Can't we all agree that very probably it's a combination of both environment and genetics. I think in scientific circles this argument is called "Nature vs. Nurture". It's been going on for centuries. Fact is that every race on this planet right now has survived through the millenia by adapting to their environments. The pasty, blond white guy is more suited to survive in northern environments than the tall skinny, emaciated looking black man from Kenya, and vice a versa. Before going off on me, also remember that we have evolved without the advent of air conditioning and central heat and all these nice luxuries that we have today. Those are very new to the world. The human body is an amazing animal, as is every other creature on this planet. Take dogs, some breeds are smarter than others, some are bigger, some have a better sense of smell, etc. They've adapted to their environment. Now I'm not talking about grandma's poodle. But the difference between a timber wolf, a coyote, a dingo, and a hyena are considerable, when you think about it. But you'd better not play the race card with a dog. You'll have PETA all over you in a heartbeat stating that all dogs are equal. So, yes certain races are better adapted to certain environments and certain "strains" on the body. "Strains" defined as what good ole Mother Nature throws at us.

I love it when a particular group (we'll call them group A) will jump on a statement like "group A has a quicker mental reaction time than group B" but will get offended when a statement like "group B has a greater physical prowess than group A". These are simplified obviously, but the point remains.

Lance Armstrong, Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault, Eddie Merckx, etc, are phenominal athletes. They trained hard, beat their bodies into the ground, and succeeded. It didn't come easy to them. But, look at them, none of them had football player musculoskeletal type frames. They inherited their body types from their parents, just like their eye color, hair color, etc. A Kenyan marathoner is exactly the same. They don't possess the type of frame needed to play football, but then again Jerome Bettis doesn't possess the frame to be a world class marathoner. Kenyans choose to run and make it an extreme priority in their society, and that's why they dominate the running world. Europeans choose to cycle, Americans choose football, Dominicans choose baseball, Canadians choose hockey, and the list goes on. We succeed at what we're motivated to succeed at as a society.

It's my opinion that everybody can succeed at something (lacking any physical/mental handicaps), if they possess the drive to succeed in that something. There will always be somebody better though. Lance Armstrong is the best we know of right now. Who's to say there's not somebody toodling down a dirt road in Cambodia that couldn't destroy Lance if given the same tools and training.