don't contradict yourself, you just said that visually looking only tells you so much. Don't tell me by visually looking you can tell lopes' and hill's genetics. That's a little rediculasI think this whole fitness thing is being overlooked a bit. Visually looking at someone tells very little about how fit they are at the level those guys are riding, and the obvious shape they already in. Genetics plays a huge role in your maximum output, your vo2, and your endurance. The horsepower guys like Lopes have can be obtained to a certain point with training, but once again genetics plays a role. If Hill and Lopes were to have a sprint contest, and both were trained to the optimum level for sprinting, Lopes would still win the sprint. Natural srength and fitness still plays a huge role in sports although we have come a long way in training, and stregnthing ones weaknesses.