If you actively train to improve your performance -- and you track that performance -- I'd say those are the things that move you over into the athlete category.

By that definition, it seems to me that you're an athlete.

meh… fair… I can see that too..

Love the quote 😂 …you have to remind some people you WOULD consider athletes that sometimes.. there are no places for burning your legs to the ground and showing everyone how strong you are.. only where you finish across the line!

That’s where I’m kinda at too… systematic training for performance.. but I think I’ve used it to mean what people ARE rather than they DO as well 🤷🏽‍♂️

I see athleticism as being spectrum, rather than just something you are or you aren't. I'd say the ones that aren't athletes are the ones that are just sitting on the couch, pissing their lives away. On the opposite end of the spectrum, lie the people that are both physiologically gifted and who put in the work. The rest of us are scattered in between.

In my own case, I do have some things that are beneficial for cycling performance(lung volume, hip mobility, femur length,) yet I also have an over-built musculoskeletal system that that would be more beneficial for a contact sport. Despite having a build that would be great for many stick and ball sports, my poor coordination means that I've pretty much sucked at every conventional sport I've tried. Get me on a MTB in technical terrain, I feel poised...put me on a basketball court and I have the foot work of a baby deer.

^^ footwork of a baby deer - I can sympathize with that.

I walked into HS, freshman year - 6' 225# solid muscle. I worked offshore on fishing boats (yep, as a 14 year old - the old days of child labor!!) and just packed on muscle. Coupled with riding BMX freestyle in my off time - just packed on more muscle.

Football coach wanted me, wrestling coach wanted me - so I joined up. BAD, BAD decision. I can finish my 40 yard dash - well, maybe tomorrow. Slow isn't even the word for it, uncoordinated isn't even the word for it. BAD is the word for it. But strong - in HS I could meet the NFL linebacker strength requirements... Linebacker have the strength, the speed of a sprinter, the agility of a gymnast - all wrapped up into one package - an athlete.

I tried power lifting, with bench press as my specialty... but I couldn't hang with the true athletes.

I get the spectrum. I get that we/I are doing athletic stuff - I personally leave the definition for those born with special abilities.

I'm going to be the nerd here and say that "athlete" comes from the greek word "ἆθλος", which translates to a contest for a prize or award.

That said, I'd consider anybody who is consistently striving to improve body composition and physical performance with diet and exercise as an athlete, because we can always compete against ourselves and we can always regard health as a prize to compete for.

I guess my line of thinking comes from just that wide disparity of abilities among even elite-level competitors. As someone who races gravel and MTB at a semi-professional level, most would probably call me an athlete. Yet, there is no timeline or version of this universe that has me even carrying bidons in a WT squad. Even any chance of getting a small paycheck for racing, would've involved seriously training 20 years ago, when I still had youth and the time available to commit to such endeavors. I sometimes get a bit of impostor syndrome with the company I race with, so I don't want to be casting shade on whatever slower riders might be chasing. Comparison is the thief of joy and I applaud anyone that is getting out of their fitness comfort zone.

As far as the coordination, I think that's why I always gravitated to 2 wheel sports. I learn to ride a bike at a very young age, but struggled at any conventional sports. I used to compete in offroad motorcycle racing and moto trials, being on some sort of bike is when I don't feel like a complete klutz. That eventually transitioned into bicycle racing. Even as a competitive person, the racing isn't necessarily the fun part for me. I really enjoy the process of training and improving. Besides that, just going out for a ride is incredibly fun for me.

Yep, you win the BF Nerd of the Day prize. Spelling it out in actual Greek, well, that's just showing off.

Bringing this thread back up, because I've noticed something similar. The last two years, I keep seeing HR numbers a lot lower than I'd have expected for the speeds I'm going. A bit of context - before the Pandemic I was doing about 1000-1500 miles a year, all outdoors. In mid-2020, what with WFH, I started riding a lot more. 2021 and 2022 were both over 6000 miles, 2023 - 2025, between 4500 and 5500/year. I used intervals.icu to plot Power vs HR for every year since 2021. CLEARLY there's a big change between pre-2025 and post 2025.


Doing FTP tests (used to do Ramp, but more recently The Grade on Zwift), I get the pretty much the same number.

This is all indoor rides, on a Smart trainer, but I feel the same thing outdoors - at the same RPE,and the same speed, my HR is a good bit lower. I don't feel any change in fitness/ability. That is, mostly I'm doing the same times on the same routes, feeling like I'm working about as hard, but instead of 150 bpm, I'm seeing 135. Of course this plays merry hell with HR zones, which I need to go back and refigure.

Terry and I are about the same age, BTW.