I am fairly new to this board, so I don't know Ric. I just know what's worked for me and those around me. The guys that I have biked with have all improved with weight lifting. We may have lifted for pure football strength, but that helped us become better overall athletes. I started lifting for more lean muscle mass lately, and I have seen some good results. Instead of a usual 10 minute lag in my 23 mile course when there was high wind, I've dropped it to around 5. Lean muscle is what endurance athletes thrive off of. There is a difference between lean muscle and plain bulk. Just like there's a difference between fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers for all you sprinters and distance runners. Lean muscle makes you a more efficient fat burner as well as allowing you to have high output for longer periods of time. Most coaches and trainers I have talked to believe that strength training is good for all athletes, and they can tailor different programs for different sports. Good example, an NCAA Division 1 cross country runner came out of this area this year. The college coaches told him that he'd be leaps and bounds better if he got into the weightroom on a runner-specific weight program. Even a long, lean, experienced, state winning runner needs a weight program that won't put on bulk, but strengthens his core and legs. Oh yeah, dnvrfox I kind of knew you were kidding, but in case you weren't I waranted my answer .