What are we actually capable of?

[horizon]

Forum member Paulatic has kindly posted this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=120240

It has made me wonder not what the best are capable of (and this record attempt is once again almost unbelievable) but what might an ordinary mortal be able to do given his/her appiication to the task. So an Audax rider may say that 200 km is very doable: for whom? What could an older person expect? Thousands of people ride 100 milers every year and yet people often complain that three miles in beyond them. What is normal? What is exceptional?

Any thoughts?

[jgurney]

This is rather like the problem of trying to define who counts as disabled by trying to define what a nominal normal person is capable of doing.

There is the problem that an 'ordinary mortal' who gives a lot of "application to the task" might by doing so cease to be ordinary any more. Is someone who was previously generally considered of ordinary fitness but who has got really into long-distance cycling and now habitually rides 120 miles per day on most weekends, still to be considered ordinary?

We could argue that as most people don't cycle, that is normal and cycling at all is exceptional.

[PH]

How much do you want it? Of course there's an absolute limit for each of us, but how much you can do is largely limited by how much of our lives we're prepared to dedicate to it.

[kwackers]

How much do you want it? Of course there's an absolute limit for each of us, but how much you can do is largely limited by how much of our lives we're prepared to dedicate to it.

Indeed.

I've been running for years and despite all the quackery and advice that does the rounds the one thing that has always been apparent is that those who put the effort in reap the rewards.
The problem is often people don't like the pain, don't have the time or simply give up far to easily and look for an easier way to do it (hence the amount of popular quackisms and commercial performance "enhancing" fodder for them to buy).

A 'normal' person with no physical issues can get within 80-90% of the capabilities of the best if they really want to, but it requires a lot of effort, a lot of time and no small amount of pain.

[Username]

I cant fly a fighter plane, but I can drive a forklift. This makes me useless, but not disabled. I can ride at 20mph on a flat, but not 30mph. Again this makes me pretty crap as a pro cyclist, which is why I am not a pro cyclist or athlete. Basically I am capable of not very much at all, altho I am great with a hammer.

[Paulatic]

A lesson I’ve just learned is to make something possible you’ve to focus on it. As others above say you’ve to have the dedication and almost obsession to do it.
RE the record attempt, horizon points out if you focus on the 1000mls then the others are incidentals. My mistake was focusing on an E2E and dreading turning around for the 1000.
Knowing that I’m still not going for any records but purely for the experience. When the Wimps get to JOG If oldmanonabike suggests Cycling back to Southern Scotland who knows what I’ll say. probably not printable.

[Gearoidmuar]

"It's the same for all of us."

You'll hear that said. It's rubbish of course. People have very different abilities and on top of that, very different levels of training.
Occasionally you see something remarkable.
In the Irish Under 17 championships this young girl ran away from the field in the Cross Country and won by, I estimate, 400yds.
Last weekend she won the Irish Senior Indoors 3000m by 10 secs from an Olympic athlete.
She is some prospect.

[Tangled Metal]

A lot comes down to mindset but ordinary person will be much less capable than 80% of the elite IMHO. However the real thing of importance is why you're doing any particular event out activity that's challenging you?

I used to walk 40-50 miles in 9 or 16 hours. Charity events but I did it because of an internal challenge. I wanted to push myself. I did and out hurt but I got from it exactly what I wanted and hoped for.

Ordinary? Perhaps I wasn't. I was fit and did a lot of walking for fun. Give me a 25 mile walk round the hills surrounding derwentwater and I was happy. Get the ppl I work with to join me and it could be summarized as the 5th and 21st letters of the alphabet! 5 miles is their personal challenge and only if it meant 5 hours in a pub and taxi home!

[pete75]

I cant fly a fighter plane, but I can drive a forklift. This makes me useless, but not disabled.

Not really. Forklift drivers are more use to our society than fighter pilots. No fork truck drivers - very little food reaching shops. The status of a job and it's value are not the same thing.

[gbnz]

What is normal? What is exceptional?

Any thoughts?

Does it matter? All I'm concerned about it is having an enjoyable time. The fact that I outperform most people when running, cycling, walking, climbing is incidental (Though it's always amusing passing the road cyclists, when I've got a weeks shopping on the back )

[gbnz]

. What is normal? What is exceptional?

Any thoughts?

Does it matter?

All I'm concerned about it enjoying it. The fact that I easily outperform most people when cycling, running, walking is a byproduct of my enjoying it (Nb. Though I still remain amused when overtaking the road cyclists on my heavily loaded shopping bike, or last week coming close to overtaking a policewoman chasing after street criminals - I was simply walking back from work )

[Paulatic]

As if on cue, Jasmijn Mueller has finally wrote an account of what went wrong for her last year.
https://duracellbunnyonabike.com/2018/0 ... ssion=true

[Samuel D]

Velocio had a view on this:

“Every cyclist between twenty and sixty in good health,” wrote Velocio with the fervor of a missionary, “can ride 130 miles in a day with 600 feet of climbing, provided he eats properly and provided he has the proper bicycle.”

The French cycling magazine 200 agrees. It’s named after the distance in kilometres the founders believe a normal, healthy person could ride with preparation.

Of course the majority of the population does not imagine riding 200 km. And with age or infirmity, that eventually becomes impossible for the best of us. Less fortunate individuals have disabilities or other health problems that prevent their contemplating such a ride at any age.

So jgurney makes a good point. Normal is hard to define.

Jobst Brandt was 65 when he did this ride. He continued doing his grand, annual tour in the Alps for many years after that until his mid-seventies. Yet he was normal enough to inspire me.

[Paulatic]

Every cyclist between twenty and sixty in good health,” wrote Velocio with the fervor of a missionary, “can ride 130 miles in a day with 600 feet of climbing, provided he eats properly and provided he has the proper bicycle.

and presumably also providing they could find a route with only 600’ of climbing. Now there’s a challenge.

[pete75]

Every cyclist between twenty and sixty in good health,” wrote Velocio with the fervor of a missionary, “can ride 130 miles in a day with 600 feet of climbing, provided he eats properly and provided he has the proper bicycle.

and presumably also providing they could find a route with only 600’ of climbing. Now there’s a challenge.

Velocio (Paul de Vivie), a famous pioneer of derailleur gears, was French and lived in St. Etienne surrounded by hills. Riding to the top of the Col de la République was his almost daily exercise. I suspect the 600 feet should be 600 metres.