Originally Posted by
Picchio Special
My point was that Northern Europeans in particular are taller than they were when Merckx rode, partly attributable to better nutrition during childhood development. I don't think it's a stretch to at least tentatively conclude that if they're growing up taller, they might well be growing up stronger as well, and with more athletic potential. Unless they intend to be jockeys.
This brings up an interesting point. When the Rolling Stones first toured the US in 1964, Keith Richards noted that so many Americans were BIGGER than they and most of the people they knew were. He attributed it to the fact that because of the war most British children of his generation, the war babies, were malnourished.
As England and Europe from the wreckage of the WWII, the general public health improved and rate of growth of average stature in Europe increased as average stature of North Americans seems to have hit a plateau. Draw your own conclusions.
Merckx, born during the tail end of the war, was relatively tall and robust for his era.