Track Star vs Field Hero

[Trip]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

easy to do... trip himself does it often

suck it trebek

[JoJoYZF]

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

I used to run track & field where I did the 4x400, high-jump & pole vault, I've played soccer, baseball, basketball, I've skiid, snowboarded a few times, I've tried mountain climing, mountain hiking, etc etc etc..... Each of those activities requires a different aspect & level of fitness....


But how many here have tried to ride at or near 100% of your ability for roughly 40 minutes like the MotoGP guys do?

Me personally, the longest motorcycle race that I compete in is a 20 minute GP... and before I learned that it wasn't a sprint & I needed to pace myself, I was BEGGING for the white flag by the 15th minute.

Of course that's at Loudon, NH, one of the most notoriously technical & exhausting full size road courses in the States... There's hardly ANYWHERE to rest besides the front straight which is only about 1/2 a mile long.... but my point still applies... On some tracks it's extremely taxing to ride a motorcycle at that level for that length of time.



But to answer the question: I think it's about the same. All sports require top level conditioning to achieve top level performance.

Good question

Good point. I was a distance runner in track, ran cross country and played basketball in a city league. All sports require something different. Conditioning wise there is no doubt that I was in better shape than a lot of people, but it was mainly slow twitch muscles and a ton of stamina. Football players for example use tons of reps of much faster movements. It just depends on what part of being in shape youre looking at. I used to be able to run 12 miles continuously when I was in CC, but could only bench about 140. These days Im stronger but have nowhere near the conditioning I used to since I just lift and do light cardio instead of focusing on cardio and doing a little lifting.

Originally Posted by Trip

suck it trebek

Knock knock
Whos there?
I dont know but your mothers a whore

[the chi]

My thoughts were in line with Oreo's...the taxing effects of riding hard require good physical conditioning. Im no expert, but I know when Ive been rested and fit I can last a helluva lot longer than when I am out of shape. For me its a whole day versus just a few sessions worth of a track day. I would think the racers would have to be conditioned and fit mentally and physically to really perform but its an endurance test, not a sprint down a field...

[smileyman]

Like I said before the level of concentration a racer has for such a long period has to be phenomenal. I too have done the 20 minute GP and run 4-5-6-and 8 hour endurances where I got up to about an hour 20 stint. To be sharp, precise, and smooth that long takes everything you have.

A NFL player can breathe 30 seconds at a time before going back to 100% concentration. NBA stars get free throws and time outs, Soccer has enough players on field that not all are involved with every play despite being on the move.

But yeah put a Palamalu or Erlacher up against Gordon, Martin, Stoner, Hayden, Rossi and I think we know who will be able to run longer, hit harder, lift more...

[Trip]

Originally Posted by smileyman

Like I said before the level of concentration a racer has for such a long period has to be phenomenal. I too have done the 20 minute GP and run 4-5-6-and 8 hour endurances where I got up to about an hour 20 stint. To be sharp, precise, and smooth that long takes everything you have.

A NFL player can breathe 30 seconds at a time before going back to 100% concentration. NBA stars get free throws and time outs, Soccer has enough players on field that not all are involved with every play despite being on the move.

But yeah put a Palamalu or Erlacher up against Gordon, Martin, Stoner, Hayden, Rossi and I think we know who will be able to run longer, hit harder, lift more...

mental training is far different than physical training, didn't want to really add this to part of the question, more directed to the physical side of things. The amount of concentration of a racer is not of much importance to me, because at that stage in a career a lot it is second nature going through the motions. The mental concentration of a noob riding on the track for the first time and the stress on their brain would probably be at the same level if not more. Think of your first time getting on the interstate and cranking that throttle back, that speed feels completely different now. The level of mental stamina for any racing sport would be along the same lines as motogp level, even such sports as NASCAR especially on tracks like Daytona and Talladega where they are constantly running inches from each other for several hundred miles. You become desensitized to it. Real mental tests come from new and unexpected things.

[pickle.of.doom]

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by pickle.of.doom

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

I wonder how much that changes when you reach the level of WSBK/MotoGP though. The reason most of us regular track day riders get tired, IMO, is because of nerves. That takes a huge physical and mental toll.

In other words, I wonder how tired a pro racer would be after racing 40 minutes compared to a track day rider riding at their own limits for 40 minutes.

[OreoGaborio]

Originally Posted by pickle.of.doom

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

I DEFINITELY wasn't going all out (especially in the beginner & intermediate groups) but I remember one track day where we were a little light on control riders & instructors so I was doing 3 or 4 sessions in a row, only sitting out maybe or two session every two hours. Out of 21 on-track sessions I did probably 15 of them. It was soooo much fun

I'd say I was only riding 75% for most of the day, but it was a blast.

[smileyman]

I see your logic Trip. Although I do think the mental focus shifts with experience. Newbs are worried about braking points and which way the track goes next, MotoGP level riders are either diagnosing handling issues and thinking set up in testing or constantly coaxing that last hundredth of a second out of the package while plotting a pass/repass strategy. It is pretty busy either way, so the mental load while different is no less loaded...

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Trip

suck it trebek

I'll take the rapist for $500 alex