Absent from most history books, he was also the highest paid athlete of his era. However, much of Taylor's training had to be guided by his own experience, as little scientific data existed on the nature of performance. Miguel Indurain, the recently retired Basque rider who won five consecutive Tours de France from 1991-1995, was a champion who trained according to advanced knowledge of physiology. Through careful planning, Indurain was able to reach peak fitness for the Tour each year. Ruthie Matthes talks about the pace of a mountain bike race.
Every muscle is made up of two types of fibers.
Fast-twitch fibers, logically, are used for sprinting and quick ascents. Inversely, slow-twitch fibers are used for long rides of moderate intensity. However, genetics again plays a role. While genetics can certainly play a role in deciding whether a cyclist will be a champion or not, the drive to win and compete also has to be present. Long hours of training and intensive competition require the cyclist to be extremely determined.