He's got a severe, but socially acceptable, obsessive-compulsive monomania, and is probably incapable of having a normal conversation. Competitive sports is the most meaningless activity on earth.
I've been using an indoor rowing machine (Concept II Model C) as my primary exercise for almost twenty years*. The monitor can read out in watts. At my best I was in about the top 20-25% of men in my age and weight class, which means I still wasn't nationally competitive, but respectable nonetheless. I have never been able to pull more than about 350W even in short bursts. There seems to be a measurement disparity between the rower and a bike, but even allowing for that, it's freakin' incredible how much energy these pro cyclists can pump out. There was a Tour de France web page showing live speed & power output readings for about 20 riders. They were cruising at 200W and bursting up to 500-600W on a 4-hour stage. And keep in mind they were doing this every day for three weeks.
And hells littlest angel? Go read David Foster Wallace's essay about tennis player Michael Joyce. It won't change your mind about sports, but might give you some perspective on what world-class athletes are like.
Wow, and my ass gets sore just riding 30 minutes around the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteJust came back from the gym at lunch, yet now I feel like such a wusscake.
ReplyDeleteHe's got a severe, but socially acceptable, obsessive-compulsive monomania, and is probably incapable of having a normal conversation. Competitive sports is the most meaningless activity on earth.
ReplyDeleteI've been using an indoor rowing machine (Concept II Model C) as my primary exercise for almost twenty years*. The monitor can read out in watts. At my best I was in about the top 20-25% of men in my age and weight class, which means I still wasn't nationally competitive, but respectable nonetheless. I have never been able to pull more than about 350W even in short bursts. There seems to be a measurement disparity between the rower and a bike, but even allowing for that, it's freakin' incredible how much energy these pro cyclists can pump out. There was a Tour de France web page showing live speed & power output readings for about 20 riders. They were cruising at 200W and bursting up to 500-600W on a 4-hour stage. And keep in mind they were doing this every day for three weeks.
ReplyDeleteAnd hells littlest angel? Go read David Foster Wallace's essay about tennis player Michael Joyce. It won't change your mind about sports, but might give you some perspective on what world-class athletes are like.
*20 years!? Holy crap.
Incredible performance, but I fear that he'll be dead before he's forty.
ReplyDelete