How Lance Armstrong Goes So Fast

Lance Armstrong can ride up the mountains in France generating about 500 watts of power for 20 minutes, something a typical 25-year-old could do for only 30 seconds, according to this story in the New York Times. The Times explores Armstrong’s near-superhuman power and endurance, an exploration that is possible because it so happens that the six-time winner of the Tour de France is the subject of another article in the Journal of Applied Physiology. So how does Armstrong do it? The answer, in short form, is this: a very large heart, a very low level of lactic acid, and a very high percentage of slow-twitch muscles.