they should just take up mountain biking instead, cause then you're still biking really hard, but winning isn't totally about who's a bigger genetic freak, and chance and technique have a much larger role in your performance.
I found mountain biking to be less about "I'm going to ride this trail faster than you" and more about "I'm going to ride this trail 'better' than you."
By better I mean with more finesse: a good challenge for example would be riding a tough trail without ever putting a foot down.
Mountain biking also adds an interesting element less present in road cycling, the need for traction control.
Pulling off a tough mountain biking climb involves controlling traction, over loose crumbly soil or roots and rocks. If you try to just mash it the rear wheel will only spin out and you'll blow the climb.
It's not necessarily the guy with monster quads who will be the best at mountain bike climbing, but the guy who can feel where his rear wheel is at all times, and how much traction it has.
By better I mean with more finesse: a good challenge for example would be riding a tough trail without ever putting a foot down.
Mountain biking also adds an interesting element less present in road cycling, the need for traction control.
Pulling off a tough mountain biking climb involves controlling traction, over loose crumbly soil or roots and rocks. If you try to just mash it the rear wheel will only spin out and you'll blow the climb.
It's not necessarily the guy with monster quads who will be the best at mountain bike climbing, but the guy who can feel where his rear wheel is at all times, and how much traction it has.