Originally Posted by
wearyourtruth
i don't think that the little changes here and there make any real advantage to one team or another, but all those changes over a period of time (many years) can add up to large improvements in the sport as a whole
Compare last year's Tour average speed to the average speed of the 1960 Tour. Then allow for what you feel is the difference of better training, better nutrition/hydration, real time biometric monitoring, better support, aerodynamic kit, the use of race radios and computers, increased specialization, far better roads, better tires, and basically all the thousand and one other things that have changed (even things like air conditioned team buses/cars/hotels). The difference you're left with is the difference better bikes have made in the last 50 Tours.
Just a thought,
tcs