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He was 41 and a marathon runner. He was probably killed off by his ChiCom overlords.

Most definitely suspicious -- middle-aged marathon runners never die of sudden heart attacks.

From the most part the studies I've read about show a link between heart attacks and marathon running. It is suggested that running a marathon is stressful on the body and may increase the factors that trigger a heart attack as running lots of miles (more is better attitude) may not be neccesarily good. Some of the factors may be mitigated by better dieting and training. However in the context of the OP, running a few miles is unlikely to put as much stress on the body as running a marathon.

Lance Armstrong can produce almost 500W and that is exactly what makes him Lance Armstrong. Playing tug-of-war with a Clydesdale has to do with force, not power. When it comes to sustained power output over long periods of time, no animal can beat a human. I am willing to bet that I can outrun a Clydesdale on a distance of 20 miles or more. Under 20 miles, my money is on the Clydesdale.

Surely humans can produce well in excess of 250W.

Yes. 250W is only "twice as much power as you provide" if you're taking it very easy. Based on measurements provided by the exercise bikes at my gym, I know I'm able to produce around a kilowatt for 5 minutes or so at a time, and can sustain 500W practically indefinitely.

OTOH, there are regulatory reasons for the motor being 250W: at least here in the UK, you'd need a full drivers licence, annual vehicle inspection and all-around crash helmet to ride it if it were more powerful. It should also be designed so that the motor cannot make the bike go faster than 15mph.

Errr... according to this:

Lance Armstrong can ride up the mountains in France generating about 500 watts of power for 20 minutes, something a typical 25-year-old could do for only 30 seconds. A professional hockey player might last three minutes and then throw up. (source)

...it sounds like you're either an olympic-level athlete... who reads slashdot... or your gym equipment is severely miscalibrated. I've tried those bikes at the gym, and 250W is
my limit for a 10-15 minute stretch, and I'm by no means unhealthy. Are you sure those weren't imperial units? I know the UK has switched to metric, in theory, but I know some of you poms still get confused. 8)

Someday all that exercise equipment in gyms will reclaim all their expended human energy into powering their own devices. Since even top performers like Lance Armstrong produce only 500W for under 20min, maybe we can just hope that exercisers can work off their lighting bill, if not heat their showers.

Hikers with a body suit, though, might be able to cook their dinner.

I am saddened by the news that Robert Jordan has passed away. I am a huge fan of The Wheel of Time Series. I would like to offer my fellow fans an opportunity to celebrate his memory, by giving to a great cause. I am running a marathon as a part of Team in Training, which is the largest fundraising organization for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This society funds research and offers financial support to individual patients. The Society aims to eradicate blood cancers, and sufferers of myeloma often experience amyloidosis, which is what Robert Jordan ultimately died from.
        The donation process is incredibly simple. You can donate online. If you go to my Team in Training Website at: http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/tntmaJJobel you can donate with a credit card or debit card by clicking on the "Donate Now" button on the left of the page and then fill in your information when prompted. It's that simple. To learn more about the blood cancers or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society you can go to http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls If you would like to learn more about Team in training specifically, you can go to http://www.teamintraining.org/ If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at jml37@unh.edu

The cyclist Miguel Indurain sustained a power output of 477W for one hour when setting the world hour record in 1994 (riding 53.040km). His peak output during the Tour de France (which he won five times in the 1990s) was 550W. http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11139&sid ebar=569&category=century_challenge http://www.bikecult.com/bikecultbook/sports_record sHour.html

http://rungearrun.com/resources/cadence.php
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12114&cat egory=running

A little something on Exercise Addiction
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=10296&sid ebar=13&category=running

I'm a huge star trek fan, but come on! if you're going to give away money, why not give to cancer research or something else productive?

Alcohol is the most damaging food product you can put in your body. It's far worse than trans-fatty acids, artificial ingredients (e.g., pesticides, food coloring), or sugar.

I think this statement is a good deal sillier than the article title. Quite obviously, it makes little sense to talk about the relative harm or benefit of any substance without discussing quantity. In excess, even water can pose an immdiate, serious health risk, and I'm not talking about drowning. But obviously, water is an essential nutrient.

Heart disease is, by far, the number one killer of both men and women. On a societal level, then, it's pretty easy to make a strong case that fat, sugar, and cholesterol are significantly more harmful than alcohol. On a personal level, fat, sugar, and cholesterol consumed in huge excess are obviously more harmful than alcohol consumed in moderation.

...low weight in rotating components is even more important. To accelerate a wheel or pedal and shoe system, kinetic energy of rotation must be supplied, in addition to the kinetic energy of linear motion. For example, with a wheel, if the weight is mostly concentrated in the rim and tire it would take nearly double the energy needed to accelerate it than an equal non-rotating weight. In other words, one pound added to a wheel or shoe/pedal system is equivalent to nearly two pounds on the bicycle frame.

A few years ago I completed a study with Ned Frederick of Exerter Research that showed how the addition of 250 grams to a shoe/pedal system or 500 grams total for both right and left feet (about the difference between the lightest and heaviest shoe/pedal systems on the market) would require an additional power output of 1.3 percent on rotational power requirements at constant speeds on a level road.

The effect on climbing, and accelerating, would be about 0.4 percent, but only during periods of climbing and accelerating. The effect on rolling resistance would be about 0.07 percent. This means that the net effect due to all factors of a realistic increase of 250 grams in mass on each leg would be to increase the power required by a cyclist by approximately 1.5 to 1.7 percent.

This increased cost could be significant in a long road race of 100 to 125 miles, with several hills and ending with a sprint. In terms of oxygen cost we estimated 1.3 % increase at 200 watts of work (approximately 24-25 km/hr) when only an additional 125 grams is added to each pedal/shoe system (total 250 grams for both legs).

This sounds a bit like what you're suggesting: http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=1928

GÃran Kropp rode from Stockholm to Kathmandu with all of his gear, then climbed Everest alone and without oxygen, then got back on his bike and rode home.

Now that's impressive.