wassertreter wrote:Tapeworm wrote:Then you have the psychology around food and eating and performance which is a whole other messed up bag. But to touch on this for a second...
So glad you put that out there Tape.
People need to look at riders like Fabian Cancellara, riding away from everyone at L'Eroica up the hill. He's said to weight 80kg-ish at 186cm. Not skinny, not fat. Power, not weight.
He still has low bodyfat. People confuse the ability/need to lose bodyfat with an absolute weight number. I've found I can lose bodyfat much quicker in the base period, but my weight tends not to drop as one might expect. People focus on the scale and don't see it going down and freak out.
Cancellara also has a FTP above 450w, a decent sprint, and can punch pretty hard. Its not difficult for him to be there on races with short climbs. Most people will never, ever have all of those skills. Doesn't mean they shouldn't train to, but its moot to compare onself to a pro in that regard.