Originally Posted by
kimconyc
His data. Or, ask anyone on here using a power meter seriously after 5 years. They will hit a limit.
However, you would be correct in assuming racers don't perform at 100% all the time.
You can only increase your VO2Max to your genetic limits. Professional racers (the ones in the grand tours) are already at/near their limits. Drugs allow them to go over that max by significant margins.
It will allow a Cat-1 local hero to make the leap to pro. It will allow a decent power slugger to hit 5 more homeruns. It will not allow you nor I to go pro.
wait, so if i am correct in assuming racer don't perform at 100% all the time, who says that my 100% can't beat someone performing less than their 100%. maybe lance's best could beat my best, but maybe my best can beat his worst (indulge me a little with this example). If Landis was correct in assuming the tactics of the other riders were part of the reason he won stage 17, then physical limitations are hardly proof.
there's a famous quote by roger bannister that goes "It is a paradox to say the human body has no limit. There must be a limit to the speed at which men can run. I feel this may be around 3:30 for the mile. However, another paradox remains - if an athlete manages to run 3:30, another runner could be found to marginally improve on that time"
limitations cannot be measured, mentally or physically. and performance in races is very far from proof of physical limitation