For Cyclists, Thinner Doesn’t Mean Better

In some sports, shape matters.Thin runners, for example, have an advantage over heavier runners, because when a runner runs, the entire weight of her body moves up and down with every step. But cyclists don’t move up and down. They don’t step. They cruise along, powered by legs that are very often attached to fairly chunky bodies. Gina Kolata noticed that, and she writes about that phenomenon, which she calls The Bicycling Paradox.  Turns out the bicyclists can sometimes be too thin, but it still holds true that they can never be too rich.