Malcom's fitness

Nothing is going on with his fitness... better to finish the race then to get hurt...

When a 6th-10th place guy runs with the top 3 for the first half of a race you usually see them fade bad towards the end of the race. He is working with Swanepol and is in the best shape he has ever been in. I think if he runs with those top 3 guys more, you will see him get acclimated to that pace and the fades won’t be as bad.

He’s probably fine. Sucked to see him drop so fast though.

Malcolm is in 14 minutes of riding shape and AC is in 16 minutes.....they can get better this year!

SWOHIO GUY wrote:

When a 6th-10th place guy runs with the top 3 for the first half of a race you usually see them fade bad towards the end of the race. He is working with Swanepol and is in the best shape he has ever been in. I think if he runs with those top 3 guys more, you will see him get acclimated to that pace and the fades won’t be as bad.

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Well....RC looks to be in his best shape ever!

Big night for Malcolm! Strong heat race, and running up front in the main. Better to step it down than crash. I’ll bet he’s excited to build on this!

SWOHIO GUY wrote:

When a 6th-10th place guy runs with the top 3 for the first half of a race you usually see them fade bad towards the end of the race. He is working with Swanepol and is in the best shape he has ever been in. I think if he runs with those top 3 guys more, you will see him get acclimated to that pace and the fades won’t be as bad.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

SWOHIO GUY wrote:

When a 6th-10th place guy runs with the top 3 for the first half of a race you usually see them fade bad towards the end of the race. He is working with Swanepol and is in the best shape he has ever been in. I think if he runs with those top 3 guys more, you will see him get acclimated to that pace and the fades won’t be as bad.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Flatliner wrote:

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

Yes, diet and fitness. I think every top 10 rider should look like James above....no excuses.

He most likely got tight and slowed down.

Its not uncommon for guys who get out front and are not used to the leaders pace to tighten up and get arm pump.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Imagine having a double set of whoops on your body.

He's leaps and bounds from where he was last season. I know it's a long shot but I'd love to see him get a win.

Flatliner wrote:

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

He has to get the same vegan diet with lean meat as Hampshire and he will be set

He's focused on finishing the season uninjured. Better results will come as his competitors start falling out of races. IMO he's about as good as he gets. He's NOT his brother. But i root for him every race. Want to see Webb win the next 10 championships. Mainly to shut down the Toomuch nut-huggers.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Flatliner wrote:

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

FerCzD wrote:

He has to get the same vegan diet with lean meat as Hampshire and he will be set

Bingo

Mookie rode solid tonight. He's a fun guy to root for! I haven't seen any mention of him punting Jason Anderson in the last turn. The camera panned away just before it happened. I hope there's some footie of that!

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Huge Malcom fan here and I was glad to see him running up front for most the race. It's clear he's got the speed but what's going on with his fitness?

I've never seen him up close but he looks like a very big kid on the bike and I'm guessing he's got a weight disadvantage of 40-50lbs compared to the other guys? How much does Malcom weigh and how much does Cooper Webb weigh?

I know Malcom is a naturally "thick" guy but for those who have seen him in person does it look like he could shed some weight and get in better shape?

Its about a 15-20 pound disadvantage and not because hes fat. Hes just a bigger and taller rider.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Huge Malcom fan here and I was glad to see him running up front for most the race. It's clear he's got the speed but what's going on with his fitness?

I've never seen him up close but he looks like a very big kid on the bike and I'm guessing he's got a weight disadvantage of 40-50lbs compared to the other guys? How much does Malcom weigh and how much does Cooper Webb weigh?

I know Malcom is a naturally "thick" guy but for those who have seen him in person does it look like he could shed some weight and get in better shape?

2WheelsForTheMasses wrote:

Its about a 15-20 pound disadvantage and not because hes fat. Hes just a bigger and taller rider.

I would bet my farm that there's more than a 20lb difference between Cooper Webb and Malcom...

I don't think anyone is fat out there, but it looks like some riders train harder than others and there's room for improvement.

Strap one of these on your seat:

It’s a fitness issue for sure. He’s fast but to go 20 minutes is about damn near impossible. I don’t think people Understand how difficult it is. They are all fast but at this level it comes down to who can last the longest with that heart rate without tiring out and getting arm pump. That’s why the top teams and top guys train to death. They know that is what separates them and propels them to the top.

SWOHIO GUY wrote:

When a 6th-10th place guy runs with the top 3 for the first half of a race you usually see them fade bad towards the end of the race. He is working with Swanepol and is in the best shape he has ever been in. I think if he runs with those top 3 guys more, you will see him get acclimated to that pace and the fades won’t be as bad.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Flatliner wrote:

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

"If he's muscular", that just means he needs to work differently than others

Why would a pro athlete have any ounce more muscle or weight than what is close to ideal for the sport? I don't remember the last SX 450 Champion that was 180-190, if there ever has been one.

Body shape is a function of diet, routine, and genetics. And, yes, there are those genetically predisposed to certain body types. Malcolm should not carry any excess (even-if-lean) mass. Maybe he can take that shape after retirement, if that is his goal.

He desires to be (and has the skill-level to be) the #1 athlete in a sport where the top guys, including his own brother, have had body types more typified by great cyclists. And his goal needs to be to match or exceed the other athletes physically, and outperform them physically through an entire event.

Though better than ever in his career, he is not there right now.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes I get this.....he may be in the best shape he's ever been, but the question is can he shed pounds and get in much better shape than he is now and look like this?

Flatliner wrote:

You do realize that it’s literally only a matter of diet right? The average guy can have abs with some discipline.

He’s what 6ft?

As a pro athlete I’d hope he’s around 180-190 if he’s muscular.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Yes, diet and fitness. I think every top 10 rider should look like James above....no excuses.

Is Friese out of shape too?? He dropped like a boat anchor

Not everyone performs optimally at the same body composition. If Malcolm was as lean as James in that picture he would drop anchor a lot earlier.

ElliotB16 wrote:

Is Friese out of shape too?? He dropped like a boat anchor

Friese's skills and fitness are what they are.

But Malcolm is the type of guy who we can talk about being demonstrably faster than the defending champion for half the race and wonder about the other half.

That is not in question for Friese, unless his skills improved notably.

Asselstine wrote:

Not everyone performs optimally at the same body composition. If Malcolm was as lean as James in that picture he would drop anchor a lot earlier.

Disagree, I think Malcolm would have greater late race endurance with low mass. Countless endurance sport histories line up that way... And let's face it, with a 20 min run time, this is an endurance sport.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Strap one of these on your seat:

I'm 5' 6" and went from 180 lb to 150-155 "on a vegan diet with lean meat" (keto, actually) and I think about a weight on my back everytime I start to get de-motivated. It's _amazing_ how much more power my little bikes have these days!!! And the suspension got automatically stiffer!!! It's a miracle.

Thank you Vegan Diet (with lean meat).

I admitted, I laughed a little when Webb thanked the Lord and Rockstar Energy in the same breath. I could see Jesus sipping down a Juiced RS: "Saving these sinners? I just need a little kick once in awhile.... Rockstar!!!"

Its awesome to hear keyboard warriors tell a guy who ran up front, then "dropped" to 7th place against the best in the world, what he should do. Malcolm looked good, but i'm sure he has a handle on what he needs to do.

I still love watching Malcolm ride. I am from Minnesota , I am used to my sports teams loosing at the last minute.