http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/apr04/georgia04/index.php?id=stage4/jd_tdg_stage4_17
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A) It was from April 2004
B) Most cyclists look like they have a gut when in an aero position. Go look at pics of Indurain.
there was a thread a while back explaning some new breathing technique that if caught at the right second shows most TT riders with a gut. is that true?
It is. Andy Hampsten had a belly breathing gut and he was a rail-thin guy.
His lungs are still bigger than my whole car.
and a nut.
Saw a TV show the other night with Lance without a shirt. His freakin’ lungs are so big he looked barrel chested…and just as bad from the rear.
aerojunkie2,
You need to study up on breathing and lung capacity and how aero positions can impact breathing and lung capacity.
You willl discover a term called belly breathing. You will also discover that the lung capacity of most elite cyclists and athletes,for that matter, is unusually large compared to most recreational athletes.
Now when you are doubled over in the aero position, how are you going to inflate your lungs to capacity? Would you consider expanding your abdomen to draw air into your lungs? I didn’t think you would. That is one more reason LA would kick your ass on the bike. (The sum of all the little advantages plus the big ones too!)
On a side note, many recreational cyclists/racers try to get more lower/more aero in a never ending quest. Examine how low LA is. One of the things that should be learned from this is the importance of not restricting breathing to the point of limiting one’s effort. This is a part of optimizing one’s position. Breathing is a critical issue as is power output and drag.
“That is one more reason LA would kick your ass on the bike”
you really think that i had any doubt in my mind that Lance Armstrong
couldn`t kick my ass on the bike?
Ben,
It’s funny. All those pictures people posted of Jan Ullrich looking like he had a huge gut on the bike is what led me to read about belly breathing. Since then, much more comfortable breathing on the bike, much fewer issues with cramping in the abdomen, and generally more powerful. Diaphragmatic breathing makes a HUGE difference in performance, but yes, it does make you look fat…
Yeah, wow, i actually realized this afew weeks ago without ever reading about it. I feel lile heni do it my legs feel a little better after each breath. It is simply amazing.
3 cheers for form!!!
You mean this pic? I don’t thin so.
