Question

It took Jason Kenny, the Olympic gold medalist in the track cycling , about 90 seconds to complete his first lap. That's about how long it would take you to jog the same distance. It's not that Kenny can't bike faster. In full sprint he travels nearly 50 miles/hour. So why does Kenny go so slow at the start?

Answer 1

If you begin running or cycling too hard in the beginning of a long race, the body goes into anaerobic state. This produces lactate. This causes fatigue sooners and Jason would have slow down dramatically in order to get his body into aerobic state. This is why the professional marathon runners begin comparatively slowly and once their body gets adjusted to aerobic state they begin to maintain consistency and begin accelerating.

Aerobic running is when the body has sufficient oxygen to provide to all the necessary muscles in the body. This is crucial for a long sustainable race. This is why Jason Kenny begins comparatively slow.