Quote Originally Posted by han-grrl View Post
BUT, there are many many many more cyclist on the planet who aren't elite and who don't have strong core or legs or may have some issues with muscle fire sequencing (ie piriformis muscle taking over for glutes). in this case, strength training is necessary to build up muscle mass to handle the load for required for cycling.
H---Piriformis Syndrome ended my distance running "career." Could you please provide more details on the piriformis taking over for the glutes? I suspect that weaker hips/glutes caused my problem, which, occasionally will flare up and result in awful sciatica in my left hamstring. Since I stopped running in '96, I have been pretty serious about weight training. I have started running again, but I am sticking to shorter distances. That said, I love the half marathon and someday, would love to run them again.