way. I did lose some muscle mass along the way. I upped my protein to help combat that issue, but in the end I was riding well and winning races again. A few years later I dropped another 8 pounds or so, kept the same watts and went uphill a lot faster. I figured that 8 pounds was worth about 10 watts on the climb on one of our local road races. (University RR at UC Santa Cruz)

Again, the guy I was replying to in my original reply was a heavy guy who by his post needed to lose weight and regain fitness. A perfect example of someone who should be ENCOURAGED by his potential race weight w/kg because he’s going to gain fitness as he loses the weight. Again, not and already fit and lean Ganna trying to lose 10-15kg to take on Pogacar for GC.