Whirlaway
07-19-2005, 08:35 PM
I've been watching the Tour de France this year, and for the second year in a row Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso, and Jan Ulrich have been the three best riders. They're an interesting study in contrasts.
Armstrong rides in a very low gear and turns his pedals over more rapidly than any other rider. In horse racing terms, he has a classic "turn of foot", meaning that he can accelerate very rapidly for short periods of time.
Ulrich, on the other hand is a pure Grinder, who rides in a high gear and has very little acceleration. When other riders ride away from him, he keeps his own pace and doesn't try to match them. More often than not he can close the gap by maintaining a steady tempo, but he's not quite as good on the hills as Armstrong and Basso.
Basso is somewhere in the middle. His rides in a gear that's lower than Ulrich and higher than Armstrong. When he breaks away, he does so with a steady acceleration, rather than the burst of speed that Armstrong uses. In the last two years, Armstrong has never been able to drop him, but when the two of them are together near the finish, Armstrong can break away and beat him by a few seconds.
If they made Beyer figures for cycling, Armstrong and Basso would look very similar on the pages of the DCF (Daily Cycling Form), yet head to head, Armstrong would almost always win.
Is there a lesson here for racing? I dunno. I've always liked horses with a great turn of foot, because they're the most fun to watch. Most of the really good horses of the last few years have been turn of foot types, but there have been good grinders too.
Turn of Foot Types: Ghostzapper, Cigar, Gentleman, Megahertz, Lit de Justice, Real Quiet, Afleet Alex
Grinders: Skip Away, Silver Charm, Astra, Pleasantly Perfect, Victory Gallop, Giacommo
Grinders tend to be big, powerfully built horses, while turn of foot types are smaller and more lightly built.
Horses with a turn of foot are often mistakenly believed to "pull themselves up" when they make the lead, but I think in reality they have one powerful run for half a furlong, after which they hit the wall. Perhaps the lactic acid buildup gets them. Watch Runaway Dancer in Sunday's Sunset Handicap for a turn of foot type who makes a blistering run, but hits the wall in the last hundred yards.
In general, I think the turn of foot types are able to rise more easily in class and offer better value, but quality is quality.
Armstrong rides in a very low gear and turns his pedals over more rapidly than any other rider. In horse racing terms, he has a classic "turn of foot", meaning that he can accelerate very rapidly for short periods of time.
Ulrich, on the other hand is a pure Grinder, who rides in a high gear and has very little acceleration. When other riders ride away from him, he keeps his own pace and doesn't try to match them. More often than not he can close the gap by maintaining a steady tempo, but he's not quite as good on the hills as Armstrong and Basso.
Basso is somewhere in the middle. His rides in a gear that's lower than Ulrich and higher than Armstrong. When he breaks away, he does so with a steady acceleration, rather than the burst of speed that Armstrong uses. In the last two years, Armstrong has never been able to drop him, but when the two of them are together near the finish, Armstrong can break away and beat him by a few seconds.
If they made Beyer figures for cycling, Armstrong and Basso would look very similar on the pages of the DCF (Daily Cycling Form), yet head to head, Armstrong would almost always win.
Is there a lesson here for racing? I dunno. I've always liked horses with a great turn of foot, because they're the most fun to watch. Most of the really good horses of the last few years have been turn of foot types, but there have been good grinders too.
Turn of Foot Types: Ghostzapper, Cigar, Gentleman, Megahertz, Lit de Justice, Real Quiet, Afleet Alex
Grinders: Skip Away, Silver Charm, Astra, Pleasantly Perfect, Victory Gallop, Giacommo
Grinders tend to be big, powerfully built horses, while turn of foot types are smaller and more lightly built.
Horses with a turn of foot are often mistakenly believed to "pull themselves up" when they make the lead, but I think in reality they have one powerful run for half a furlong, after which they hit the wall. Perhaps the lactic acid buildup gets them. Watch Runaway Dancer in Sunday's Sunset Handicap for a turn of foot type who makes a blistering run, but hits the wall in the last hundred yards.
In general, I think the turn of foot types are able to rise more easily in class and offer better value, but quality is quality.