The reality wrote:
I would say that the world's best cyclists are about the physical equivalent of a 15 minute 5 k runner. Decent but worlds apart from guys like Goucher, Bekele and Haile.
youre joking, right? i mean, really, trolling for laughs? i don't think you have any frame of reference. as someone who bikes and runs, i can assure you that there is a world of difference between the world's cycling elite and a 5k runner with a pb hovering around 15minutes. just because they can't translate their abilities to a fantastic 5k, does not mean that they're any less physical freaks. it's apples and oranges. get on a bicycle, pump for hours and see if you can crack these pro ranks. if it were that easy, then we would see a lot more elite cyclists on this board, seeing as everyone on letsrun runs ~15min 5ks and a good portion bike. i personally know plenty of guys who have pb's of or around 15 min, cycle nonstop and are nowhere near elite. pro, but not elite.
do i feel that at the top, globally, the cycling talent pool is smaller than running? without a doubt. do i feel that running at most local US venues, the talent pool suffers as well? certainly. if people weren't playing soccer, lacrosse, basketball, and (for some) football, you and i wouldn't have even sniffed the success we've had in running. it's a strawman argument in the sense that you feel that it grants runners some sense of athletic superiority over cyclists.