Question: what are the pros and cons of road racing vs mountain biking?

by Claire, 2 years ago

Stacey asked the question: What are the pros and cons of road racing vs mountain biking? Understandably this is a personal preference however what are the motivators in getting one or the other?

Sho! Quite a contentious issue! With no right or wrong answer.

Off the bat, mountain bikers would argue that running is a high-impact exercise and that this can lead to more long-term injuries (knee and joint problems particularly).  Their argument would be that the exercise principle of cycling is low-impact with no additional pressure on their knees.

However, recent studies have shown that with correct warm-up, technique and equipment, long-term running is not necessarily likely to lead to injury (more info on this here: http://www.runnersworld.co.za/injury-prevention/health-fitness/running-good-for-knees/) And personally, I’ve fallen off my bike into a tree and come short many a time, so I am not convinced that mountain biking is less injury prone (you also need to take into account forest creatures!)

Both exercises promote cardio endurance, a healthy heart and a toned body. Mountain biking is more of a total body work-out than road running (you use your abs and your arms to navigate the bike). However, running is relatively accessible to everyone – you can do it anywhere with little expensive equipment. But they both should result in the same positive benefits – a happy, healthy exerciser!

Here’s a link to a fun forum discussion about this topic: http://training.fitness.com/running-cycling/cycling-vs-running-24019.html
(one guy believes that mountain biking can affect a man’s sperm count and his ability to get an erection. Now if that doesn’t settle the argument, nothing will!)

I hope this helps!

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knee injuries mountain biking vs running

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Exercise & Fitness Tips Wellness Q&A

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