If Jose Fernandez's offseason workout is any indication, Miami Marlins fans won't have to worry about a letdown from the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year.
The 21-year-old told Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he would regularly ride 600 miles a week on his ultra-light, high-tech Specialized S-Works Venge racer. According to Davis that bike can cost around $10,000.
I. Love this bike JDF16 pic.twitter.com/O5oeRGJWqK
— jose fernandez (@josefernandez77) December 21, 2013
For reference, Tour de France riders complete roughly 600 miles per week.
"On the bike you can do intervals. You go hard and then slow down. It's kind of like an inning, is the way I see it. I'm going really hard for 10, 12 minutes and then I slow down for 5 or 6 minutes," Fernandez told Davis. "Conditioning-wise, it's amazing. I'm glad that I did it. Let's see how it's going to work out this year. I'm not sure, but I feel really good."
Fernandez said the most he ever rode in one day was 124 miles. One can only imagine how many calories he burned on that day, seeing as during a 114 mile-ride he cut 9,000 calories.
Hard work and dedication JDF16 pic.twitter.com/XRR1Y3ebzl
— jose fernandez (@josefernandez77) December 28, 2013
Fernandez is coming off of a historic 2013 season. His 4.2 WAR was one of the best ever for a player under 21, and his 9.81 strikeouts per nine innings mark was the best in the National League. He finished the season with a 12-6 record and a 2.19 ERA, good enough for third in the NL in Cy Young Award voting.
