Drew Ginn to cycling

[auscyclefan94]

Olympic rower Drew Ginn has had a great start to cycling in the Oceania TT Champs. WHy is it that rowers such as Sally Robbins, Amy Gillett and now Drew Ginn have or had great success to cycling.

 

[Anonymous]

Olympic rower Drew Ginn has had a great start to cycling in the Oceania TT Champs. WHy is it that rowers such as Sally Robbins, Amy Gillett and now Drew Ginn have or had great success to cycling.

i would say that Rebecca Romero was the most notable success to be honest..

world and olympic medals in both...

 

[auscyclefan94]

i would say that Rebecca Romero was the most notable success to be honest..

world and olympic medals in both...

Sorry, never knew she was a rower

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, never knew she was a rower

yup..
olympic silver in the quad skulls
world champion in the quad skulls
and u23 world champion as well

then two world championships and olympic gold on the track

rumour has it she may switch disciplines again for 2012 and try to become medallist in three different disciplines but my assumption is with the changes ont he track she may just focus on the road...

would that count..?

medals in three succesive olympics.. water, track, road...

 

[Greg Johnson]

Olympic rower Drew Ginn has had a great start to cycling in the Oceania TT Champs. WHy is it that rowers such as Sally Robbins, Amy Gillett and now Drew Ginn have or had great success to cycling.

Because those who excel in both sports share similar physiological traits and as a result cycling actively pursues those who have been successful in rowing - particularly women - to cross over.

Cheers
Greg

 

[Anonymous]

Because those who excel in both sports share similar physiological traits and as a result cycling actively pursues those who have been successful in rowing - particularly women - to cross over.

Cheers
Greg

Greg's got it.

Both sports require a high power output over an extended period of time. Albeit, rowing is more upper body based, rowers still have to have strong legs to push through the stroke. Furthermore, I believe that rowers need a lot of cross training, and one perfect activity to improve endurance and leg strength is of course our favourite, cycling.

Rowers like the ones auscycle mentioned, probably have a decent VO2 max. Rowers in general have a great VO2 max (i.e. in litres/min), but their VO2 Max is not as high as cyclists when using ml/kg/min format. That is, rowers have high oxygen uptake, but higher body weight than cyclists, therefore their VO2 max in ml/kg/min does not reflect their fitness level.

When they convert to cycling, the drop some upper body weight, improve their leg strength further, and I would assume their VO2 in ml/kg/min improves

 

[Nick777]

Drew Ginn & other Oarsome Foursome members eg James Tomkins have been hitting the road for years - they are well known to have used cycling as cross training for a long time, and there were rumours that one or more of them would cross over for years now.
Many a 'beach road champion' has been dropped & embarrassed by these guys.
Rowers need very strong quads - cycling is a perfect compliment to their training.

 

[karlboss]

Apparently it was a "challenging course" where an under 23 almost held 50kph. Must have been really tough, or the kid is unbelievable.

I must admit it was nice to see drew's comments, humble as always.

 

[Animal]

Rowing is an aerobic endurance sport.

OK, rowers do tend to have larger upper bodies, but that can be detrained.

The advantage is that the use of almost every muscle group in the body during training produces an enormous cardiac load. When I used to win time trials, I was doing 30 minutes very hard on the Concept II every weekday at the gym, having been advised on technique and style by a rower.

And rowers (the term covers mulitple sports) often ride as cross training. I know of two high level kayakers who are monsters on the bike.

 

[VeloFidelis]

Greg's got it.

Both sports require a high power output over an extended period of time. Albeit, rowing is more upper body based, rowers still have to have strong legs to push through the stroke. Furthermore, I believe that rowers need a lot of cross training, and one perfect activity to improve endurance and leg strength is of course our favourite, cycling.

Rowers like the ones auscycle mentioned, probably have a decent VO2 max. Rowers in general have a great VO2 max (i.e. in litres/min), but their VO2 Max is not as high as cyclists when using ml/kg/min format. That is, rowers have high oxygen uptake, but higher body weight than cyclists, therefore their VO2 max in ml/kg/min does not reflect their fitness level.

When they convert to cycling, the drop some upper body weight, improve their leg strength further, and I would assume their VO2 in ml/kg/min improves

Your comments on rowing and cycling compatibility are pretty accurate with a minor exception. It is a widely held misconception that the rowing stroke involves more upper body strength and involvement. If done properly the rowing stroke is less than 20% upper body. The physiological focus is in the Quads, Gluts, and all the core muscles that support the pelvic girdle, but virtually all the muscle groups in the body come into play at some point.

As far as the psychology of both sports is concerned, an ability to tolerate and even embrace high levels of pain and suffering in order to excel are the greatest common denominator. I can honestly say that I have never suffered on a bike as much as I have in a rowing shell. The time involved is much shorter, but the intensity is higher.

Both sports maintain an aesthetic beauty that is off the charts, and demand a singular focus on individual technique and precision, even when part of a crew in a team boat. It is easy to see why good rowers would transition easily to cycling, and visa versa.

The biggest obstacle for elite men rowers is size. While a lightweight classification does exist, the average male collegiate rower at a top school is probably 6'5" and 220 lbs. There is an expression in rowing; "mass moves a boat", but as cyclists we all know that it's no fun on a bike on a long 8% grade. It would seem that woman should have more luck transitioning into cycling at a high competitive level, as the average physiology is more compatible. But then again, the shortest rower in the Dutch Women' s 8 at the recent Head of the Charles in Boston, was over 6'.

At the highest levels all sports have very specific physical demands and attributes. As a cross training experience for the rest of us mere mortals cycling and rowing could not be more compatible.

 

[auscyclefan94]

yup..
olympic silver in the quad skulls
world champion in the quad skulls
and u23 world champion as well

then two world championships and olympic gold on the track

rumour has it she may switch disciplines again for 2012 and try to become medallist in three different disciplines but my assumption is with the changes ont he track she may just focus on the road...

would that count..?

medals in three succesive olympics.. water, track, road...

it would be argued if she has won in three discipleines. track and road are quite different but are both on bikes. maybe 2.5 disciplines.