“Herr Achtzig to the line,” Newell wrote, using the German for Mr. Eighty.

To be fair, participants did note that quad size did not necessarily correlate with speed. Imagine a sumo wrestler, for instance, on a race bike. Victoria Pendleton of Britain, a winner of nine world titles and one gold medal so far in these Games, is but one example of the regular-size-thigh cycling set.

Lack of quad size, though, can doom even the most promising young riders, the equivalent of a weight lifter with small biceps. Big thighs, the participants said, serve as an intimidation factor before races, a way to send a message to competitors without speaking, with no more than a quick flex.

Newell said some riders rubbed warming oil on their quadriceps because the shine accentuates the size of the muscles, giving them that bodybuilder cut. She argued against team uniforms that included thinning stripes, a “serious no-no” in the quad game.

“I mean, we pedal hours and hours every week — it’s a full-time job — so often, our bodies are seen as a measurement of our ability,” she wrote.

Much of a cyclist’s thigh growth, Sharp said, is natural, the byproduct even of particular positions on the bike. Sprinters who sit hunched over, more compact, tend to use their quadriceps more. Because they spend thousands of hours in the same position, the body conforms accordingly.

Staff said much of his thigh expansion came from workouts. He loved that part of cycling, in particular the squats. His exploits in that lift still live in videos on YouTube. At his peak, Staff said, he could squat about 529 pounds.