[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

I'm not really sure why you would link me to vids of a bike rider crashing if you were trying to make a point of their athleticism, but as I originally said, I agree they are exerting more effort than a race car driver, but I stand by my comment that they are not even in a league with a football player.

Do they have bike races in the snow and ice? Are they deliberately running into each other at every opportunity? No of course not, they are on their own little padded bike seat, hoping others are courteous enough not to bump into them while they pedal, pedal, pedal.

Now the things that are similar, is both sports feature men wearing helmets and some sort of spandex, which I can throughly enjoy watching.

[Blue Jays]

"....Do they have bike races in the snow and ice?..."

---

Yes.
Here is Andy Hampsten on his way to Giro d' Italia victory at the Gavia Pass:

[gura]

"Are they deliberately running into each other at every opportunity?"

The bumping and leaning at 40mph is saved for the sprints.

[Mr. Blonde]

They had several days in the rain during the Tour de France this year, including mountain stages. It isn’t snow and ice, but then football doesn’t include descents on slick roads either. And those descents could come after 4 hours in the saddle capped off with a climb of over 6 miles at almost 8% grades.

Football players may have some athletic advantages over pro cyclists, but when it comes to the ability to suffer (what I think the original poster’s point was) they cannot compare.