Before the Tour de France, the most popular bicycle competitions were indoor track races, where riders would race against their competitors as well as the clock. These races were renowned for their twenty-four hour periods, in which cyclists would fight sheer exhaustion. This process lasted for six days, which made these races an absolute test of mental and physical endurance. Cyclists would accumulate approximately 3,000 miles during the course of the race, which is a greater distance than the Tour de France’s 2,200 miles.
I love the "old timey" endurance events; no energy bars, no fit bits, no chase cars, etc. Some of the boxing events were 50 rounds?! Athletes smoked?! Were these people much tougher than us?
Baseball pitchers throwing 300 innings a season with no problem and no torn UCLs…I don’t know what I’d attribute it to. Less processed foods? A post-War bravado mentality? I still think our generation is plenty tough, but that the culture and society has put immense stress on our bodies and minds in a very unique manner….
I love the "old timey" endurance events; no energy bars, no fit bits, no chase cars, etc. Some of the boxing events were 50 rounds?! Athletes smoked?! Were these people much tougher than us?
Great article.
Baseball pitchers throwing 300 innings a season with no problem and no torn UCLs…I don’t know what I’d attribute it to. Less processed foods? A post-War bravado mentality? I still think our generation is plenty tough, but that the culture and society has put immense stress on our bodies and minds in a very unique manner….