Originally Posted by
PeteHski
Endurance road racing requires only a relatively modest bike handling skill set, but the ability to suffer has to be off the charts.
What do you consider "endurance" road racing? If you're talking about ultra-distance types of events where there generally aren't competitors around you, and most of your riding is solo, then I tend to agree. If you're talking about World Tour racing, not so much. While aerobic fitness is certainly the biggest factor, the skills required for handling a bike in a pro peloton, at pro race speeds, are not insignificant, nor are the skills required for descending at pro race speeds. Those conditions will make the average, well-experienced, amateur rider $#!+ themselves.