Physiosteve:

CMon fatties giv it too em….!

Give what to us? Their cakes? I can assure you that is not going to happen.

I know its powere to weight ratio, and the steeper it is the more affect it has but on TT’s or gentle inclines its not that much of a disadvantage espesh if your quite aerodynamic (have i just contradicted myself there….?)

Erm, yes. 😕

If, by ‘fat’, you mean ‘a bit tubby'(as distinct from propperly obese), then you’re not going to be as mechanically efficient as a lean person.

How many ‘fat’ pro cyclists are there?

Not a dig at larger bods; but it is the more athletically built, that are naturally suited to sports such as cycling.

At a svelte 9 stone, my aerodynamic coefficient, combined with my power to weight ratio, plus needing less calories, makes me more efficient than someone ‘fatter’.

Don’t employ me on your tug-of-war team, though. Complete waste of time…

How can a fat person be aerodynamic? How often do you hear of aircraft designers adding a whacking great big round bit of metal to an aircraft to make it faster? Whilst I’m aware of the area rule principle adding girth to certain aircraft designs it doesn’t really work at the significantly slower speed the average pasty smuggler rides at.
Still, at least fat folks on bikes are trying to do something to combat their mouth/hand proximity issues.

When I’m in Spain I always see retired blokes our for a Sunday ride on their road bikes and the majority have a heft of girth at their waist, but from there down it all looks eficient and lean.

When I look at them I only hope that I’ll be like them at that age if I can’t ride a MTB for some reason.

(9.5st)

A lot of people with a lot more around the tummy than I have are clearly stronger than I am. I have to draw them into the hills and yo-yo them off my back wheel on the relentless cols of Surrey.

On the disgustingness of fat people or indeed regular people squeezed into lycra, it’s a matter of taste and whether the wearer cares. Personally, I’d much prefer to do my training and club runs in something more casual (Tweeds perhaps?) but I suspect someone on here would have a problem with that an all… 😉

BigDummy:

…..I’d much prefer to do my training and club runs in something more casual (Tweeds perhaps?) but I suspect someone on here would have a problem with that an all…

If you had a riding club that went out in tweed, I sir, would salute you as you rode past!

At a svelte 9 stone, my aerodynamic coefficient, combined with my power to weight ratio, plus needing less calories, makes me more efficient than someone ‘fatter’.

Ahh, but you smoke and although I’m 15 stone, you know I can whup yo’ skinny ass whenever I feel like it!
Plus I can eat and store more calories than you to keep going longer….

😛

very poor troll jambo, up to your usual standard

Back to the original post though, at least they are out on a bike.
Is that not good then ?
Have we come to the point that how you look is now more important than what you do…

I recall one chap boasting about being 9st…
Hahahaha…
9st. FFS.
9st.
Hahaaaaha.

You say “come to the point” like it might be a new thing…

😉

I think there’s something rather heroic about a big fat bloke on a road bike. I’d like to think that the majority of cyclists do it because they enjoy it, not because they’ve made some half-assed assessment of what discipline best suits their body type.

I know some “big riders” and whilst they may not do so well on the hills, on the flats they’ll motor. Some of you guys should come and laugh at them and then see how far you get – in some of the groups I ride with there’re ex members of Olympic/Commonwealth teams and former National level riders who’ve chosen the more relaxed attitude to life but will still rip your legs off given half a chance.

Even at my fittest (at the end of ‘serious’ marathon training, running 50+ miles a a week) I had a BMI of 26.4 = overweight. I am suited to rugby or some sort of wrestling, I suppose.

Unfortunately I actually enjoy running and cycling.

I’m a fat lad.

And I ride a road Bike.

Yes, I get dropped in the hills everytime, but WGAF. I ride a bike ‘cos I enjoy riding my Bike.

Apologies if I don’t fit in.

16.5 stone (6’2″)when I first started riding a road bike in lycra, now just under 14 stone and keeping up with younger skinnier riders at MTB enduros, and I’m riding my first 24 hour solo in May.

Be careful who you laugh at, you don’t know who you might meet on the way down.

😉

regardless of the aesthetics of the situation I’m always surprised that people seem happy to say ‘I know I have too much body fat and that it’s going to damage my body in the long term but I don’t care enough to do something about it’. I find it even odder coming from cyclists who, one would have thought, are probably more aware of their own bodies and the effects of being overweight on their performance than most.

You soloing CLIC24 Mike?

You soloing CLIC24 Mike?

Yep.

Wwwwwwaswas, I bet you’re a miserable skinny git. Shut up and eat some cake.

I eat lots of cake. Never put on a pound. It drives my wife to distraction.

cheers

wwaswas

skinny but happy.

wwaswas – Member
I eat lots of cake. Never put on a pound. It drives my wife to distraction.

Lucky Bastid.. If I smell food then I put weight on..

PeterPoddy – Member

Ahh, but you smoke and although I’m 15 stone, you know I can whup yo’ skinny ass whenever I feel like it!
Plus I can eat and store more calories than you to keep going longer….

At the moment you might, but I don’t do hardly any riding, really. Were I to knock the smoking on the head, and do at least 30-40 miles a day, on and off road, you’d have no chance. Speshly on the longer distances. Think about marathon runners. On something like one of the alpine climbs, I’d be carrying a lot less ineffectual ballast, and would have a significant advantage. Plus there’s things like cooling. Having a smaller surface area, I’d again have an advantage.

Don’t confuse fat with power and strength. That comes from muscles. Fat merely serves as an energy store, and then only up to a certain point, beyond which the body will use more energy breaking the fat down, than it produces.

I doubt any of you that are keen cyclists are really ‘fat’. Maybe you’ve got a spare tyre or two, but unless you’re actually obese, then being a bit portly won’t be too much of an issue.

Physiosteve – Member
LUV IT…!
Any of u pencil thin dweebs wana take a 17st lard arse like me on a TT I’d be well up 4 it. SOme of us fat dudes might be part time but wev’e got sum big powerful legs. granted most of u wud murder me on the hills but on the flat 500W on a progressive ramp suggests I can lay down a bit o power.

CMon Big boys stand up 4 urselves…! lol

PS bit of a hypocrit tho since currently saving for a Scale and desperate to become an XC whippet but wi genes like mine it cud be tough..!
PPS any tips to keep leg strength whilst fat burning greatly appreciated

You sir are a legend, being able to sustain 500 watts at your weight = 4.62 W/per Kg. Very Good indeed…………………..if its true 8)

Well I’m feeling a bit portly at the moment – might have to move up to 31″ waist trousers.

Were I to knock the smoking on the head, and do at least 30-40 miles a day, on and off road, you’d have no chance.

But you haven’t, so I do!

If I were to eat a bit less and do the same 30-40 miles a day, I’d drop weight like a stone and my lungs wouldn’t be knackered like yours are…..

😛

Fancy a showdown? Trans Wales 2010?
😉

Will it rain? if so no.

Plus there’s things like cooling. Having a smaller surface area, I’d again have an advantage.

No, that works the other way round. Why do you think heat sinks have all those fins on them?

Could do, PP…

Were we both to really train up, you’d lose 2-3 stone, I’d gain a stone, and we’d then be a lot closer in terms of power/weight etc. You’d probbly naturally have the edge on stuff like sprints, as you’d have more power in yer legs, but then I’d be naturally suited to the long up bits.

You forget, I swim as well; 3 times a week, up to 6000 m a week or so. Very good for the lungs. I can do 25m underwater, fairly easily. In spite of my smoking. So I’m not all that out of shape…

Bring it on. 😛

No, that works the other way round. Why do you think heat sinks have all those fins on them?

Hmm, you might be right, but a smaller person will cool down quicker; less mass = quicker get hot or cold. And a smaller person would use less water through sweating. And more fat tends to equal higher blood pressure.

smaller person will cool down quicker; less mass = quicker get hot or cold.

So harder to regulate your temperature then? Not sure how that’s an advantage.

And a smaller person would use less water through sweating.

Sweating doesn’t correspond directly to body temperature – it varies a lot from person to person, and can even be affected by what you eat or drink.

And more fat tends to equal higher blood pressure.

Lots of people are genetically predisposed to high or low blood pressure and this seems to make as much difference as body mass.

So harder to regulate your temperature then? Not sure how that’s an advantage.

Less body mass will cool down more quickly, in very hot conditions, or not get quite as hot in the first place. Being a ‘skinny’ bod, I don’t suffer nearly as much as tubbies, in the summer.

No point in arguing this one. Top athletes tend not to carry around any excess flab. There are very good reasons.

It’s quite simple: Excess fat = lower bodily efficiency. Fact. Medically, scientifically, proven FACT.

Another way of putting it would be to say that there is an inversely proportional relationship between body fat percentage and smugness on internet forums.

Another way of putting it would be to say that there is an inversely proportional relationship between body fat percentage and smugness on internet forums.

That amused me.

BTW: All men should be banned from wearing lycra

your obviously just an armchair cyclist then rudeboy 😆

Im 95kg, does that mean im fat? 😆

I’ve got 9% body fat so I’m, 91% smug 😉

If you want to be smug, stop putting you weights, power outputs etc on here, lets see your “palmares” 😉

Then we will see a ” cycling pecking order”. 🙄

i can’t believe this is still going….

oh and rocketdog, get ****.

pc brigade!

If you want to be smug, stop putting you weights, power outputs etc on here, lets see your “palmares” [:wink:]

Now that would be an interesting thread! Not that i have any, apart from a few triathlons (and everyone knows triathletes can’t ride for toffee 😉 )