Skinniest cyclist

[Christian]

According to A. Schleck you actually gain weight while doing the TdF, because you're building more muscle.

No idea if it's true though

 

[Christian]

The skinny trio of Saxobank-Sungard
Chris Anker Sørensen 185 cm/64 kg = 18.7 BMI

Is Chris Anker really 185 cm?! He looks way smaller on the TV!

 

[roundabout]

Yeah, it's probably one of the few times of the year where he rides seriously for 3 whole weeks.

j/k

 

[veganrob]

Bradley Wiggins in the forest:

Dudes gonna have to tighten up if he wants to compete in the Tour.

 

[M Sport]

According to A. Schleck you actually gain weight while doing the TdF, because you're building more muscle.

No idea if it's true though

Sounds like BS to me, I would be interested in seeing the quote though.

Bradley Wiggins in the forest:

He looks terrible. (edit: he gets my vote for skinniest as well)

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Yes, but to many riders, this point seems to be very very very low.

so who are you to say that it's more unhealthy then being a few kg more? maybe they have different body's. bmi is total bs anyway

 

[jens_attacks]

i bet wiggins is way more healthier than a few guys from here.

 

[Winterfold]

I think Wiggo always looks too thin because he has zero fat on his calves and he gets his power from the length of his muscles rather than size of them - so his legs look very very skinny in any case, but especially when compared to the peloton where there are some very big calves. However if you measured his calve circumference i bet it is pretty healthy.

But if you watch the way he rides compared to eg Martin it is a different style with a higher cadence I guess using more white muscle than brown

His legs are so long he can almost carry off black mid length socks pulled up!

 

[Bavarianrider]

so who are you to say that it's more unhealthy then being a few kg more? maybe they have different body's. bmi is total bs anyway

Come on ist this really where cycling should be going?

And no he isn't the only one who looks that way. Riders getting lighter and lighter is a development which nobody can deny. There needs to be something done about this. The riders themself would be happy have that could have some 3-4 Kilos more. With some sort of regulation it can be done. Doesn't have to be BMI only. Body fat%, Muscles% there are many ways.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I think Wiggo always looks too thin because he has zero fat on his calves and he gets his power from the length of his muscles rather than size of them - so his legs look very very skinny in any case, but especially when compared to the peloton where there are some very big calves. However if you measured his calve circumference i bet it is pretty healthy.

But if you watch the way he rides compared to eg Martin it is a different style with a higher cadence I guess using more white muscle than brown

His legs are so long he can almost carry off black mid length socks pulled up!

exactly.

look at soler too, he is same size as wiggins and 1 or 2 kg lighter, has very long legs and incredible thin calves

 

[maltiv]

I agree, there should be some sort of regulation, like in ski jumping. Some of these guys are dangerously thin and that's not the kind of imagine the sport wants to have. But then again, it would almost be impossible to regulate, because while some people are almost killing themselves trying to be thin there are also others who just naturally have a really low BMI and a skinny figure. But I definitely don't like the fact that most climbers look like tortured prisoners who haven't eaten in weeks...

 

[Winterfold]

Soler looks Ok to me in that pic - and is not committing sock crime either

having darker skin or a tan gives a better preception than pasty white skin but as the guys are in the sun so so much you can see why they stay covered up

 

[Winterfold]

If someone is 'dangerously thin' I dont see how they can put out 450W and do 60kmh? Maybe they could be a bit heavier but I am not sure how dangerous it is when they have so much medical attention.

I do agree though that maybe last year Wiggo pushed his weight too low - he didnt climb as well as the year before and maybe had lost some power for not much gain. But maybe he has adapted to this new weight now?

Will be interesting to see what he looks like in P-R 2012. 80kg?

 

[Bavarianrider]

If someone is 'dangerously thin' I dont see how they can put out 450W and do 60kmh? Maybe they could be a bit heavier but I am not sure how dangerous it is when they have so much medical attention.

I do agree though that maybe last year Wiggo pushed his weight too low - he didnt climb as well as the year before and maybe had lost some power for not much gain. But maybe he has adapted to this new weight now?

Will be interesting to see what he looks like in P-R 2012. 80kg?

Did he say that he wants to focus on the classics next year? Is this his last year he goes for the Tour podium?

 

[Winterfold]

He'll be back on the Track for the Olympics - in 2008 he was 80-85kg (I guess a lot of the extra weight was upper body for acceleration in the pursuit) - but I dont think it would do him any harm for Classics/cobbles either.

It seems much more his thing to me - about power on the flat, short steep UK style climbs and with lots of people drinking beer and shouting nonsense

 

[Bavarianrider]

He'll be back on the Track for the Olympics - in 2008 he was 80-85kg (I guess a lot of the extra weight was upper body for acceleration in the pursuit) - but I dont think it would do him any harm for Classics/cobbles either.

It seems much more his thing to me - about power on the flat, short steep UK style climbs and with lots of people drinking beer and shouting nonsense

Ah thanks, will be interesting to see how he does on the track again.

 

[veganrob]

We should not confuse being fit with being healthy. They are different things. We have all seen very fit elite athletes keeling over and die for some crazy reason. Many will just say "oh well, was his time" or whatever. i have seen fit, supposedly healthy athletes suffer heart attacks, strokes, aneurisms etc. for no apparent reason. I know many personally.
Healthy people this does not tend to happen to. They live long healthy lives. Being fit is only one aspect of many to being healthy. Lifestyle is a key word.
I can't judge Brad Wiggans because I don't know his medical history or lifestyle other than being a pro bike racer. He does look dangerously thin however, even for the pro peloton. But then many people in general think I am too thin at 6'1 165.

 

[Winterfold]

fair point - when their body fat gets too low (< 5%) then it is unhealthy end of.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

below 10% is unhealthy and every pro rider is under 10% and should be.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

below 10% is unhealthy and every pro rider is under 10% and should be.

under 5% is unhealthy for men, at least according to our textbooks

 

[veganrob]

under 5% is unhealthy for men, at least according to our textbooks

Yes, very bad for extended periods. If an athlete is trying to peak for a certain event and comes in under 5%, ok. But can't maintain that and be healthy.

 

[maltiv]

Well those guys have nutritional experts and a medical staff behind them, but there could be a problem when young cyclists without such assistance attempt to drop weight as they have seen thin cyclists dominating the mountains. I'm pretty sure many of them get some serious health issues. For example Hushovd tried to drop weight in 2001 or so, he lost several kgs and was even top 10 on mont faron in tour of med but a few weeks later he completely lost his energy and was close to feinting several times, leaving to him abandon his crazy diet and going back to normal weight. His body just couldn't cope with being so thin.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

alexander pliushkin is none to have had anorexia and I know no other pro cyclist who has. anyone? rasmussen to me always seemed it but after number of years you will become weaker and he never did.

 

[ergmonkey]

I can't judge Brad Wiggans because I don't know his medical history or lifestyle other than being a pro bike racer.

Well, he was an alcoholic for a while. That probably wasn't a healthy lifestyle choice.

 

[Christian]

Sounds like BS to me, I would be interested in seeing the quote though.

This is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3sKyP2WgQ (2009)

The discussion about weight starts at around 9:30. But if you have nothing to do watch the whole video, it is quite funny.

Johnny: Is your weight less after the Tour?
Andy: No ... many people think that but actually on weight you gain a bit because in the Tour you also build up muscle.


Fränk says his weight is 61 kg and Andy says his is 65. I entered the numbers into an online BMI calculator and compared them with ingsve's indications in the first page of the thread:

A Schleck: 19.66

F.Schleck: 17.63

I got the same result for Fränk but for Andy I got 18.8. ingsve had also said that it was mostly wikipedia sources though and therefore might be inaccurate, and this is true: wikipedia has Andy at 68 (instead of 65) and Fränk at 67 (instead of 61).