sailor

Natural talent can mean many things. Lance Armstrong has lots of natural talent in that his body is freakishly well built for aerobic endurance efforts--like cycling. A rider could also have a very good grasp of racing tactics that could allow him to overcome a slightly lower fitness level than some other riders.

Im assuming you are talking about Eddy Merckx. Merckx was a bull of a rider--he just hammered away all day, every day, and trounced everyone in the process. His body was, like Lance's very well suited to the demands of the sport, and allowed him to win, seemingly without effort.

Sheer determination can also come into it. Lance is known to be fiercely determined and focused. All riders must be to an extent, but the man lives on a bike year round to prepare for one race. He also has the mental ability to push the pain out of his mind and keep going when every muscle in his body is screaming--he put this to good use last year after he crashed coming up the Luz Ardiden, stomping out a fiendish pace to take the stage.

As for the mechanics of it, that can certainly come into play. Lance has a very fast pedaling style. He spins the pedals very quickly in a lower gear, which allows him to transfer most of the work to his aerobic system, which recuperates much more quickly than his anaerobic system--his legs. Compare this to the slower pedaling style of someone like Jan Ullrich, who pushes a very large gear at a slow rate. Both work, but Lance's is a bit more efficient, and also allows him exceptional acceleration.

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