Again, you raise some interesting points and I would add as follows:-
Originally Posted by
donrhummy
So the average cyclist will likely see a much bigger difference than what you're seeing.
Whilst I totally agree that the critical power of an amateur will be lower than a more experienced rider, in my experience when I have tested my non-cyclist friends their anerobic capacity is also comparably lower, and as a result the
relative (i.e. percentage) difference between the mean maximal power output of a 60 minute ride compared to a 56 minute ride is similar for an amateur as someone more experienced. The general rule of thumb for rides of between 20 and 60 minutes is that as duration doubles, mean maximal power drops by about 5%. So the relative power difference for rides of 56 to 60 minutes tends to be much less than 1% whoever you are and whatever your experience.
Originally Posted by
donrhummy
Your body's surface area against the wind is many times that of a bike and the difference between your body sitting up versus leaning over is huge. The difference in aero savings between a Specialized Venge and a 1980 Schwinn is minor by comparison.
... And that is exactly what my program says....so... I'm not sure what your point is? (But I do value your responses which hopefully are making interesting reading for everyone else on here!).