Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Weight as a racer!

I’m 5 foot 6.5 inched and I weigh 8 stone 2 / 52kg! I think I might be too light, Ive looked at pro cyclists my height and they are all 4 or 5 kilos heavier than me. Are their listed weights heavy or am I doing something wrong?? Thanks for any help! 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

15 comments

Avatar
fenix | 5 years ago
0 likes

Are you young ? 

I wouldn't worry about it - do you have any intent to become a professional ? 

Avatar
Kapelmuur | 5 years ago
0 likes

I read that Cav was 5’9” and 70kg and was pleased because that’s my height and weight.

I told a friend who laughed and said “Cav’s a lot shorter than you”.

Avatar
vonhelmet | 5 years ago
0 likes

Do you mean “overweight” in the medically defined sense, or “overweight” by comparison to professional cyclists? One is not entirely fair...

Avatar
simonmb replied to vonhelmet | 5 years ago
1 like

vonhelmet wrote:

Do you mean “overweight” in the medically defined sense, or “overweight” by comparison to professional cyclists? One is not entirely fair...

To me, 'overweight' in an 'amateur cycling sense' means: doesn't look good in Lycra. Although in a medical sense I'm within healthy limits and look 'healthier' than most of my non-cyling and non-active friends, I currently class myself, sadly, as cycling-overweight. Working on it though.

Avatar
madcarew | 5 years ago
1 like

So long as you eat a reasonable diet (less processed foods, plenty of Fruit and Veg) then you're not doing anything 'wrong' unless you have a medical issue (hypothyroidism, Crohn's etc etc) George Bennett is 5'7" and 53 - 55 kg. However he has a threshold power of 340W. For your racing, the old adage 'train your weaknesses and race your strengths'.

Ignore your weight. It's not going to be an effective measure of your performance. You can go work in the gym (High return on time spent) and do explosive and high weight/ low rep work to improve your sprinting power which has a knock on effect to your endurance power. You can do lots of high rep intervals (2 min efforts at 105% of threshold with 2 mins easy repeated amrap). On the bike personally I'd select for you lots and lots of sprint  / track style work, for 6 weeks followed by 3 weeks of 5 min Max VO2 intervals with once a week of 3 x 20 min steady efforts as fast as possible. 3 Rotations of this 9 week program should see a significant improvement in your flat speed and ability to cover breaks. 

And eat. Lots.

Avatar
Gasman Jim replied to madcarew | 5 years ago
0 likes

madcarew wrote:

So long as you eat a reasonable diet (less processed foods, plenty of Fruit and Veg) then you're not doing anything 'wrong' unless you have a medical issue (hypothyroidism, Crohn's etc etc) George Bennett is 5'7" and 53 - 55 kg. However he has a threshold power of 340W. For your racing, the old adage 'train your weaknesses and race your strengths'.

Ignore your weight. It's not going to be an effective measure of your performance. You can go work in the gym (High return on time spent) and do explosive and high weight/ low rep work to improve your sprinting power which has a knock on effect to your endurance power. You can do lots of high rep intervals (2 min efforts at 105% of threshold with 2 mins easy repeated amrap). On the bike personally I'd select for you lots and lots of sprint  / track style work, for 6 weeks followed by 3 weeks of 5 min Max VO2 intervals with once a week of 3 x 20 min steady efforts as fast as possible. 3 Rotations of this 9 week program should see a significant improvement in your flat speed and ability to cover breaks. 

And eat. Lots.

I think you mean hyperthyroidism, not hypothyroidism.

Avatar
60kg lean keen ... | 5 years ago
0 likes

I am 168cm tall and are between 57kg to 60kg, so you are proper light!  I am looked apon as thin by my friends family etc. I find that when I get too light my power drops, that is the balance light but with the power to keep up on the flat with the monsters!!!  I am also 46 years old so I now find that I need to have a bit more bulk now than when I was in my younger years to keep up, yes on the climbs I can still pull away from all but the youngest whipets but on the flat it all gets realy hard! I spend most of time on my own now just enjoying the peace and are not racing so it not a big issue, I just like to enjoy me time with friends on my bike whithout breathing out my ears for most of the time I am out on a group ride!

Avatar
vonhelmet | 5 years ago
0 likes

Blimey. I’m 5’7 and trying to get down to 11 stone. Mind you, I’ve got a big broad torso, so I’ll never be super light.

Avatar
Simon E | 5 years ago
2 likes

That's very light but as long as you're eating a healthy diet and not ill then I wouldn't worry.

I'm 5'4" and 59kg and I could still lose a couple of kilos. My 17 year old son is almost as tall as me but weighs less than 40 kg. He has twigs for arms and can't lift / push a heavy weight to save his life.

Listed weights may not be accurate and pro cyclists' weight varies with training and targets and are probably not good examples to compare with. OTOH most amateur cyclists are significantly overweight, it's probably why they're so obsessed with the weight of frames, wheels, garmin mounts etc.

 

Avatar
Griff500 replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
0 likes

Simon E wrote:

OTOH most amateur cyclists are significantly overweight, 

Quite a generalisation. Maybe true if you classify commuters as amateur cyclists, but that's not what the OP is talking about. In my circle, cyclists are well below average weight.  

Like the OP, I worry about my weight. At a shade under 6ft, from the age of 19 to my mid 50's my weight increased from 12st4 to 12st 8 in old money - average for my height. I then took up cycling and dropped to my current 10 st 7, which the medical books say is too light. This has mainly come from my midriff, but  I have also lost upper body strength. With Strava telling me I am burning 2000 calories a couple of times per week, that's one day's average extra calorie intake I need each time I take the bike out the garage. I can't drink enough beer or eat enough pasta to make that up. I find it mindboggling that the pros can make up 8,000 calories per day! Equally mindboggling that any cyclist can be overweight.

Avatar
Simon E replied to Griff500 | 5 years ago
0 likes

Griff500 wrote:

Simon E wrote:

OTOH most amateur cyclists are significantly overweight, 

Quite a generalisation. Maybe true if you classify commuters as amateur cyclists, but that's not what the OP is talking about.

Yes it is a generalisation, hence the use of the word 'most'. I was referring to people in lycra and clipless, not commuters in casual clothing. If the majority are overweight then a straw poll could suggest that what is considered 'light' is somewhat skewed.

Avatar
Jimmy Ray Will replied to Griff500 | 5 years ago
1 like

Griff500 wrote:

I find it mindboggling that the pros can make up 8,000 calories per day! Equally mindboggling that any cyclist can be overweight.

This all depends on your metabolism hey? My ability to gain weight is legendary... however whilst frustrating, that same ability makes it possible to fuel on some massive days out on the bike. 

Avatar
Nick T | 5 years ago
0 likes

How fast are you

Avatar
alexxrr1 replied to Nick T | 5 years ago
0 likes

Nick T wrote:

How fast are you

 

I got my cat 3 licence this year - find climbs easy and struggle on the flats but can hold on 

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
1 like

You are unlikely to be a sprinter or power man, however if you've got good power for your weight you could be an excellent mountain climber.  You will need to hang onto the bigger riders on the flats/downhill and outclimb them.  Putting a few pounds on of muscle will help you become stronger and more able to cope with fast flat rides but dont over do it and spoil your W/KG ratio

Latest Comments