Hamilton vs. Hoy

"a formula 1 driver can maintain his heart rate between 150-170 bpm for 1 hour and 45 minutes"

Wow. So can I and I'm a fucking washed up bitter whiney alcoholic club level cyclist.

"their fitness level is as good as a marathon runner"

Loads of people run marathons every year.. (what's the entry numbers for the Flora?) it doesn't mean they do them well.

they call them Snickers, now, anyway.

:)

(In Oz Snickers and Marathon are two different bars, same company though I think, Marathons are marketed as some kind of exercise recovery/protein bar, Snickers are just junk food ftw!)

Button finished 16th overall in the last Sevenoaks triathlon

That must be it, the proof, argument over....F1 drivers are the fittest of all sportsmen!

BTW Richie, when will Chris Evans feature in your avatar?

I was responding to Winston's claim that Jenson Button was not a 'real athlete'.

I have not once said that they are they the fittest of all sportsmen.

Was anyone saying they are the fittest of all sportsmen?

Only those who want to argue the opposite =P

I was responding to Winston's claim that Jenson Button was not a 'real athlete'.

I have not once said that they are they the fittest of all sportsmen.

Chill, I'm playing;)

I am the fittest of all sportsmen.

I drive F1 faster than everyone else too.

I'm also a better lover than any man.

I can bake the best apple pie you've ever tasted.

Fuck me. I can't believe so many people on this board are getting so worked-up about F1/Hamilton/fitness.

Horses for courses and all that, but F1 is unarguably a shocking waste of the world's resources. I'd ban it tomorrow if I was king of the world. In years to come our globally-warmed sons and daughters will be astonished that the whole circus was still being flown around the world once a fortnight as late as 2008, 2009, 2010... and for what? A 200mph traffic jam (a cliched description, but close to the truth).

For me this issue trumps all others raised in this thread (relative fitness, cunty tax dodgers, racism in sport etc). F1 and motorsport in general sucks.

Fuck me, if I was king of the world.
Ok, I will.

Only those who want to argue the opposite =P

+1

I think the whole endeavor will be good entertainment, which I'm pretty sure is all you can hope for from such a spectacle of racing a formula 1 car against a track bike.

Chill, I'm playing;)

yeah, yeah, I know.

the discussion just went off the rails a bit.

Tommy claimed that an f1 driver is not as fit as a cyclist, runner or mountaineer (he did not mention elite cyclists, runners or mountaineers).

I pointed out that he competed in triathlons, therefore was a runner and a cyclist, at the very least.

I think it was my (admittedly argumentative) response to winston's post asking if he won any triathlons that sparked the whole comparisons between tdf riders.

tdf riders and would have to be among the fittest humans on earth, but i still think button would be fitter than 99% of the people on earth.

Going back to derailled arguments..........if I fuck the future King of the World, so, can I get a country?

Can I have Venezuala?

Okay, back to topic.

F1 drivers are fit. But I'm hoping Queen Latifah reads this forum and offers me her body.

Great response GA2G. At the beginning of this thread you said you'd take on all comers in defending Hamilton. It got a big response that's had its interesting moments. I'd like to see you do the same for F1. Indeed, I'd like to see anyone do the same for F1. You can't defend the indefencible.

Going back to the original title of the thread - my main concern is the environment. Like F1, this race is a pointless spectacle that comes at great cost.

Finally, I don't mean to paint myself as a green saint by the way, and I'm rarely arsed to do more than lurk on this forum, but F1 and stunts like this make my blood boil. I thought there'd be more people on here who would also prioritise this issue over the other stuff raised.

pointless spectacle?

olympics, rock concerts, art exhibitions, fuck it, all entertainment should be banned then.

Going back to the original title of the thread - my main concern is the environment. Like F1, this race is a pointless spectacle that comes at great cost.
Agreed. I don't think F1 can be defended from an environmental perspective at all.

pointless spectacle?

olympics
Maybe the Olympics should go back to its roots, and be the sole preserve of naked oiled and well muscled men, tossing things.

Queue - much punning.

I know what you mean. I wouldn't want to ban your examples either (though I'd make a few changes!). I just see F1 as a class apart in conspicuous and pointless consumption.

And the Hoy/Hamilton race is just a waste of time. I mean, tarmacing bits of Wembley for a man/machine race that will last a few minutes...?

Where's my glory-hole?
You shouldn't need a forum to answer that. Too personal.

Neg repped for that.

I'm keeping count with pencil-and-paper.

Great response GA2G. At the beginning of this thread you said you'd take on all comers in defending Hamilton. It got a big response that's had its interesting moments. I'd like to see you do the same for F1. Indeed, I'd like to see anyone do the same for F1.

raises hand

Seriously though, it's a sport, for people who are interested in it, it's great to watch, I guess it's like 200mph cricket/golf/whatever, it's very boring to the majority of people, as for the financial aspect, it's their money, let them do what they want, as for the eco-friendliness...come on!

Anyway, next season will be a lot more exciting, less aero, more mechanical grip, more slipsteaming, more overtaking, all this comes at the price of some very ugly cars though.

the discussion just went off the rails a bit.

I actually found it really interesting what came out.

I got a sense that people really wanted to chip away at one aspect of the prestige of motor sport, especially Formula 1. Elite-level competition is to many people something that really raises the status of their related day-to-day activities, in this case everyday driving. I'm not just talking about boy racers, but all those for whom driving probably comes with added lustre because of the reflected glamour (erm, OK, so I, too, think that F1 is nothing but tacky and disgusting, but that view is not widely shared).

Poor old Chris Hoy has got swept aside a little bit, hasn't he? Hardly a mention of him, just general references to all sorts of endurance athletes in small-money sports compared to F1. By contrast, lots of mentions of Lewis Hamilton. That's the difference--the star factor, where Hoy is absolutely nowhere near Hamilton in the eyes of the general public. He's a lifelong grafter, a top athlete at the height of his maturity who has always won things, but not built up to be a star in a big money sport like Hamilton.

So for him to be effectively on a level pegging with Hamilton in this event, much as it is a bit of a freak show, is really quite good. We need this 'F1 factor' in cycling that not even Armstrong could/can give, or at least not on his own (as, his achievements notwithstanding, he is simply nowhere near as charismatic as other stars). Even if Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Brad Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Emma Pooley, and the amazing Nicole Cooke inspire people to get into cycle sport in the first instance, that can only indirectly benefit the prestige of utility cycling, or indeed FGSS riding, as people realise that it's actually quite a realistic option. I think most of the Olympic medal winners have gone on record as stressing the need to cycle every day, partly due to their link with British Cycling's 'Everyday Cycling' programme.

There is always a slight danger that people will be put off by not being able to imagine that they could get anywhere near the level of elite athletes, but I don't necessarily see a disconnect. As long as marketing is on the ball, the link can be highly beneficial.

Go Chris!

I'm looking forward to watching it. I think it will be fun. Assuming Hamilton doesn't do a 'sorry mate I didn't see you' and run Hoy over.

Anyone else tempted to turn Hamilton's wings upside down so he'll take off as opposed to being planted through the corners? =P

I am the fittest of all sportsmen.

I drive F1 faster than everyone else too.

I'm also a better lover than any man.

I can bake the best apple pie you've ever tasted.

I am a compulsive internet bullshitter who cries himself to sleep every night in a desperate spectacle of self-loathing.

fixied