How would world's best cyclist do in speed skating?

[jazzcyclist]

I believe if the world's best cyclists were to take up speed skating, they would obliterate the 5000 and 10000 world records. I say this because they are probably no two Olympic sports that I can think of that have a closer physiological relationship than speed skating and cycling. The golden rule says that the best athletes will usually go where the money is. If javelin throwers made the kind of money that pitchers and quarterbacks make, I think that the U.S., with its 300,000,000 people would dominate the javelin in the same it dominates the sprints. I don't know what speed skaters earn but its hard to imagine that even the best ones make what a guy like George Hincapie makes and he is by no means a superstar in the sport of cycling. And remember, Eric Heiden, perhaps the greatest speed skater of all times, was only able to reach journeyman status when he pursued a pro cycling career.

[guru]

Re: How would world's best cyclist do in speed skating?

And remember, Eric Heiden, perhaps the greatest speed skater of all times, was only able to reach journeyman status when he pursued a pro cycling career.

Oh really?

He was a U.S champion in cycling.

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014225.html

[unclezadok]

The best speedskaters seem to be a little bigger and more powerful than the Grand Tour winners like Armstrong or Salvodelli. Maybe someone like Hincapie would be the ideal crossover. Or from the past, someone like Indurain who used time trial superiority to win Tours.

[bambam]

Cycling and speed skating is a very common sport double. In fact my own interest in the Olympics began with my father, who competed in both, making the Olympic trials in both in 1948, but not making the Olympic team. There have been 8 men and 10 women compete in both sports at the Olympic Games. Almost all of these athletes cross train in both sports.

In general, speedskaters are much bulkier than cyclists. They tend to be good track or sprint cyclists, but don't usually have the build for road racing and especially the long tours. Heiden attempted to make the 1980 pseudo-Olympic team in the track kilometre time trial but failed. (I always thought he may have had a better chance in the 4 km. individual pursuit.) He rode one Tour de France for the old 7-Eleven team but dropped out in the mountains.

[dralmorris]

many many excellent comments here in comparing and contrasting bikers and skaters.
All physiological training is specific always, THEREFORE if the world's best cyclists were to take up speed skating in serious training they would be similar results.
The key to evaluate is the distance covered by a world class cyclist in ONE hour. Then contrast that distance any Olympic speed skater would cover in one hour (both use extensively leg m.) so an adequate comparison can be made.
All racing conditions must be ideal. on velodrone and indoors on ice. no wind or elevations or inclement weather. just go all out for one hour
You can do this for running vs. swimming, etc. We published this when Eric H. got his five golds and we said in our published report then and we say again—no one will get five golds on skates. The development of the sport has progressed to such a high level now that training is much too specific in skating

[CookyMonzta]

Re: How would world's best cyclist do in speed skating?

I believe if the world's best cyclists were to take up speed skating, they would obliterate the 5000 and 10000 world records. I say this because they are probably no two Olympic sports that I can think of that have a closer physiological relationship than speed skating and cycling. The golden rule says that the best athletes will usually go where the money is. If javelin throwers made the kind of money that pitchers and quarterbacks make, I think that the U.S., with its 300,000,000 people would dominate the javelin in the same it dominates the sprints. I don't know what speed skaters earn but its hard to imagine that even the best ones make what a guy like George Hincapie makes and he is by no means a superstar in the sport of cycling. And remember, Eric Heiden, perhaps the greatest speed skater of all times, was only able to reach journeyman status when he pursued a pro cycling career.

I have two words for you: Christa Rothenberger.

[jazzcyclist]

Good comments by all, but the one thing that everyone seems to be overlooking is how the monetary incentives play into this. I once competed in a duathlon that also had some elite/pro duathletes competing. After the race was over, I had a chance to talk to some of these athletes and ask them about their backgrounds. Without exception, all of them had come from either a running or a cycling background, but admitted that they couldn't cut it at the elite level in those sports. Historically, the best endurance track cyclists end up pursuing careers on the road. Stuart O'Grady, Bradley McGee, Chris Boardman and Silvio Martinello are just a few of the cyclists who have been successful at this transition. You never hear of a star in road cycling giving it all up to pursue a full-time career on the track. I have to think that if the monetary incentives for winning a gold medal in the 5000 or 10000 in speed skating were as great as the incentives for winning the prologue in the Tour de France, speed skating would be a lot more competetive and the world records would be considerably lower.

[Guest]

Steve Hegg (Gold, '84 Pursuit) was once the US downhill ski champ.

Chris Witty was 5th in the Sydney 500m TT.

Conny Carpenter - 7th 72 1500m, 1st 84 road race.

[unclezadok]

I also am one who always thought that Heiden would have been an excellent individual pursuit racer. He did a few of those but I don't think he ever trained seriously for it. He finished 16th in the pro pursuit in 1981. That was at 5000m.

[MJD]

Clara Hughes:

"Hughes joins Eddie Eagan of the U.S., Jacob Tullin Thams of Norway and Christa Rothenburger-Luding of East Germany as the only athletes to win a medal in both an Olympic Winter Games and Summer Games."

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/506 ... ab=Results

[noone]

Ian Stewart (GB 5K type from ca. 1980) tried to switch to bike racing. He had no success that I ever heard of,

[tandfman]

Christa Ludwig-
Rothenburger took medals in 1988 in speed skating at Calgary and cycling
at Seoul.

Her name was Luding, not Ludwig. Christa Ludwig was a wonderful mezzo-soprano, but they don't give Olympic medals for that,

[Pego]

With an asterix one could include Sheila Young in this category. An Olympic champion in Montreal, world champion the same year. Women cycling was not on the Olympic program as yet.