Serious question - does height matter?
 

In certain sports height gives quite a benefit, for example in swimming, what does research say about cycling?

I do understand that taller guys have more leverage and therefore more power, but they are also heavier typically.. etc

Thoughts?

It's all about the power to weight ratio.

If you have a high ratio and you're tall, then that's good. If you have a high ratio and you're short, then that's good too.

Though, a taller person will need a bigger frame which means higher weight. So a slight penalty I suppose.

Theres also the type of cycling to consider. People who are small and lighter have less to propel up hills. Where as only taller, more heavily built people can pump out the kind of power needed for sprints. Apples and oranges.

I wouldn't say its apples and oranges, it is more like physically different human beings in the same sport.

So would a taller(shorter) person have an easier time achieving a higher power ratio than a shorter(taller) person... I suppose not but at the same time maybe having longer legs and more power is of more advantage than having a lesser weight.

Here's a chart showing height/weight/BMI for the 2007 Pro Tour. Draw your own conclusions.

I have longer legs, and geometry charts are not my friend...
I'm having a heck of a time finding a bike that fits right.

It depends on the discipline. Time trialists are usually taller and heavier. A larger rider is usually able to produce more absolute power and will be fast despite having a lower power/ weight ratio than a pure climber. Taller riders are able to overcome the reduced aerodynamics of having a larger frontal area by producing more power. The relationship between frontal surface area and power is non-linear, and the benefits of higher absolute power often outweigh the costs associated with a larger frame.

Climbers on the other hand benefit almost entirely from power/ weight ratio. Its much easier to put out 6 watts/kg at 65kg (390 watts) than at 80kg (480watts).

For reference Fabian Cancellara is 6ft-1in and Alberto Contador is 5ft-9in.

This is rad. :D

Kind of interesting that you think of pro cyclists as being super skinny, but almost all the dots on that chart are in the normal range. Anyone know who those 2 dots near the 6'6" line are?

Roesems and Sosenka.

"normal" is skinny. "normal" in North America is far into obese.

Cycling has riders of all heights and sizes, traditionally, this meant that certain physiques had certain strengths (small riders, climbing, big riders, sprinting), but this all changed drastically in the 90s with the advent of hormones and other PEDs -many historians of cycling have noted this. Power to weight ratios also changed dramatically in that time over the previous 100 years, which means that either there was as leap in human evolution, or other things are at work.

Hm from the chart it seems to be that 5'11 at around 150pounds is optimal... so you're sort of tall yet light.. damn, i'm 5'6-7 and am at 150 when in shape, if i was at 140-145 i'd be really really fit looking. Oh well sucks for me

Look at the riders in the Pro Tour. Draw conclusions.

You are what you are so be the best you can be.

Okay, enough thinking for one day. Off to lurk on eBay.

So, DR, are you saying that, at 5-9/150 I'm gonna have to juice to get my FTP up to 380 W? You are crushing my hopes!

Wouldn't some of this increase have to do with better training tools?

I agree that some (or most) of the increase has to do with the use of PEDs in the 90s.

Robbie McEwen - 5'7", 147 lbs. - 3 time TDF green jersey winner

That's cool, but it would be even cooler if the dots were colored by how well they finished (black for first, all the way through light yellow for last place).

Apparently I need to lose 20-25 lbs to be in pro tour form. I don't think I have that much fat on me to lose. Do I give up on the dream or try to become an extreme outlier?

Doper.


(Don't mind me, I'm just trolling.)

Um, everyone around 6' tall seems to be around 150lbs...that's skinny in my book!! I've been biking all summer and I'm at around 175lbs. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm losing weight on purpose! Guess I still have a ways to go for "Pro"...that and about 20 years of training, new legs, new lungs...

:p

There has been some nice tools like power meters and fast lactate tests, but they cannot explain why riders are putting out more power all of a sudden within a 2-year period.

The guys drafting off me never seem to mind that I'm 6' 5" and 200+ lbs. :D

That's because of the weight of muscle in the legs/glutes. They are wispy up top, but have more weight than you think below the waist. I'm running into this myself. Had been dropping 5 lbs/month in body fat, then added weight training (squats, leg raises, etc). For the last 2 months my weight has leveled off even though I'm riding just as much. I've put nearly an inch on my guads, though. So the increase of weight of muscle in my legs has offset the loss of body fat the last 2 months.

The pro riders graph kind of shows just how off base the BMI is. Hell there are 5 tour de Frnace rides who are overweight? Like Hell.

Shorter is always better. Stregnth to weight is defiitely on the side of the shorter rider and shorter riders are more aero (or at least they can suck wheels better).