Originally Posted by
Flash
Leipheimer closed gap:
Look closely: Levi has his head down. At this moment in time, he can't even see where he's going. The others have their heads up. If Levi looked up the road like they were doing when the photo was taken, he'd have an "open gap" too.
Granted, it may not be as much as them, but he's all of--what?--5 feet 3 inches? Compared to them being close to--or over--6 feet tall.
In the end, it's a balance between aerodynamics and power production where power production can be hampered by too tight of a position, making it energy-inefficient, reducing the aerodynamic benefits.