Bitches Brew - Is Mountain Biking the Pinnacle of Human Athletic Performance?
**Disclaimer: This article is in no way based on any scientific or physiological evidence beyond my own experience, curious musings and obnoxious opinions. Proceed at your own risk.**
Over the past few weeks and again this morning as I digested the insanity of World Cup DH racing (including the craziest tire-less run I've ever seen), one thought has been rolling around in the space between my ears: in terms of elite athletic prowess, is mountain biking the top dog?
I'm not talking one specific discipline over another (despite my clear affinity for downhill) but mountain biking as a whole, and the total number of high-level physical, mental and emotional functions all required to get on, ride, progress, compete and/or win. As a reminder, I'm not a scientist. As an athlete, however, I'm very conscious about the number of critical faculties involved in riding and just how dangerous an 'off day' can be: whether we're distracted, tired, hungry, hungover, stressed, injured or over-caffeinated, it can affect not only our enjoyment levels of riding, but our performance, safety and even our lives. But I digress.
A mountain biker is a unique animal. We're human and fully equipped with the usual self-preservation systems, yet we put ourselves through brutal experiences and wild adventures, some of which could even be included in the description of 'torture' by certain sections of the Geneva Convention. Lung-bursting uphill sprints, bone-splintering technical descents, and speeds that not only endanger our physical well being but that of various local wildlife (SQUIRREL!). The average, logical human says "Only someone half brain dead would do THAT".
But we're not. The mental processes in athletes of any sort have been proven to be slightly different, but my curious mind wants to know what mountain bikers' grey matter looks like. I have a strong suspicion that our brains and bodies are not only better conditioned than those of say, a television-and-potato-chip-bred human, but that in an athlete-on-athlete death match, the mountain biker may be the best bet both mentally and physically. Now, don't get your undergarments in a wad -- there are some things bikers are really terrible at, like swimming a mile with crocodiles chasing them or free squatting 400 lbs on one leg. But based on my very non-scientific, non-expert observances and experiences, I think that when multitasking and sheer courage come into play, we'd be damn hard creatures to beat.
At any given moment, a mountain biker's brain and body is fielding and processing more input than some folks receive in a week. Think about it: If you're pedaling uphill, you're managing about forty different tasks all at the same time. Imagine the input feed on a computer screen; Trail shape, texture and condition; obstacles and the technical challenges; body position and muscle exchange, including climb tension and pedal cadence; ears open for approaching traffic, eyes digesting the smallest information feed, fingers shifting, body leaning; it always seems like 'pedal, pedal, pedal, attack, oh-shit-a-huge-rock' for me. Now imagine a high-speed descent and put it all into slow motion... I think you get the point. Our bodies and brains and emotions and nerves are all tied up into one sensory overload, and we handle it. The adrenaline and the tactical planning at a split second; the tuck here, push there, pedal this, hop that. Not only do we handle it all, but we actively seek it out and progressively work towards more precarious situations. What sort of athlete constantly seeks such a high threshold of pressure?
Cyclists have long been seen as lung- and heart-efficiency models because of our increased VO2 and heart rate capacities, but now more than ever, we're seeing a surge of growth in biking of athletes from other sports jumping in and spinning out. From skiers and snowboarders to marathon runners and Olympic weight lifters, all one has to do is peer into an Instagram feed or athlete website gallery for training habits and insights, and more often than not, that training happens on a mountain bike. It's not hard to see why: between the given altitude variations, the physical and mental demands and the low-impact cross-training benefits (muscular development, etc), mountain biking is an ideal sport for increased fitness, coordination and rehabilitation. But is it a perfect sport?
Is the mountain biker a prime example of human athletic performance? At the most elite levels, are our physical, mental, and emotional computing abilities at the top of the athletic totem pole? Or do we lack in areas that can only be compensated through outside cross training?
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I guess what rattles around in my mind, more than the comparison between mountain bikers and other athletes, is that we're comparing the skills and attributes of those who engage essentially in extreme play. What is fitness, if not the ability to do what one needs to be able to do to live? I love to ride. I ride about as often as possible, and try to push myself to be better each ride, whether that is the long climb, or on a steep technical trail or trying to learn a tap-up on the trials bike. I'm constantly amazed at what phenomenal athletes can do; and recognize that few here are truly interested in more than shooting the breeze over a cold brew, but to me survival and spirit of hope seen in those in untenable situations, be it war, natural or economic disaster, genocide, or much more personal situations like an abusive home, garner far more awe for the fitness to live that they exhibit.
You want to talk about racing, speed, consequences, being on the bleeding edge, show me another sport that compares.
When F1 athletes do triathalons in their spare time to train for F1, or race WRC in the off-season because they are bored...it goes to show just how physically and mentally fit you need to be.
Road cyclists will find the distances covered and effort put in by mountain bikers rather laughable, and going downhill on twisted mountain roads at 90+ km/h on a 23mm tire with rim brakes sounds like it might also take that extra bit of concentration...
And then there's a myriad of other sports, where people are not confined to some aluminium or carbon fibre contraption, but move freely in space... a lot of gymnasts might find it hard to see the challenge in a superman backflip...
And for the processing of lots of input in a short time... seen a MotoGP race lately?
A lot of athletes from other sports train on a mountain bike. Because it's easy, anybody can do it (not on any high level of course), and you can shut off your brain, just like running, but with just that bit of additional sensory input not to get instantly boring.
- Skateboarding is by far the most technically difficult, and the most difficult to get to a professional level.
- Motocross is the most physically demanding overall. Think full body performance.
- Road racing requires the most leg power and best cardio.
- Mountain biking seems to combine all aspects at least at some point, not making it the hardest, but sort of a watered down version of everything.
Not sure if that made sense, still working on coffee #2.
From the couple of years I have spent road riding and following the grand tours / classics I'd hazard a guess and say that professional road racing is the most brutal test of human prowess?
I thought mountain biking was "hardcore" until I started understanding the almost superhuman effort these guys make during their tours, and the physical dangers of riding in a large peleton at very high speeds on the road, where crashes are not uncommon and there is no protection apart from a light weight helmet, some mitts and a thin layer of lycra
the distances, the speeds, the elevation, the energy expenditure and the constant daily effort required to complete (or win) a race like "The Tour de France" is unimaginable to most of us recreational amateur cyclists
most of the mountain bikers I have met who have tried road riding against seasoned roadies have had their asses handed to them on a plate
We are not talking technical ability on rough terrain but power output and physical capacity - I'd argue that technical ability can be developed more easily (road riding actually requires good bike handling) than increasing physical attributes which takes a huge amount of time, suffering and nutrition
Yes I agree, sprinting and downhills on a road bike do require lots of bike handling (I know from experience). Keep in mind you are saying a roadie would beat a mountain biker in things roadies specifically focus on. Roadies also train for bike handling and control, just as mountain bikers also train for power output, even though it is not their main focus. What I'm trying to say is, a mountain biker in a roadie situation will always get beat. but if you put a roadie in a mountain bikers situation, they would be completely dumbfounded. The roadie would have no idea how to choose a line, read terrain, and avoid obstacles. therefore leaving the road biker confused, struggling, Injured and on their ass. Now trust me here, I'm not knocking a road biker's skill. They will beat me in a road race every time but, what I'm trying to say is if Lance Armstrong and Steve Peat did two races, one road race, and one downhill race, peat would get beat in the road race and lance in the MTB race. The margin of loss in the road race would be less than the margin of loss in the DH race. meaning that they both are better at what they do, but the mountain biker is better at both.
good points well made
I guess we'd have to make a direct comparison at 2 athletes top of their game in different disciplines like Chris Froome / Bradley Wiggins on road and Aaron / Gee / Troy on DH MTB would be very interesting to somehow make this study
or we could look at an athlete like Cannondale's Saagan with his mtb background and current road career?
Yes. I've always wanted to do a study like that. Have a top Dh, XC, Enduro, road and cyclocross athletes all compete in races for their respective disciplines, and see who comes out on top.
MX guys don't have to be that strong, as long as they can handle their bike and take the beating that is 2 35min moto's on a gnarly ass track.
So they can afford to pretty much train all day long, just don't go into heart rates that are too high (to avoid chronic fatigue and stuff) and they're all set.
With DH it's trickier: the upper body is like MX guys: light and strong.
The legs on the other hand, need way more muscle to be able to deliver power. And building/maintaining all that muscle requires you to rest a lot. I'm sure guys like Atherton, Smith or Gwin would train all day long like the moto guys, but they can't, they need to take time off to let their muscles recover.
I take you have never race a moto?
Look at all the pro MX guys: all small skinny guys. If you look at vids of them training, it's always with small weights.
Now if you look at the pro DH guys, they're all big. Even Troy Brosnan (who is easily among the top 5 most skilled guys on the circuit) had to bulk up this winter. DH requires tons of power
ambatt, Thanks for taking the time to write this article. Very thought provoking (a great read too!), and hopefully it makes for good discussion. Now, I really want to see how the WC DH riders and see how they stack up in more easily measurable pursuits, such as a 100m sprint or powerlifting.
of course, this doesnt take away my appreciation for mountain biking and other sports which involves equipment that adds another level of complexity and uncertainty (what if chain seizes on downhill ride)
Imagine the guys doing Ironman triathlons: they're on their own for at least 8 hours, have to go through sunburns, cramps, headwinds, getting passed by others and still keep a high spirit.
These guys and gals are definitely at the top of the "athlete chain", both mentally and physically.
Which is also one of the reasons that I like this sport so much, coming home both battered and satisfied with the technical progress or flow.
Obviously when speaking about real DH I'm not referring to what I usually see in the bikepark. All those brats with €6,000 bikes riding at a ridiculous speed, doing pathetic stupid little jumps that could be done on a hardtail. I'm referring to the risk of hitting on a bed of rocks at 70 kmh .
Seriously though, I reckon athletes that do more than one thing are the better overall athletes (even though they may not be at the pinnacle of the world for any specific single event) so I'm thinking triathletes and any other adventure type racer.
In my opinion there are more physically demanding sports than DH MTB and there are more technical/skillful sports than DH MTB; there aren't that many that demand such a high level of both attributes though.
I guess you could argue that the cinematics of the sport put your mind & body through a more or less complete set of efforts, but then again so does triathlon .
Given that and being and F1 and MotoGP follower, I think top level GP or F1 riders are more "fit" and their level of training goes to another level.
I'm not saying DH WC is a joke, it takes alot to be at an elite level, I just think that up until now, there are other sports that requires the rider or user to be "fitter" or a better athlete as an overall.
To answer this question we must take into account three different factors (there're others, but imo they are less important):
- physical demand,
- technical skills,
- and exposure to serious injury or even death.
Those sports which only require physical effort are the most accessible and easy to do (road cycling, hiking, athletics). Those that combine physical effort and technique are more complicated, and usually require a greater mental strength (swimming, tennis, surfing). But those which, in addition to be demanding both physically and technically, allow very few errors (one single mistake may be lethal) are the Pinnacle of Human Athletic Performance for sure.
I can't think of anything more hard, more risky and more mentally demanding than high-altitude mountaineering and rock climbing.
I think that mountain biking is one of the really rare disciplines where cross training isn't as important, that the actual act of riding in your discipline is almost always going to be the largest key in helping you be the best YOU can be at said discipline. Obviously doing weight training and riding road, running etc will help (small percentages IMO) but with diminishing returns as compared to the over all benefit of just bike time. What I mean by that is the vast majority of us would do far better just spending time riding as practice or fun to become a better rider and possibly place well at the next race. There are always exceptions though.
I think that if I were to place the title on pinnacle of athletic performance with the most on the line, I would say motocross would be my vote. It has almost all the same attributes that add to its difficulty in mountain biking as you said above but at a higher speed and with 20 other riders in the mix. Again my opinion and not looking to get into a pissing match. If you have ever looked in to their training regimens they are absolute animals and their seasons run far longer, have more stops per year with less breaks in between, and thats BEFORE you get to the outdoor season. Its basically live to race/train until your career is done or an injury stops/prevents training/racing.
Most high level racing has a lot of the similar attributes and levels of difficulty but placing endurance and focus a bit differently in each discipline. Ones that come to mind is rally racing, baja's, stadium/ trophy truck racing, F1, all very demanding in focus and endurance where the smallest mistake can prove very high risk.
I would say though that Mountain Biking(I guess DH a bit more specifically) is definitely top ten in the "pinnacle of performance" in my eyes, if not top five.
Further that downhill specifically but all MTB'ing is much more mentally challenging than others, running 100meters even at a Olympic level is hard but still much easier mentally than facing the direct fear and danger that is downhill/mtbing and then we have the pressure of been a professional and doing your best as well and thats before we have to think and process everything blindly as the track changes drastically.
To add another factor in the mix we than have massive variation in track and weather. There are many external factors in play that offer high levels of variance.
I really see downhill specifically as one of the pinnacle sports up there with motocross and f1 racing.
Its f1 racing, with only one lap no second chances and not on a flat track but instead a ever changing track littered with danger.
I think it is said very well at the beginning of F1RST:
"Picture an olympic sprint runner full flight. Now picture him trying to juggle while trying to memorize a complex sequence of numbers, and you will begin to see the complexities involved in the sport we are talking about."
No, seriously, I get blown away by motocross. In DH, I complain about arm pump, cardio, braking bumps, and unreal terrain.. then I take a look at motocross and feel ashamed about my trivial complaints. People mistakenly think that things with motors are less cardio intensive than running/cycling, but imagine man-handling a 250lb machine, having much longer lengths of competition without a chance for hydration or "straightaways to sit and rest for a second", overjumping to flat from X feet above the ground, and all the other competitors around you.. not to mention the consequences of bailing.
As far as being busy, MMA fighters seem to have their plate full with cardio training, strength-conditioning, multiple workouts a day with BJJ, and then striking/muay thai, and wrestling. Oh, and then the weight cut, which they often say is worse than the fight, itself.
Then there's odd sports which are not as difficult as you'd think. Bodybuilding is not easy(or healthy for a lot of the competitors), but they aren't "spending hours in the gym everyday" like some think. Muscles get over-trained really quickly, so you can only spend so much time actually lifting weights, and the rest is often diet/cardio and getting as much rest as possible.
If you're gonna throw trials in there as "mountain biking" as well then maybe you have something to talk about, but as much as I am a trials freak, it still just doesn't compare. The combination of all athletic qualities are absolutely at their highest levels overall in gymnastics. The only other thing I could think of MIGHT be figure skating but I don't see it taking the nerve or the agility that gymnastics does. You try back flipping on a 4" wide balance beam there woman & then ask a gymnast to see if they can ride their $10,000 (artificially inflated price of course) bicycle down a hill over some rocks. Come on. Look at the physical condition those f*ckers are in. Rock solid yet pliable as putty all at the same time. There's nothing else out there that requires it all like gymnastics does. Semenuk may have more balls than Joe gymnast & D-Mac may have better balance, but considering all possible athletic qualities, gymnasts are the pinnacle of human athletic ability.
Too bad we couldn't get Granieri in here for word up.
Plus climbing is FREAKING HARD and FREAKING SCARY! It's the full body work out of a swimmer, the stamina of a runner, the power of a weight lifter, the grace of a ballerina and the concentration of a competitive chess player all while attached to a rock face by the tips of your fingers and toes.
110% mental and 110% physical
In 1994 Lynn Hill free climbed the Nose on El Capitan in under 24 hours, a feat that wasn't repeated until 10 years later (as of today only repeated by three people) and regarded by many as one of the greatest physical achievements of all time.
Love ya Batts! Cant wait to see you this week. Keep up the good work.
It also depends on the discipline and the athlete. Generalizing it all into 'very easy' is wrong, especially when in recent years, we've seen some incredible feats from very talented athletes.
A personal example I have, is that a buddy of mine who started mountain biking last year, and rode DH trails on like 5 different days, was able to ride, at a decent speed, black diamond downhill trails on a dirt jumper... (most people at this bike park have full on DH rigs).
Don't get me wrong I love mountain biking and it's basically all I do in my spare time, but I can admit it is an easy sport. By the way I do not play tennis, just in case you think I am biased.
Anyone who isn't absolutely devoid of talent can play tennis for fun. Anyone.
Or maybe I'm just a golden god.
Just consider it. You're either trolling or not thinking clearly
Mountain biking does not require all of these, especially in the fine motor and hand eye, foot eye categories. Crossfit is just exercise, it's not a sport. MMA and Muay Thai do not require all of these abilities- my fight club has heaps of very good fighters who are kinda clumsy tbh. Motor cross is very demanding and has lots of great athletes participating in it.
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The two sports, in my opinion, that demands from its athletes the most from these categories is rugby and hockey. Rugby demands more foot eye and endurance, hockey demands more balance, hand eye and explosive speed. High level athletes from these sports could transition successfully to more different sports and athletic endeavours than any other athletes. I'm sure some will disagree, and god knows the first rule of crossfit is- tell everyone about crossfit, as well as the second rule- but if you OBJECTIVELY think about sports and what makes good athletes, these sports make the best.
My 2 cents.
NO
What other sport calls it's finest specimens "rundown and slow" when they near 30 years old?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzjpQF0_55A&feature=kp
Or the guys who set the ski mountaineering speed record on Rainier. They did it literally NINE TIMES as fast as me. I can't even comprehend the fitness and strength needed to do that. And on top of that, while your lungs and muscles are screaming, you're scanning the glaciers for hazards and staying mentally sharp.
Interestingly enough, I spent some time with a multiple ironwoman at a mountain bike camp last week. And while she was a very good rider considering it was only her second season, and she's completed a few Xterrras, she certainly wasn't a downhiller. Riding downhill, especially on a technical track, requires a bunch of skills that roadies just don't have.
It always makes me laugh though, when people say "what's hard about riding a bike downhill?" Then you show them vids and watch their eyes pop out of their heads.