# Who's the biggest?



## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

I was curious who the largest professional road racer is and what are their stats?

The reason I ask is I am 5'09" 205lbs (not fat) and getting my arse handed to me on a consistant basis. I was looking for a mentor so to speak? Thought I might try to mirror what they do.

So who is it?


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## Kris Flatlander (Sep 9, 2006)

I believe it's Magnus Backstedt. He's 6'4 210 lbs.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Yeah,*

Magnus is the biggest I've heard of. I've always assumed his parents gave him that name (Latin for "big") because he was really big at birth.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Pwnt said:


> I was curious who the largest professional road racer is and what are their stats?
> 
> The reason I ask is I am 5'09" 205lbs (not fat) and getting my arse handed to me on a consistant basis. I was looking for a mentor so to speak? Thought I might try to mirror what they do.
> 
> So who is it?


If you are trying to compare yourself to the pro's you are WAY to big for your height. Most pro's that are 5' 9" tall would be in the 135-150 pound range...and 150 may be stretching it a little.

So figure you would need to lose 55 pounds or more to have the "Pro Look"....However, that's not necessarily the best thing in the world to be.


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

Pwnt said:


> The reason I ask is I am 5'09" 205lbs (not fat) and getting my arse handed to me on a consistant basis. I was looking for a mentor so to speak? Thought I might try to mirror what they do.


"What they do" is ride an awful, awful lot. You may be "not fat", but 205 lbs at 5'9 is definitely above average for an American male. If you lose weight, your performance will improve proportionally. Look in the "What is your height and Weight" thread in the Racing, Training etc. forum; you'll get an idea of how people look on this forum. 

For reference, http://teamhealthnet.com/team/
Most of the guys on that team who are ~5' 9" are around 150. They are one of the better domestic Pro teams. That said, the pure climbers on the team, (Zajicek, Cooke) are lighter.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

I'm 5'8" and 145lbs, and still a fat ass according to a local pro.

Granted, he's a friend and can get away with saying that to me...


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## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

Not sure I can lose that kinda weight without removing an appendage or two. So what are the big guys good for on a team? Keeping the crowds back? Lifting heavy things?


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

Pwnt said:


> Not sure I can lose that kinda weight without removing an appendage or two. So what are the big guys good for on a team? Keeping the crowds back? Lifting heavy things?


Keeping the wheels turning on the cobbles. 
Big guys are typically the engines on the flats. It's no fun being the 130lb climber in a strong crosswind. 
By the way, Eros Poli won Alpe d'Huez some years back and he was 189lb. 
Of course he had around 30 minutes advantage at the base of the climb and he won with a minute or so. (rough numbers statistics nerds).


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## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

den bakker said:


> Keeping the wheels turning on the cobbles.
> Big guys are typically the engines on the flats. It's no fun being the 130lb climber in a strong crosswind.
> By the way, Eros Poli won Alpe d'Huez some years back and he was 189lb.
> Of course he had around 30 minutes advantage at the base of the climb and he won with a minute or so. (rough numbers statistics nerds).


Correction.
I believe he won the Mont Ventoux stage not the Alpe d'Huez.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

cpark said:


> Correction.
> I believe he won the Mont Ventoux stage not the Alpe d'Huez.


correct. 
and it was a 20 minute gap.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

Michel Zanoli was the biggest pro cyclist I've heard of. he was a monster, 6'5" or 6'6" well over 200lbs. Most famous for punching Davis Phinney in the face during a sprint (and getting fired on the spot for it). Won core states one year. Died of a heart attack at 35....


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## allons-y (Nov 15, 2006)

marcel sieburg is up there @ 6'5".....though he weighs in at a mere 175 according to velobios.com (no stats on the high road site)


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Look up Mike Freidman on the Slipstream team. He's 5'9" and probably 180, his nickname is "meatball". If you're 5'9"/205lb then you've got plenty of muscle and if you're getting dropped on flat road then you need to ride alot and get your aerobic fitness up to a level that will allow you to sustain hard efforts and feed those muscles. Odds are, your weight will drop and suddenly you'll be a better climber too.


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## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

Thor Hushovd is pretty big too. According to wikipedia he is 6'0 and 180 pounds. He looks bigger though. I'll bet there are some heavy guys on the track. I saw a picture of Chris Hoy last week, and that guy has freaking monster quads. According to his website he is roughly 6'0" and 202 pounds.


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

stevesbike said:


> Michel Zanoli was the biggest pro cyclist I've heard of. he was a monster, 6'5" or 6'6" well over 200lbs. Most famous for punching Davis Phinney in the face during a sprint (and getting fired on the spot for it). Won core states one year. Died of a heart attack at 35....


Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

Mike Friedman is another good example; though as a heavier rider (the Slipstream site says 170) he is better suited to track events, and that's where he has had the most success.


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## slowdave (Nov 29, 2005)

Shaun Eddie is a monster on the track, makes Chris Hoy look like a climber. But trackies dont have to climb.


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## mik (Jan 15, 2008)

*andre sosenka*

andre sosenka Czech pro who set hour record (49.7km's or 30.8 miles) on the track in 2005 beating Chris Boardman's previous mark...Listed at 6' 6" and 177lbs


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## bikeguy0 (Sep 23, 2007)

Cyclists are generally small people. I believe Tom Zirbel of Bissell is 6' and like 185. Exactly what I weigh but I bet he puts out another 100-150 watts more than I do. I just read something that over about 155 lbs the additional weight in muscle mass is not proportional to the power produced. Meaning that you might put out 30 more watts at 170 lbs but the 15 lbs will slow you down more than 30 watts on a climb. Not sure if there is any truth to that.


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## fleck (Mar 25, 2005)

for cycling you're tugging around a lot of extra weight, be it muscle weight or whatever.

You should be a motor on the flats, if not, the aerobic engine needs work.

Big guys tend to do well in track races or in crits (as long as they can make it to the sprint)

But we're talking about very well trained people here. Most of us, 'body type' isn't going to over power good solid fitness.
I've seen big guys climb well and little guys sprint like the dickens.

This is why until you're at a pro level one should never think of themselves as a "climber" "sprinter" "rouler" etc. Those true traits will never be evident until we are working on that last 2% of fitness. The rest of us just need to train our weaknesses.


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## Sprocket - Matt (Sep 13, 2005)

PWNT.
I think it comes down to what you want to be good at as well...
Big guys, like was stated before, are the power of the peloton.
They are the Sprinters, The workhorses...

Look at what the biggest guys are doing for their teams and mimic that if you feel it's for you... Maybe it's your racing style too, maybe you're a 200 lb. rider trying to attack when the climbers do, you're not gonna win that way... But inversely, you might be able to drop those climbers in any sprint of 1000 yards or less, any day of the week.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I've met Thor*

he looks bigger on TV. in person he looks pretty svelte. then again, I'm bigger than Magnus


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

atpjunkie said:


> he looks bigger on TV. in person he looks pretty svelte. then again, I'm bigger than Magnus


Dayum you're big!


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Wookiebiker said:


> If you are trying to compare yourself to the pro's you are WAY to big for your height. Most pro's that are 5' 9" tall would be in the 135-150 pound range...and 150 may be stretching it a little.
> 
> So figure you would need to lose 55 pounds or more to have the "Pro Look"....However, that's not necessarily the best thing in the world to be.


I guess I'm right at the weight class at 5"9 and 132 then


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Everybody's different, but . . .*

To the original poster: you may consider yourself "not fat," and maybe your body type is such that you're not (big bone structure, lots of muscle mass, maybe). But standard Body Mass Index calculations show you way up in the "overweight" range, borderline "obese." 

No disrespect intended, really. But if you want to have your arse handed to you less consistently, your best course of action probably is to ride a lot more and lose significant weight.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

atpjunkie said:


> he looks bigger on TV. in person he looks pretty svelte. then again, I'm bigger than Magnus


Merckx was bigger that Jesus.


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## thebadger (Jul 27, 2002)

cpark said:


> Correction.
> I believe he won the Mont Ventoux stage not the Alpe d'Huez.
> 
> 
> ...


and did not finish atop Ventoux


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Pwnt said:


> The reason I ask is I am 5'09" 205lbs (not fat) and getting my arse handed to me on a consistant basis. I was looking for a mentor so to speak? Thought I might try to mirror what they do.


You can't really compare yourself to the pros without a lot of additional considerations. They train all the time; it's their job. They're at the peak of their game (or darn close). We're (more) normal and have other life considerations and a lot of room to improve.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*Poli*



thebadger said:


> and did not finish atop Ventoux


That's right. He had 20 minutes at the bottom of the climb, gave up all but one minute by the summit, and stayed away on the descent and flat run to the finish. It was a lovely moment. The man was in tears at the end.


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## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

Pablo said:


> You can't really compare yourself to the pros without a lot of additional considerations. They train all the time; it's their job. They're at the peak of their game (or darn close). We're (more) normal and have other life considerations and a lot of room to improve.


It's not a comparison as much as a modeling. If I were to join a local team\club, how would I best serve them to be the best "big guy" or "work horse" I can be? That is all I was askin'.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

Pwnt said:


> It's not a comparison as much as a modeling. If I were to join a local team\club, how would I best serve them to be the best "big guy" or "work horse" I can be? That is all I was askin'.



Think of yourself as the the team puller on the flats. At 6'5" 250lbs I drag everyone on the flats down the island in a headwind. They love me.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Pwnt said:


> It's not a comparison as much as a modeling. If I were to join a local team\club, how would I best serve them to be the best "big guy" or "work horse" I can be? That is all I was askin'.


That's my point--it's not a helpful comparison. 

For example, I am 5'10" and weigh 165-170 lbs. By professional standards, I'm a fat man and could only realistically ride on flatter and rolling courses. However, this professional analysis doesn't meld with my experience as a Cat 3 or 4-type guy in Colorado. I drop a lot of people on hilly courses and climbs and I stuggle to hang with big powerful guys on flats. 

In the ameatur level, (from everything I've read and absorbed), which we're all at (unless we're talking about Argentus), there are a lot more significant factors than body type. Just ride, see how things shake out, and do what you can while forking on your weaknesses.


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## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

I get what yer sayin! Really I do. I was just curious of what my place was in all of this and where my focus should be. If my body type is best suited for pulling and sprints then thats probably where my focus needs to be, but not ignoring the climbing training. Cause ya gotta be there for the sprint at the end, other wise its all for not. Correct?


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## bmxhacksaw (Mar 26, 2008)

jupiterrn said:


> Think of yourself as the the team puller on the flats. At 6'5" 250lbs I drag everyone on the flats down the island in a headwind. They love me.


I love riding behind Chuck. He's like 6' 7" and 300 lbs. 'cept it's kinda like riding during an eclipse.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*I think you've got your answers*




Pwnt said:


> I get what yer sayin! Really I do. I was just curious of what my place was in all of this and where my focus should be. If my body type is best suited for pulling and sprints then thats probably where my focus needs to be, but not ignoring the climbing training. Cause ya gotta be there for the sprint at the end, other wise its all for not. Correct?


If you're looking for a "role" on a team, that's it. You pull in the big long efforts on the flats (I think they'd call you a _rouleur_ in France), and try to be there for the sprints, maybe as the last guy in the leadout train. On the climbs, you just try to hang as well as you can. 

Oh, and you might want to work hard on your descending skills. Big guys who are good at that can sometimes make up significant time on the downhills, and it's no doubt fun to blow past some of those skinny climbers who passed you on the way up. It doesn't seem to be an easy thing to acquire, however. The very best descenders seem to be some (not all) of those same skinny climbers, like Paolo "Il Falco" Savoldelli.


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

That Standard Body Mass Index gets thrown out the window when it comes to athletes since they are NOT standard. Depending on the sport, muscle mass weighs more than fat so don't ever use it to compare in shape good athletes. Not the remote control - arm chair quarterback type of athlete mind you.

evs (hoping Pwnt isn't a meatball


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Pwnt said:


> I get what yer sayin! Really I do. I was just curious of what my place was in all of this and where my focus should be. If my body type is best suited for pulling and sprints then thats probably where my focus needs to be, but not ignoring the climbing training. Cause ya gotta be there for the sprint at the end, other wise its all for not. Correct?


I gotcha, but you also need to consider that until you get to Cat.3 and above, amaeter road racing really doesn't resemble pro racing very much as far as team tactics go.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

atpjunkie said:


> he looks bigger on TV. in person he looks pretty svelte. then again, I'm bigger than Magnus


Maggie is a beanpole compared to normal humans. 

I'm probably bigger than atp as well. 6'5" and 230lbs (+/- 10lbs) here. I climb like a fully loaded semi. But I catch 'em all on the descent :thumbsup: 

Axel Merckx is pretty tall too. I think he is close to 6'7"?


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## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

evs said:


> That Standard Body Mass Index gets thrown out the window when it comes to athletes since they are NOT standard. Depending on the sport, muscle mass weighs more than fat so don't ever use it to compare in shape good athletes. Not the remote control - arm chair quarterback type of athlete mind you.
> 
> evs *(hoping Pwnt isn't a meatball *


Meatball, yes! But not in that context. :lol:


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Pwnt said:


> Not sure I can lose that kinda weight without removing an appendage or two...


Forget about pro cycling and get into porn- put those heavy appendages to work in an industry where they're more than dead weight


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Pablo said:


> In the ameatur level, (from everything I've read and absorbed), which we're all at (unless we're talking about Argentus), there are a lot more significant factors than body type.


Like our doping programs. I keep looking for practical advice in The Doping Forum- best drugs, avoiding doping controls, etc., but all they want to do is talk about Lance Armstrong.  
What ever happened to 'Better Cycling Through Chemistry'?


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

California L33 said:


> Like our doping programs. I keep looking for practical advice in The Doping Forum- best drugs, avoiding doping controls, etc., but all they want to do is talk about Lance Armstrong.
> What ever happened to 'Better Cycling Through Chemistry'?


Not my area of expertise. The closest I come to doping is espresso and scones.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

Climbing hint for larger racers- be sure you're at the front when you hit the climb. Slide to the back as you go up the hill.


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## flanman (Jul 7, 2006)

Have a look at this graph

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2006/rider_weights

Bear in mind that team websites tend to overstate weights by a few pounds. Also, pro riders on the American circuit, in general, tend to be a bit bigger. I think that this is because of the large number of crits and limited amount of mountainous races. Thus someone like Karl Menzies is able to win the NRC rankings.

It's my perception that ProTour-level riders have gotten skinnier since the Merckx days. Anyone know the weights of Eddy, Anquetil, Hinault etc. in their prime? 

otoh, Lance's weight during his TdF wins seems relatively high. Around 160 lbs for a 5'9.5" guy. see Coyle's study http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/98/6/2191

And, of course, Big Mig was Big Mig. General thinking is that Lance and Mig were able to limit losses on climbs and crush people in the TTs.

Food for thought. Not sure how relevant it is to us Cat4 earthbound mortals.


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