hyhuu

Before I started cycling I've never heard of such phrase. But once I'm familiar with cycling community, I keep hearing this a lot from cyclists. Sure a grand tour is physically demanding but it's not like reach rider is racing every stage. A quick google search show that cycling isn't on the top ten list on many sites. What's your take?

RT

From a current thread, cycling is certainly not a gentleman's sport. It is a sport covered in snot and other bodily fluids.

chasm54

It depends on the criteria being applied. Tougher than heavyweight boxing in terms of the aerobic endurance required, but less so in terms of being repeatedly hit around the head.

hyhuu

And that's what makes it toughest? I think MMA got that beats: each fighter covers in each other's blood, sweat in addition to punches, elbows and kicks

tagaproject6

The take is: Enjoy the ride and HTFU

Cycling used to be just a means to get from point A to point B. Then a few people tried to find out which person can go to those points the fastest. People came to watch. While being watched, a few decided that they should put on clothes that tell people they are cyclists. People with businesses thought it would be a good idea to give the cyclists clothes with their business name on it and some said it would be great if we can pay them to ride. The businesses flourished and they discovered that the person getting to the points the fastest is prestigious and gets them more money. They paid more to the person who is fastest. The person who is not so fast wanted to the prestige and the money. The fastest did not want to lose. They all heard about drugs that can make them faster and they did. Someone said, cheating is not good. They formed a group to catch cheaters and stop them from racing. Some got caught, some confessed and some got caught but did not confess until later. Oh yeah...it's tough! Some people just enjoy the ride, to them, it's just another ride.

Then you go to the 41...

Nachoman

Professional cycling -- yes.
Cycling in general -- no.

hyhuu

I was referring to professional cycling. So what makes it "the toughest".

kv501

MMA. Bar none.

I'm not a participant or anything more than a casual fan, but mixed martial arts requires stamina, mastery of several techniques, extreme pain tolerance, and fearlessness. You step into that ring knowing that another highly skilled person has been training for months to either violently injure you to the point you can't continue, or to knock you unconscious.

Not that pro cycling, boxing, rock climbing, etc. aren't tough, but nowhere else does a sport pull out every stop both mentally and physically than MMA.

tagaproject6

Mix MMA with cycling and we may have something! Those cleats can do some damage at the finish line.

hyhuu

With the lack of upper both strength in the peloton, I'm sure those cleats would come handy.

Seattle Forrest

It's debatable which contexts of cycling are and are not sports. But road bike racing is a lot less tough than, say, mountain bike racing.

Sport rock climbing is actually pretty safe, and it's 90 % mental. Once you get high enough above the ground to account for rope stretch, the risk is controlled very well. But the monkey part of your brain wants to pump you full of adrenaline whenever the old fear of heights is triggered. Mountaineering is a different story, though. I don't know how often people die in mma, but every year several people from Seattle are killed in avalanches. I'd say mountaineering is much "tougher" than mma; mma people don't get up at 3 am to cross glaciers while the snow bridges hiding the crevasses are still cold and strong, and mma people aren't "on" for days at a time. They don't deal with icy wind on a 10 degree day or sleep on narrow ledges above long drops, either. There's just no comparison.

KevinF

This "cycling is the world's toughest sport" line was no doubt created by some marketing type trying to hype up their race.

In terms of demands on the cardiovascular system, bike racing probably can stake a claim to the "toughest" title. In terms of the "single hardest thing to do" -- hitting a round ball with a round bat (baseball) is arguably the toughest single thing. The hand-eye coordination of a hockey goalie tracking a small puck boggles my mind. You can take a task out of any sport football receivers hanging onto the ball while they're getting hit and still having the ability to get both feet in comes to mind) where a non-professional in that sport would find it impossible.

I imagine if you ask professional athletes about this "toughest thing in sports" that they'd freely admit that they can't comprehend how athletes in other sports do what they do.

Phil_gretz

"Toughest" is a vague term that requires descriptive language to explain.

Interesting discussion above, particularly about mountaineering. There are sports that require a high pain threshold, skill, endurance, strength and fearlessness. Cycling contains aspects of all of these, but it probably doesn't rise to the level of more extreme sports.

Not on the list...bass fishing, golf, ballroom dancing, table tennis...also world football (soccer), pro tennis, North American football, baseball or basketball, although any of these can still make a fine spectacle under the right conditions.

I'd have given my gut reaction vote to MMA, but I'm not familiar enough with other extreme sports...

Jandro 

... wtf are you talking about? Unless a rider crashes out gets sick, they all ride every stage in a race. I take it you do not race you bike?

hyhuu

What I meant was each rider or team isn't trying to win every stage so the demand isn't as high when they just sit in the peloton. GC riders aren't really racing on flat stages, not every team is doing the work in front everyday, etc.

merlinextraligh

Yes it is. Don't make the cut time for the stage, you're out.

You have to have the endurance to ride 6 hours a day, day after; you have to have the power to ride 35mph plus, you have to have the stones to corner, and sprint elbow to elbow, descend mountain roads without guardrails in the rain.

From an energy point of view, it's the equivalent of running a marathon every day.
You do it when its 100 degrees plus, and when its 20 degrees and snowing sideways.

You are going to crash, lose skin, break bones, and you have to keep riding thtough it.

As for MMA, I'd agree getting the **** kicked out of you legally is tough. I have trouble calling that mayham a sport, and find it difficult to believe it's not banned, given the current knowledge of concussions.

WC89

Depends on who you talk to I guess. If you watch ESPN, you'll come to understand that that they just about don't even consider a pro race (such as the Tour de France) a sport at all, let alone tough... as it seems excrutiating for them to even report on it, unless there's some scandal going on. Heaven forbid anything that steals time from the never-ending football news during the entire football off-season!!!

Phil_gretz

ESPN belongs to ABC-Disney. 'nuff said. I'm not interested in anything that they choose to promote, broadcast or say...

Jandro 

This just further proves my point that you don't know what you're talking about.

Racing, in particular large stage races, is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports/activities/whatever there is. As Merlin said, it's like running an ultra marathon every day for several days in row, getting one day to rest, then doing it again for another week.

Toughest? Who's to say, that's a pretty vague word. I can do a 60mi road race, place top 10, and feel ok the day after. I also like rock climbing but can't do a V3 bouldering problem to save my life. Does that mean the bouldering problem is 'tougher' than my race the day before? Not likely.

RJM

Bicycle racing is a much harder sport than many people give credit for, especially in the U.S. where adults riding kid's toys is still the prevailing opinion of cyclists. Toughest? I have my doubts.

The MMA stuff I have watched is pretty brutal stuff....those dudes are tough.

Seattle Forrest

Bouldering is stupid. It's for people with a fear of heights, who want to wrestle giant pebbles to the ground. Any activity where you have to start out sitting down on the ground to get more distance in, is dumb. Boulderers are often very good climbers, but they get tired after 3 or 4 moves. It attracts gorgeous women, though.

I'll reiterate that nothing in cycling or mma compares to sleeping on a narrow ledge high above the ground in sub-freezing temps.

Jandro 

I'm fairly new to the world of rock climbing. Enjoying top roping and bouldering atm.

I'm around the 5.11b/V2 (some moves on V3 stuff) realm of capability. Sounds like you're a little more into that world than I

BillyD

That's not a sport, that's barbarism, reminiscent of ancient uncivilized societies.

But whatever floats your boat.

BillyD

kv501

As tough a climber as you think might be, Alex Honnold is way tougher. A suicidal maniac maybe, but much tougher than you.