Originally Posted by
Wordbiker
You are correct Sheldon.
You didn't say it wasn't a sport, just that it isn't a bicycling sport.
My apologies for the tone of my post earlier. It was late, and I was tired, but I still wonder at why you hold this opinion? Having raced downhill myself, I can assure you that the cranks are not mere decoration. After racing XC for many years I used to think the same thing, but once I tried a race or two and saw how much sprinting power was needed to do well...my opinion changed.
I agree that the pedaling does contribute some of the power, but most still comes from artificial sources.
If you want to do downhill, or moped, or motorcycle or automobile or belt sander racing, I have no problem with it, but I personally have no interest in those sports.
Actually, I'm not particularly interested in sports in general. I kinda like baseball and sailboat racing, used to follow the Tour de France but the whole drug thing has turned me off that.
Sheldon "Not A Sports Fan" Brown