For example, Chris Froome's VO2 max was 84.6. Some were at least 90!
<http://blog.trainerroad.com/how-vo2-max-work-makes-you-fast-the-science-behind-it-all/>

While marathon runners seem to fall between 70 to 75.
<http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1477013&page=1>
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gTvR.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7gTvR.png)

Both the cyclists and runners seem to also have similar heart rates during races. Articles about running say that 5 and 10k benefit more from a higher VO2 max but grand tours are much longer than marathons in terms of exercise duration. For the Tour de France, it's 3500km and they cycled long distance for all day for a few weeks! 
<https://runnersconnect.net/running-questions/how-vo2-max-is-important-to-marathon-performance/>

Chris Froome averaged 158 BPM.
<http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-reveal-froomes-tour-de-france-data-from-stage-10/>

Average for marathons is 160 BPM.
<http://livehealthy.chron.com/average-athletes-heart-rate-during-marathon-8502.html>

Power analysis from a marathon. The average power was 306.2W.
<http://running.competitor.com/2016/11/photos/understanding-running-power-marathon-via-stryd-data_158787>

Bradley Wiggins had a power of 456W for 55 minutes. If you multiply that by 75% to get the endurance power zone, you get 342W which is higher than the marathon runner's.
<http://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/691/chris-froome-s-numbers-what-do-they-really-mean>

Does it have something to do with coasting, higher muscle mass, smoother pedalling versus short ground contact times in running, better cooling, better hydration, more refuelling, better gear ratios, less upper body utilization, or less muscle damage?

Other examples of athletes with high VO2 max include cross-country skiers and rowers.