Olympians are a lifestyle that starts from a young age in almost every case. They are generally poor/supported by their family. They usually don’t do anything that is social in time or food constraints. I’m not saying they never have fun or do anything, but am saying their eating and sleep patterns generally come first. The 4 time Olympic velodrome racer I worked with in the bike shops, came to work looking like a tupperware salesman. He never ate full meals like most people. He nibbled on stuff all day long, just a bite here and there, and always healthy stuff he made. When we did group rides, he was enormous, but never showed off, sprinted, or pushed at all. He would tell you that it was not part of his schedule routine to do so. Track riders are the big guys. I’m the same build as him and I was intimidating in a kit back then, but I looked like batman standing next to the Hulk with him. He was awesome to work with, but really struggled with the desire to have a life and family against the absolute commitment of riding.

One of the fit coaches at the first bike shop I worked at used to say that the world cycling track record for the hour distance was accessible to beat. The record has been beat by someone with a higher average cadence than the previous person since something like the 1970’s. That level of cycling is really all about pain and the mental battle. Targeting average cadence would yield a simple enough target to focus on even when your brain is at something like 2% functionality from blood oxygen deprivation. I’m an idiot in just a 30 minute crit when I’m at like 5% function. I can’t imagine figuring out how circles work at 2%, but maybe someone else can.