Wiggins' physique

[MrJamie]

Interesting theyre wearing their cycle helmets in the "breakfast" photo.

 

[Chuffy]

Just watched the end of the TT again. Wiggy and Froome are scrawny as a gnawed bone, but their legs are definitely not skinny.

 

[fossyant]

We ain't got a chance getting to their power/weight ratios. I was stood next to a load of Pros at the Tour of Turkey a couple of years ago, and they are like stick insects. Now compared to Chris Hoy, I am a midget !

 

[albion]

I thought I had heard that Wiggins has lost nearly one and half stone especially for this race.
All scientifically worked out no doubt for the climbing.

On flat time trials weight is less significant.

 

[oldroadman]

This for me is one of the downsides about cycling and that is the physique.

I am a very similar build to wiggo arms and legs wise i.e. candle sticks with hairs on.

Where I do differ is my trunk, but I really do not want to look like wiggins or contador physique wise, If I could climb like Contador and look like rambo or Jean Claude Van dam I would be happy but I doubt neither will happen........

Welcome to the world of the pro. You can't carry excess bodyweight, any climbing is simply a form of weightlifting, and the less you weigh the better. Hence thin is good. Early season it's quite usual to do long rides and eat very little, all in the cause of better power weight ratio. The trick is keeping the engine (heart/lungs) at full power whilst reducing the weight. It's not unusual to be as low as 3% body fat. I never got that low, which is why I didn't go up climbs very well.
If you look ill, then you are probably close to your best. If you want a lovely "girls love it" body, try another sport that's not so demanding of your time and physique, or just ride for fun (or be a pure trackie!).
One thing will always be the same, regular riding keeps you fit and healthy, and it carries into later life.

 

[jdtate101]

I wonder what body fat % these guys are? Gotta be seriously low (5% ish) it's one of the reasons these guys are so prone to colds and flu, no body reserves to aid in fighting infection. The discipline it must take to get down to that TdF weight is very impressive, not something I'd ever be able to do, I like me pie's too much .

 

[black'n'yellow]

it doesn't help that he wears those stupid 'long' shorts (which don't even fit properly), and stupid 'long' short sleeve jerseys...

 

[raindog]

and long black socks

 

[black'n'yellow]

and long black socks

and those..

in fact, all he needs is some sandals and a camera around his neck, and he would look like a brit on holiday in Provence...

 

[Boris Bajic]

An old LA book of mine (about him, not by him) has some amusing reflections on this topic:

Mrs T Hamilton reflecting that she knew when the season was starting because she could see Tyler's kidneys through the skin on his back...

And observations about Pro-Tour cyclists using their elbows on the buttons in lifts...

And the ban on wives/girlfriends being ignored for Sheryl Crow... but a HUUGE gasp of fear from all the guys on LA's team when she coughed in the team bus.

These tales are probably apocryphal, but there is also likely to be some basis in truth....

But as the OP says, the condition reached for these crucial races is a thing of wonder.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I wonder what body fat % these guys are? Gotta be seriously low (5% ish) it's one of the reasons these guys are so prone to colds and flu, no body reserves to aid in fighting infection. The discipline it must take to get down to that TdF weight is very impressive, not something I'd ever be able to do, I like me pie's too much .

I bet if you ride like them you can eat even more pies!!

 

[BalkanExpress]

I seem to recall a Wiggins quote along the lines of "I'm an 82 kg bloke who rides the Tour at 70 kg"

Well Brad, I'm a 70kg bloke who commutes to work at 82 kg

 

[400bhp]

I wonder what body fat % these guys are? Gotta be seriously low (5% ish) it's one of the reasons these guys are so prone to colds and flu, no body reserves to aid in fighting infection. The discipline it must take to get down to that TdF weight is very impressive, not something I'd ever be able to do, I like me pie's too much .

I dn't think body fat plays much part in fighting infections.

Colds and flu to these guys = loss of power & endurance. To us, it might mean we feel a bit crap but doesn't affect out work very much.

 

[jdtate101]

I dn't think body fat plays much part in fighting infections.

Colds and flu to these guys = loss of power & endurance. To us, it might mean we feel a bit crap but doesn't affect out work very much.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/467359-is-low-body-fat-percentage-related-to-the-immune-system/

Apparently it does have some influence, just how much is open to debate.

 

[400bhp]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/467359-is-low-body-fat-percentage-related-to-the-immune-system/

Apparently it does have some influence, just how much is open to debate.

Actually, if you read the text, I suspect they have misinterpreted or misunderstood what John Hopkins university concluded.

One of the dangers of excessively low body fat is that it can lead to a weak immune system, which puts you at increased risk for a variety of infectious diseases. In fact, malnutrition resulting in low body weight is one of the leading causes of susceptibility to infectious disease worldwide, given that low body weight is much more prevalent elsewhere in the world than it is in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health.

That would suggest a very simplistic conclusion, which it isn't.

However, the cyclists must tread a fine line with all the factors necessary to make them compete at their optimal.