Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
That sounds awfully low. Of course the question is 600 watts over what time period. I can do double that for the length of the 200 meters that's timed, and a Pro Tour sprinter could more than triple it. I would imagine however that most of the power output is in the time that it takes to get up to speed before the 200 meter timed section.
Nonetheless, I'm betting someone like Mark Cavendish or Tyler Farrar,with soem time to train in the position would put out a whole lot more than 600 watts.
You've got it exactly right- they're trying to accelerate using their maximum aerobic power (usually 4 or 5 minutes) and then go completely anaerobic for the last minute. The power-over-time profile is similar to a kilo rider's. A Pro Tour rider could definitely do better than that- but could they do it while vacuum-packed in a carbon-fiber and Kevlar sardine can? It's kind of like skydiving while wrapped in Saran Wrap.
I think Sam's big advantage is that he's been doing this for a lot of years. The Varna design is good, and it's stayed pretty consistent for 15 years or so. Sam and George have had a lot of time to tune the ride, the vehicle, and to figure out what and what doesn't work.
I'm in Battle Mountain right now (I flew in last night- and boy, are my arms tired!). The freshly repaved road is superb, and the weather has been remarkably good. It's no wonder there's new records all over the place.