Hearts that pump iron

It's their commitment to training that sets Tour de France riders apart

A 100 years ago, the Tour deFrance was not deemed challengingenough. HenriDesgrange, the first organiserof the Tour, and his teamdecided to press the riders higher, takingthem through some of the toughestpeaks through the Pyrenees. Desgrange,analysing his decision, later said, "TheTour de France only became the Tourde France when we sent the riders intothe mountains."

The riders, though, took some timewarming up to the task. On 21 July 1910,Octave Lapize struggled up the Col duTourmalet, first of the mountain stagesadded to the course, walking alongsidehis bike. As he crossed the next pass,the Col d'Aubisque, he shouted out atthe organisers, "You are all assassins.

No human being should be putthrough an ordeal like this. That'senough for me."

But he carried on, establishing thestrong bond between cycling and suffering.

By all accounts, cycling as a tool offitness is on the upward curve in India.But there is neither the scientific knowhownor any idea of ingredients that gointo making a top-level cyclist.

And the Tour de France is the pinnaclefor endurance athletes.

Tough as it gets
"There is no other sport in the worldthat continues for 21 days, day in andday out, over mountains, in the rain andheat, over rough terrain," said HunterAllen, an elite cycling coach."The guys that win? Theyare genetic mutants.Truly mutants. Therearen't many of them onthe planet."It is the commitment to training thatsets the Tour riders apart.

Jamie Wilkins, of Procycling magazine,writes, "Over the full duration ofthe Tour de France, 2,263 miles thisyear, the winner will average around 26mph. That's faster than many club timetriallists can manage for 10 miles.

"The truth is that most of us havethe physiology to be a decent racer ifwe trained as much as they do. Call it30 hours a week for around five years.That's about how long it takes to conditionthe body thoroughly.

"After three years of retirement, duringwhich he ran marathons, LanceArmstrong trained hard for a whole 12months ahead of last year's Tour deFrance and yet peers and press alikespoke about his lack of conditioning asif he'd only been training for a fortnight."

Armstrong is best known for hissuperhuman turnaround on the racingtrack, from a cancer survivor to a seventimeTour de France winner. But theTexan is also not physically built likean average human being.

Not your average guy
Back in 1998, Armstrong's coach ChrisCarmichael said, "He possesses a large,strong heart that can beat more than200 times a minute operating at maximumcapacity and pump an exceptionallylarge volume of blood and oxygento his legs -- only around 100 othermen on earth, who have been tested,have comparable abilities."

Five-time Tour winner in the 90s,Miguel Indurain, had a resting heartrate of just 28 beats per minute, lessthan half of that of an average person.But though the two famous cyclists wereblessed with a physiology tailor-madefor their chosen sport, it's the love ofpain that kept them at the top.

"It's a hard race; you suffer a lot. It'sa long race, so it's long suffering, whichis worse than suffering," Armstronghad once remarked.

It's also a long, hard sacrifice. Theriders have to give up on drinking withtheir friends, literally measure whatthey eat, and spend up to six hours ina day on the bike.

And they also need a large heart, notjust literally. "The real motivation, theforce that impels when cold rain fallsand a further mountain pass beckons,comes from inside. It's the final elementthat bonds the training, the dedicationand the physical potential,"concludes Wilkins.With agency inputs.

Armstrong's vital stats
Resting heart rate of 32-34 bpm (forthe average person this is 60-100 bpm).VO2 max (standard measure of aerobicfitness based on body's ability totake up oxygen): 83.8 ml/kg/min.Among male endurance athletes youmight expect to see average VO2maxvalues of 70ml/kg/min.Lactate threshold heart-rate: 178bpm.

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