Chris Hoy, British cycling champion, has trouble fitting his thighs into regular pants

The New York Times has a fascinating write-up on the massive quadriceps belonging to track cycling stars. As Greg Bishop notes in the piece, the velodrome is a place where getting called "thunder thighs" isn't an insult. The whole thigh phenomenon was started when two Olympians had a "thigh off" and an insane picture of massive legs went viral.

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

1. One cyclist, nicknamed Mr. Thigh (cyclists are a literal bunch), aka Robert Förstemann, has thighs that are 34 inches. Each. That's a women's size 14. The average male human head is around 24 inches around.

[ Photos: Most thunderous thighs in London ]

2. Chris Hoy, Great Britain's six-time gold-medal winner, has thighs measuring 27 inches. He has to buy pants that are two sizes too big so his thighs will fit.

3 U.S. champion Beth Newell says having big thighs is advantageous beyond the track. She advises would-be cyclists: "Your friends love to hear about your muscles. Pull down your pants to show them your strong quads and muscle definition. Make them grab your legs in public. We can all be winners here."

4. Big thighs don't always equal big winners. Bishop notes that GBR gold medalist Victoria Pendelton has regular-sized thighs (relatively so).

More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Video: Michael Phelps says he and Michael Jordan are the greatest
• Photos: Olympians' fanciest footwear
• The worst dive you'll ever see in the Olympics