I'm old wine in a new wine skin; no electronics for me, thank you very much!

Anything over 20 miles I need to eat.

Whereas I'm a youngster in a rode hard and put away wet ol hide...

It's not a matter of politics or luck.

Who doesn't have a friend of family member that struggles with weight? Imagine if that was their photo.

Greg LeMond looks like a normal dude to me. I ride with several guys who are built about like Greg. They can all kick my butt on climbs. I'm among the thinnest of most of the folks my age with whom I ride (I'm 5'11", 160 lbs, only 5-10 lbs about my amateur boxing optimal weight). I still can't climb worth a damn. The folks with a comfortable middle age pudge seem stronger. I got up to 205 lbs several years ago after car wreck injuries kept me on a walking cane for years. Hard to get back down to normal weight on just diet alone.

My background is boxing and if you watch enough before/after photos and videos you realize how much martial artists sacrifice to make weight -- boxers, wrestlers, MMA. Many of 'em balloon up between major bouts. You look at Roberto Duran or Naseem Hamed now, it's hard to believe those guys once fought at 125-132 lbs. And they could probably still kick my butt. OTOH, George Foreman lacked stamina at the weight most trainers considered ideal when he was younger. The older Big George had far superior stamina, even with a pudge, although part of that was learning to pace himself better.

Like dedicated cyclists, those guys and gals give up every comfort to strip down to that risky zone between optimal weight and poor health. Chris Froome looks downright skeletal. I'll bet after he retires he'll weigh close to 200 lbs and look perfectly normal to most folks.

OTOH, Lance Armstrong is still pretty ripped. He was here last week, stays in top condition for a guy his age. Ditto some other guys I know my age.

Nobody in my family has ever gotten to the weight of the people shown. But yes, I have obese friends. I did not disparage the people shown. They are what they are as you are and I am. I posted their pictures with reference to Greg Lemond when it was clear they aren't Greg Lemond. It was a joke that you didn't appreciate.


40% of America is clinically obese. Read that again if you are offended by pictures of fat people on the internet. Obesity is part of the reason for the health care crisis in America. People can't or won't control their diet and/or exercise level for weight management. It is what it is including your intolerance and/or denial that people are commonly fat and less commonly fit.

I think "offended" or "intolerant" are inaccurate descriptions in my case. Saddened would fit.

I, and presumably you, are blessed with the genetics that allow us to maintain a cycling weight with reasonable exercise and meal portions.

But I've watched others who work harder than I do and eat way less and who have made good progress, but the battle is all-consuming. It's really difficult, because they don't also have the genetic predisposition to be naturally thin.

So, when someone is participating in our sport and happens to be captured in a photo, good for them.

As a cyclist blessed with the fast and thin genes, it saddens me that it's such a struggle for so many others.

Now, Lemond, being a public figure and celebrity, could reasonably expect his photos to circulate and generate discussion, and he's probably used to it.

But a regular guy or gal could have different expectations or tolerance for public discussion about their photos.

The way the Lampre Guy meme is used breaks my heart.

I am more of a pragmatist and not a sentimentalist though I do cry at sad movies. I believe almost all obesity....at least 99% is self inflicted, not genetic predisposition. Its almost non existent in impoverished countries for example with much greater food scarcity with less fast food.

Here is a Harvard review with references on how body weight is directly related to food intake...what kind of food and quantity. Whether this changes 'your' genetic predisposition theory or not is pretty much up to you. I could be argued that 'will power' to eat the right type of food and amount is a genetic predisposition. People make choices and many people make bad ones when it comes to personal health including a population that smokes, drinks copious alcohol, drink diet soda all day long and bandaid their health with meds:


https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity...et-and-weight/

You went there. All the way there. You an artist. Hats off for going there.

Huge difference for me. On average I do 25-45 miles per ride. I have some oatmeal, pop a caffeine GU and have some gatorade since I sweat a lot.

Oatmeal seems to last longer for me. I don't really drink coffee beforehand, because its too much caffeine and my heart rate cranks up too much. I definitely tried it a few times, and it's not optimal.

If I was riding 10-15 miles, I would probably do empty stomach, but the guys I ride with like to hammer at times, and going 27 MPH for a while at mile 28 or so on an empty stomach - well, I'm simply not good enough for that.

Perhaps you need to be enlightened. Starvation exists today throughout the planet and yes, beyond tragic.

According to the standards of the Physiological Committee of the Section of Hygiene of the League of Nations, a hardworking male requires 4,800 per day caloric intake and average working male more than 3,600 calories.

Weight gain and loss is affected by many factors including hormonal balance and even stress level. Lack of sleep for example can affect this hormone balance and related body weight and 'spare tire' average sedentary males carry around..

Overwhelming, obesity begins in adolescence for many due to improper diet modeled by parents at a young age. This is carried into adulthood. If anybody wants further proof, look no further than the epidemic of obesity in America. Genetic mutation and evolution works very slowly. There has been a dramatic increase in obesity and diabetes in a single generation of Americans. This isn't about genetic predisposition but rather about how people manage their lives starting when they are children....how much sleep they get, how much they work, what kind of food they consume, how sedentary they are in a computer age...and how much and how often they consume sugared beverages and processed food. Skipping meals is a further detriment. Lots of ways to get it wrong.

Pretty sure I don't need any enlightenment, thanks. I attended synagogue alongside congregants who had numbers tattooed on their forearms.

But you're certainly committed to pursuing analogies of dubious value.

Pass the shovel and continue.

Be careful, folks.

You are right. An unfortunate turn.
Shalom.

My oh my, someone has seriously wrecked this thread, haven't they?

Dan

Thank you, and the very same to you.

No. Not really.

I have bonked a couple of times and it was not fun. The first time, I just didn't eat much before or during the ride and at a certain point, I had no power and simply couldn't go any faster. I was on the home stretch, a flat road and could not go over 10mph. "What is wrong with me?" kept playing in my head. I kept stopping to rest but it didn't help. At 3 miles to go, I managed to thumb a ride from some sympathetic folks in a truck that could see I was not well.

The second time, I tried to get by with a Red Bull (first and only time to drink that stuff) at our first rest stop. Several miles later, we had to climb up Skyline Mt. I was doing fine up to a point then I had to pull over to throw up. Then I laid down for a while, ate a Clif bar, then slowly poked my way along.

Eat what you want, eat what you need. Carry extra food, just in case.

And I don't recommend anyone drink Red Bull in lieu of real food.