February 09, 2006

Jure Robes literally takes cycling to insane lengths. Welcome to the world of ultra-endurance cycling, where riders cram up to 10,000 calories per day into their bodies, ride further than the Tour de France in a week and finish events being unable to turn a key without using two hands.

Jure Robic is not the fastest rider, nor is he physiologically superior to his fellow competitors but he pushes himself to limits that even he doesn't quite understand. This ability has allowed him to win numerous races but it comes with a cost. During races his support team effectively becomes his brain, making all essential decisions for him, while he just keeps on pedalling. Robic's mental state becomes so fragile he frequently hallucinates and becomes gripped by paranoia. This is a story of personal struggle and the interaction of mind and body that all athletes are familiar with.

posted by dj 18 years ago
  • Crap, mispelled his name on the link.
  • Holy fucking shit.
  • "Jure Robic" is actually Werner Herzog riding under a pseudonym.
  • The part where they talk about him being the hardware and the support crew being the software... that's some amazing stuff.
  • Jure Robic...I'm sorry, I may be committing a major heresy here, but I have to say... I think Jure Robic could actually kill Werner Herzog. And Kinski. AT THE SAME TIME.
  • Holy fucking shit, is right! My god.
  • mct - but only if his support crew told him how to swing the axe.
  • Good lord. He could probably kill Batman too.
  • I can do that
  • *me waits from the comfort of my comfy chair for dangerismymiddlename to comment*
  • Jure Robic once dragged Werner Herzog behind his bicycle for 50 miles.
  • lol. This guy is special. I've hallucinated quite a few times running, but never to this extent, and never to the point of personality loss like that. That's just...hmmm...tries to sound disapproving, can't. The article is right, though. After a while, it's all mental. I just wish that bit was as easy to train.
  • Jure Robic once dragged Werner Herzog behind his bicycle for 50 miles. While Herzog drank his coffee and read the morning paper.
  • I refuse to engage in any sport which requires mental or physical energies sufficient to disallow the consumption of alcohol during course of play. Also, if I'm doing something to the point of hallucination, it better be acid.
  • I just finished reading Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer (who is, incidentally, in the ultracycling hall of fame), and he writes a bit about races like these. Specifically he talks about paranoic episodes where he thinks his crew are aliens. Funny, but a bit unnerving.
  • Thanks dj for the excellent morning read! I shared it will all my cycing buddies and they loved it. I believe one of them laughed so hard a ball of earwax shot out of his ear.
  • I suppose the said ball of earwax was eaten by Warzog and then pooped by Robic sheathed in titanium. Will you boyz give it up already?
  • Werner Herzog would never eat earwax. That's just gross, GranMa. Jeez.
  • Just kidding GranMa. Quit looking at me like that.
  • **slowly pulls on rubber gloves to clean up earwax** Watch yourself. You're askin' for a beatin' kiddo.
  • I refuse to engage in any sport which requires mental or physical energies sufficient to disallow the consumption of alcohol during course of play. Also, if I'm doing something to the point of hallucination, it better be acid. It's like we're the same person.