hehe..
yeah, i'm just as ignorant as j.foster on this but i think it's just fantastic that pros are such studs when it comes to conditioning and ability.

another fun thing to consider is just how wildly fit the ppl on this board are or in your own city. you can play pickup basketball your whole life and not have somebody just roll up who's like NCAA division 1 starting center or something like that. but if you ride regularly at all you don't have to be out there too long before you get passed by some random cat 1/2 person out training or something and it's just as drastic a difference.

i think that's one of the great things about cycling: even in a non-organized context it can take ppl with different gifts and body types and carry them to a high level of performance - and it just seems to go on forever. you don't often see a 50yr old at one of those pickup basketball games either, but i get passed by 50yr old roadies all the time! =)