# Tour De France - A competitors damaged legs afterwards **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 20, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696 "2017-07-20T03:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/1 "2017-07-20T03:44:04Z")
Why would anyone punish themselves like this? This kind of vascular damage can’t be healthy. What are the long term health effects of this sport? I enjoy a leisurely 10 mile ride on a pretty fall afternoon. It’s fun and great exercise. I wouldn’t even consider this kind of competitive biking. They can have the trophy, the prize money, and the pretty girls. 😉 That’s assuming they don’t run away in horror after seeing his legs. > **[Tour de France 2017: Polish rider Paweł Poljański reveals effects of grueling...](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/07/19/sport/tour-de-france-pawe-poljaski-legs-16-stages/index.html)** > > If you were in any doubt as to how brutal the Tour de France is, take a look at Paweł Poljański’s legs. > [@](#): > > If you were in any doubt as to just how grueling the Tour de France really is, then look no further than Pawe Poljaski’s legs. > > The Polish cyclist, riding for German team Bora–Hansgrohe, posted a photo on social media after stage 16 to give fans an idea of the effect cycling’s most prestigious race has on an athletes’ bodies. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/2 "2017-07-20T03:54:44Z")
_Racing_ is not healthy. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/3 "2017-07-22T13:19:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Why would anyone punish themselves like this? This kind of vascular damage can’t be healthy. What are the long term health effects of this sport? > > I enjoy a leisurely 10 mile ride on a pretty fall afternoon. It’s fun and great exercise. > > I wouldn’t even consider this kind of competitive biking. They can have the trophy, the prize money, and the pretty girls. 😉 That’s assuming they don’t run away in horror after seeing his legs. > [Tour de France 2017: Polish rider Paweł Poljański reveals effects of grueling race - CNN](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/07/19/sport/tour-de-france-pawe-poljaski-legs-16-stages/index.html) A leisurely 10 mile ride might be fun but is not exercise. The horror that is a pro cyclists body isn’t their legs. For many of them, it’s [everything above the waist and below the neck](https://www.google.com/search?q=pro+cyclist+upper+body+images&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinkNfV_JzVAhVE8IMKHeO8CLMQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=735#imgrc=4DOUgDRRisLLIM:). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/4 "2017-07-22T13:33:16Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > A leisurely 10 mile ride might be fun but is not exercise. > > The horror that is a pro cyclists body isn’t their legs. For many of them, it’s [everything above the waist and below the neck](https://www.google.com/search?q=pro+cyclist+upper+body+images&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinkNfV_JzVAhVE8IMKHeO8CLMQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=735#imgrc=4DOUgDRRisLLIM:). Yes, absolutely horrifying. Spoilered for prudish workplaces. [link](https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s480x480/e35/13557191_1622119318116173_1323414284_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTI4Njg2MTIxMDk5NDA3MTEwMA%3D%3D.2) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/5 "2017-07-22T13:42:32Z")
Dude, does she even own a bicycle? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/6 "2017-07-22T13:54:03Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Dude, does she even own a bicycle? Can’t tell from that shot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/7 "2017-07-22T14:41:36Z")
Aren’t those bulging veins typical of bodybuilding? ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/8 "2017-07-22T15:37:57Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > A leisurely 10 mile ride might be fun but is not exercise. Of course it is – it’s just not extreme, sweat-drenched exercise to exhaustion. The modern American attitude that cycling is a dangerous activity engaged in only by young daredevils who push their bodies to extreme levels is a shame. The moderate exercise of a leisurely bike ride in normal clothing (like the rest of the world does it) is a very good and healthy thing. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/9 "2017-07-22T15:41:31Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Aren’t those bulging veins typical of bodybuilding? Typical of extremely low body fat, I believe. Pro cyclists, at least those who are attempting to be competitive in climbing situations, get their body fat down to dangerously low levels to increase their power/weight. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/10 "2017-07-22T17:32:50Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Of course it is – it’s just not extreme, sweat-drenched exercise to exhaustion. > > The modern American attitude that cycling is a dangerous activity engaged in only by young daredevils who push their bodies to extreme levels is a shame. The moderate exercise of a leisurely bike ride in normal clothing (like the rest of the world does it) is a very good and healthy thing. Did I say there was anything wrong with a leisurely ride? No, I did not. And I don’t know what version of America you have in mind. There are plenty of people who ride bikes without pulling on spandex and risking their lives. The rest of the world seems very well represented in professional cycling, btw. If I’m not mistaken, ‘extreme sweat-drenched cycling to exhaustion’ is primarily a European tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/11 "2017-07-23T01:44:50Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Did I say there was anything wrong with a leisurely ride? No, I did not. > > … No, not at all, but you did dismiss it as “not exercise,” and **Turble** ’s post simply explains that of course it is. Which is pretty obvious when you think about it. Take two people of same age, same general height and weight, same general decent health. For a year, have them lead equally sedentary lives, eat the same foods, experience the same general level of stress. Send one of them out every day for a leisurely ten-mile bike rie, while the other stays home and watches M_A_S\*H reruns. After a year, we evaluate the overall health of the two. Do you really think there would be no difference in their health? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/12 "2017-07-23T01:52:07Z")
Of course not! The medical acumen gained from listening to Hawkeye and BJ’s operating room banter would clearly lead to superior health. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/13 "2017-07-23T02:06:13Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Of course not! The medical acumen gained from listening to Hawkeye and BJ’s operating room banter would clearly lead to superior health. Well, exactly!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tour-de-france-a-competitors-damaged-legs-afterwards/791696/14 "2017-07-23T02:25:11Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Of course it is – it’s just not extreme, sweat-drenched exercise to exhaustion. > > The modern American attitude that cycling is a dangerous activity engaged in only by young daredevils who push their bodies to extreme levels is a shame. The moderate exercise of a leisurely bike ride in normal clothing (like the rest of the world does it) is a very good and healthy thing. [The young daredevils who push their bodies to extreme levels also risk being abducted and forced to cycle in off-track betting dens.](https://youtu.be/1-D92hXdrzM?t=1h1m50s) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-D92hXdrzM&t=1h1m50s)