This begs the question, "Would you give up life's little pleasures, such as rich foods, to be a pro racer?" I wouldn't/couldn't.Dirdir said:I recently read that Tyler has not had ice cream for over a year. My god, I know these guys have to watch their diets/eating habits, but this seems extreme. Is Tyler the norm or the abnorm? I also just saw a video clip of Pantani sucking down the stuff.
Yes, I think I read in Lance's book that one time he took his kid out on a bike ride with his trailer and his kid said "daddy, no more airplane" or something like that. I don't think I could go more than a day or so without seeing my kids. Certainly not for large time gaps on a regular basis.Nat said:This begs the question, "Would you give up life's little pleasures, such as rich foods, to be a pro racer?" I wouldn't/couldn't.
Or, "What would you not give up to be a pro?" I couldn't give up eating whatever the hell I wanted, or being around my kid all year.
In that video clip of Lance in yellow on the podium (I think it was the 2000 TDF), in which he was holding baby Luke, it looked as if he was really uncomfortable holding his child. My wife noticed it first, and commented that it looked as if he had never held his kid before.Christine said:Lance did come from a broken home, so for him, leaving the kids would seem more acceptable. Not necessarily easy, but he's a workaholic. Sons of workaholic/absent fathers are likely to think that being away from the family is more "normal." Generally speaking, of course.
If one of the parents is going to reap huge financial rewards, it usually means sacrifice. I once read an article called "Wall Street Widows," about the lives of women who are/were married to financial tycoons. On one family's trips to Vermont, for example, the kids would point to the humble houses and say, "How can they live like that?" The mom would say, "They don't have a lot of money, but they get to eat dinner with their Daddy every night." That would shut the kids right up.
Now kids and ice cream are one thing, but sweets in general would be wicked hard (she typed, digesting a huge wedge of baklava from the 24-hr Greek diner down the street.) Although I did see Lance on his Chronicles tossing back handfuls of M&Ms.
But if you could be a pro (I'm assuming you're not already; please correct me if I'm wrong) in exchange for never eating a candy bar or Haagen Dazs again, would you?big_slacker said:I think that might be a little extreme. Its not uncommon for athletes to be on strict diets when training for an event, as every high school wrestler (except some of the heavyweights) knows.
But off season a treat once in a while isn't gonna kill you. I keep my bodyfat in the low teens year round and still have the occasional candy bar or hagan das. And I don't do anywhere near the workload those guys do.
I bet the psychology is a big part of it. I knew guys who were at an elite level and they could get pretty psycho about their diet. One transgression and they would worry about it pretty well.Stelvio said:I would think Tyler could easily throw in some ice cream, beer or whatever. Moderation is the key. It's probably easier just to cut out some things completely so phycologically you feel you had done everything you could to perform well.
That is VERY generalized, and may I say, probably untrue. Speaking from personal experience from my life and peers from a simular situation, we (ba$tard sons) tend to be closer to their children than average. Maybe I'm the exception.Christine said:Lance did come from a broken home, so for him, leaving the kids would seem more acceptable. Not necessarily easy, but he's a workaholic. Sons of workaholic/absent fathers are likely to think that being away from the family is more "normal." Generally speaking, of course.
Dude, getting pulled in a trailer behind him could be downright scary. I"m not sure a trailer is intended to go that fast. I just imagine him in a 40mph sprint with the trailer skipping behindDirdir said:Yes, I think I read in Lance's book that one time he took his kid out on a bike ride with his trailer and his kid said "daddy, no more airplane" or something like that. I don't think I could go more than a day or so without seeing my kids. Certainly not for large time gaps on a regular basis.
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If we're strictly talkin' no ice cream or candy bars, hell yah, no problem - I never eat candy and RAREly eat ice cream (especially expensive ice cream...heh) ....but if it wouuld mean giving up pizza and/or beer and/or coffee/expresso, no way !!!! MMmmmm, P'n'B (pizza'n'beer !!!)Nat said:But if you could be a pro (I'm assuming you're not already; please correct me if I'm wrong) in exchange for never eating a candy bar or Haagen Dazs again, would you?
The pertinent question is: "Does he miss it?" There are lots of things I haven't eaten in the past year, and plenty of things I have eaten that I could easily foresake. Ice cream is probably one of them. Chocolate, too. I just don't get food cravings like some folks. (Which is not to say that I'm lean and mean!) LIfe's full of trade-offs. I give up beer on Saturday night so I can race on Sunday. Tyler fives up ice cream so he can compete with the best of the best. I'm not flabbergasted that there are big sacrifices involved in being a world-class athlete. ...Are you??Dirdir said:I recently read that Tyler has not had ice cream for over a year. My god, I know these guys have to watch their diets/eating habits, but this seems extreme. Is Tyler the norm or the abnorm? I also just saw a video clip of Pantani sucking down the stuff.
