Annals of Cross-Training: Golfer as Cyclist

Camilo Villegas in full stretch on the greenOnce upon a time, elite tennis player Andre Agassi dismissed the bourgeois pass time of golf, saying, in effect, any game that can be played well while drunk is not a sport. (Darts, anyone?) But in the meantime--thanks in no small part to the pre-scandal-era Tiger Woods--the sport has become not only more athletic but, at the top level of competition, it demands an extremely high level of fitness. Consider Camilo Villegas, 15th on the PGA Tour, whose sinews and contour would do Rudolf Nureyev proud. As part of his exercise regimen, the 28-year-old Villegas (5' 9"; 160 lbs) rides a bike--and we're not talking spinning class. When he returns home to Colombia, he races Tour de France-level courses, which might help explain the lean physique and the power his legs give his drives. His personal trainer reports that he has a resting heart-rate in the high 30s. Ah, the health powers of exercise.