VO2 max of cyclists V Formula 1 drivers

2

Comments

  • emx
    emx Posts: 164
    P_Tucker wrote:
    emx wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    That it took so long for one remotely sensible answer is astonishing.

    if only you had come along sooner fella - you could have put us all straight.....

    Yeah, but the hilarious unmitigated bolleaux is what keeps me coming back to BR.

    but the majority of your own posts are also unmitigated 'bolleaux' with no obvious purpose or content - so where does that leave us..? Tell us, oh wise one...
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    emx wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    emx wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    That it took so long for one remotely sensible answer is astonishing.

    if only you had come along sooner fella - you could have put us all straight.....

    Yeah, but the hilarious unmitigated bolleaux is what keeps me coming back to BR.

    but the majority of your own posts are also unmitigated 'bolleaux' with no obvious purpose or content - so where does that leave us..? Tell us, oh wise one...

    That I'm in the right place, obviously.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    meanredspider wrote:
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....

    I don't think anyone argued that F1 was just a "skill sport", the question was specifically whether F1 drivers had a VO2 max similar or higher than a pro cyclist and this article still doesn't prove that an F1 driver needs to have a high VO2 max...
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    meanredspider wrote:
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....

    :lol: did anyone say that F1 was "just" skill and required no fitness whatsoever? No? Then well done for showing, er, no-one the error of their ways.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    P_Tucker wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....

    :lol: did anyone say that F1 was "just" skill and required no fitness whatsoever? No? Then well done for showing, er, no-one the error of their ways.

    Well i'd reckon 190bpm for 2 hours counts as an endurance sport and not just a "skill sport" for which you need to be fit.

    You'll, of course, have done lots of motor racing and know what you are talking about....? (for once)
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    meanredspider wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....

    :lol: did anyone say that F1 was "just" skill and required no fitness whatsoever? No? Then well done for showing, er, no-one the error of their ways.

    Well i'd reckon 190bpm for 2 hours counts as an endurance sport and not just a "skill sport" for which you need to be fit.

    You'll, of course, have done lots of motor racing and know what you are talking about....? (for once)

    :lol: do you make strawmen for a living, or just as a hobby?
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    P_Tucker wrote:
    :lol: do you make strawmen for a living, or just as a hobby?

    Only to lure trolls :wink:
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    meanredspider wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    :lol: do you make strawmen for a living, or just as a hobby?

    Only to lure trolls :wink:

    Ugh. This conversation demeans us both.
  • Brommers76
    Brommers76 Posts: 234
    Bit of an academic thing to discuss. F1 drivers in no way have the time to devote to specific endurance training to develop their endurance to the extent of a pro cyclicst. Having said that, it may be the case that the fittest and most talented (aerobic endurance-wise) driver may have a higher VO2 than some Pro Cyclist but can they hop on a bike and compete -no.

    In the same way a trip to Kenya to grab some super talented runners with V02 max off the chart won't result in you coming home with a team of pro cyclists.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    meanredspider wrote:
    P_Tucker wrote:
    meanredspider wrote:
    Again, for the benefit of those that think F1 is only a "skill sport"

    http://mclaren.com/page/drivers-fittest ... malaysia-1

    190bpm is pretty high for just being skilful....

    :lol: did anyone say that F1 was "just" skill and required no fitness whatsoever? No? Then well done for showing, er, no-one the error of their ways.

    Well i'd reckon 190bpm for 2 hours counts as an endurance sport and not just a "skill sport" for which you need to be fit.

    You'll, of course, have done lots of motor racing and know what you are talking about....? (for once)

    The high heart rate is probably largely down to the increased adrenalin release but of course you know better as both a pro F1 driver and TDF rider... Anyway, increased HR does not equal high VO2 max....
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • slunker
    slunker Posts: 346
    The high heart rate could be to do with the hight levels of adreniline ibn the blood stream.

    Slightly off topic but Moto GP Rider Ben spies and former WSBK Champ Troy Bayliss are keen cyclists. Spies is a Cat1 rider and Bayliss Cat2. I would say riding a Moto GP bike is much more physically demanding than driving a F1 car.......
  • wheezee
    wheezee Posts: 461
    But could any of them sit at a computer and battle extreme levels of tedium for seven hours every day?
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    wheezee wrote:
    But could any of them sit at a computer and battle extreme levels of tedium for seven hours every day?

    7?? Try 9+....
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Headhuunter wrote:
    The high heart rate is probably largely down to the increased adrenalin release but of course you know better as both a pro F1 driver and TDF rider... Anyway, increased HR does not equal high VO2 max....

    I'm neither - but nor is anyone else in this thread (unless there's some TDF cyclists lurking). I am both a keen amateur cyclist and keen (Nat A license holder and Scottish Championship) amateur racing driver so I'm probably as well qualified as most on this thread to compare the two sports. I don't actually think the adrenalin counts for the high HR - these guys are professionals. It's the sheer physical effort in doing simple things like keeping your head upright through a 4G corner. The longest race I've done is 20 minutes at Knockhill - I get out of the car knackered. For me, some of that is adrenalin (my HR peaks at 183 - the highest I've recorded in any sport) but I'm a weekend warrior - but some is just that driving a race car (as opposed to a road-going car) fast is physically demanding.

    You're right, it doesn't equate to VO2 max - I'll find that out when I go to McLaren - but I do think that a lot of folk vastly underestimate the fitness demands of driving an F1 car
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    mean - no-one's saying you don't need to be fit to drive an F1 car.

    You're confusing a talent for endurance with fitness.

    They're very different things.
    _
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    mean - no-one's saying you don't need to be fit to drive an F1 car.

    You're confusing a talent for endurance with fitness.

    They're very different things.

    Exactly, it's undoubtable that F1 drivers are fit, as I pointed out earlier, this may be due to other sporting interests they have - ie. Jensen Button's triathons, however whether the VO2 max derived from and required for F1 racing is the same as that for pro cycle racing I very much doubt. F1 drivers, albeit under a lot of pressure, are not using muscles to the same extent as a pro rider and heart rate in isolation does not indicate that they have a higher VO2 max.
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • wheezee
    wheezee Posts: 461
    Headhuunter wrote:
    wheezee wrote:
    But could any of them sit at a computer and battle extreme levels of tedium for seven hours every day?

    7?? Try 9+....

    I was quoting what I imagine is an average day, and an average level of job dissatisfaction.

    Perhaps your personal experience is closer to the truth.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    wheezee wrote:
    Headhuunter wrote:
    wheezee wrote:
    But could any of them sit at a computer and battle extreme levels of tedium for seven hours every day?

    7?? Try 9+....

    I was quoting what I imagine is an average day, and an average level of job dissatisfaction.

    Perhaps your personal experience is closer to the truth.

    I've racked up 3650+ comments on Bike Radar in 2 and a bit years, that speaks volumes!
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    mean - no-one's saying you don't need to be fit to drive an F1 car.

    You're confusing a talent for endurance with fitness.

    They're very different things.

    I'm just refering back to the OP
    Had a colleague claim that F1 drivers have athletic abilities similar to that of top level cyclists which i thought was b/s. Anybody have any idea what Jenson Button's VO2 max is? Or Schumachers, Vettel's or Weber's?

    It doesn't refer to talent for endurance - though I'd argue that 2 hours at 50C and an HR of 190 seems like endurance to me.

    A Triathlon, I'd have thought, was an endurance event. I see JB has entered the world championships. I don't know how "similar" the "athletic abilities" need to be for the OP's colleague to win the (pointless) arguement. Competing in the world championships of a sport seems a reasonable level of achievement for someone still competing to be world champion of an entirely different sport.

    Returning to VO2 max - I thought it was an indicator of fitness rather than just endurance (though accept it's important to endurance sports such as swimming, cycling & running - like the triathlon)? And it's only one component of all-round "athletic ability".

    I guess I'm just oversensitive (sorry) to the oft-mentioned view that F1 drivers just drive. I've met a few and spent time with F1 teams and I can't begin to explain how wrong that is.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • wheezee
    wheezee Posts: 461
    Headhuunter wrote:

    I've racked up 3650+ comments on Bike Radar in 2 and a bit years, that speaks volumes!

    I'd try and work out how many posts that is every day, and if you might be doing during lunch time, but I'm too busy staring out of the window.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    wheezee wrote:
    Headhuunter wrote:

    I've racked up 3650+ comments on Bike Radar in 2 and a bit years, that speaks volumes!

    I'd try and work out how many posts that is every day, and if you might be doing during lunch time, but I'm too busy staring out of the window.

    No I post throughout the day! It doesn't have to be lunchtime.... Anything to divert me from my job!
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • wheezee
    wheezee Posts: 461
    Headhuunter wrote:
    No I post throughout the day! It doesn't have to be lunchtime.... Anything to divert me from my job!

    I'm going to have to unwatch this topic. I'm not getting anything done here.
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    meanredspider wrote:
    I guess I'm just oversensitive (sorry) to the oft-mentioned view that F1 drivers just drive. I've met a few and spent time with F1 teams and I can't begin to explain how wrong that is.

    No sh!t, sherlock.
  • furrag
    furrag Posts: 481
    The research paper Acute neuromuscular responses to car racing by Jani Blackman answers a lot of questions in this thread, and why F1 drivers tend to have a high VO2max [and explains why F1 drivers drive for 1h45mins with heart rates between 82-93% MHR.]

    Here's a quote from David Coulthard's coach, Terry Woods:

    “David's resting pulse rate is 40 bpm and at periods of intense exertion this can go up to 196 bpm and will be back down to 48 within five minutes. One of the reasons for this fast recovery is the fact that David utilises 70% of the oxygen in his lungs whereas most people only use around 50%.”

    All this without the controversy of failed drugs tests too. ;)
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Furrag wrote:
    All this without the controversy of failed drugs tests too. ;)

    Absolutely. Given the huge rewards (highest in sport) of F1, it gives the lie to other sports about the pressures to compete.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    meanredspider wrote:
    Furrag wrote:
    All this without the controversy of failed drugs tests too. ;)

    Absolutely. Given the huge rewards (highest in sport) of F1, it gives the lie to other sports about the pressures to compete.

    :lol: I wonder how strict the testing regime is.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    P_Tucker wrote:
    :lol: I wonder how strict the testing regime is.

    As strict as any, I believe. One driver was mentioning that he was woken at 6am in his hotel room by the dope testing team on a race weekend for a random test. Gives the sense that, superficially at least, they take it seriously. The medical requirements around F1 are pretty strict given the inherent dangers of the sport to drivers, spectators, teams and officials. The sport retains Professor Syd Watkins (at least, that's who it used to be) who is a consultant neuro-surgeon to keep an eye on the drivers.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Indeed - there is a lot more collateral if a driver starts taking stuff.
    _
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    And a lot more ways potentially to cheat :lol:

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