Chris Hoy, British cycling champion, has trouble fitting his thighs into normal trousers

The New York Times wrote a fascinating article about the massive quadriceps of track cycling stars. As Greg Bishop notes in the article, the velodrome is one place where being called “thunder thighs” is not an insult. The whole thigh phenomenon started when two Olympians had a “thigh off” and a crazy picture of massive legs went viral.

We found the article so interesting that we had to list the four most surprising facts:

1. A cyclist nicknamed “Mr. Thigh” (cyclists are literally a bunch), also known as Robert Förstemann, has thighs that measure 86 cm in circumference. Each of them. That's the equivalent of a women's size 44. The average man's head circumference is about 60 cm.

[ Photos: Most thunderous thighs in London ]

2. Chris Hoy, Britain's six-time gold medalist, has a thigh measurement of 27 inches. To fit his thighs into them, he has to buy trousers that are two sizes too big.

US champion Beth Newell says thick thighs are an advantage off the track too. She advises aspiring cyclists: “Your friends love to hear about your muscles. Pull down your pants to show them your strong thighs and defined muscles. Let them touch your legs in public. We can all be winners here.”

4. Big thighs don't always mean big winners. Bishop points out that British gold medalist Victoria Pendleton has (relatively) normal-sized thighs.

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