Originally Posted by
gsa103
Shorter cyclists have a moderate advantage for climbing.
Look up square-cube law. Basically, your mass is proportional to the ^3 power of height (volume). The surface area of your lungs scale proportional to the square of height (^2). Lung surface area is basically correlated with your aerobic capacity. So on average a shorter cyclist would have a Power/Weight ratio. If I recall, Lance was one of the taller TdF winners at 5'10".
That said, if you're very short, the bike weight becomes a significant issue. A 5'0" rider would probably have an ideal body weight <100 lbs, and the 15 lbs min weight makes a large difference compared with a 130 rider on the same 15lbs bike.
ya, it seems like the small rider is getting the short (
) end of the stick here.
a 15 pound bike may be safe for a 180 pound rider, but is way overbuilt for a 120 pounder. he or she should not be penalized by having to carry a proportionately larger percentage of weight by a boneheaded blanket bike weight rule. if the UCI doesn't find something more equitable, then they just aren't trying, IMO.
and, no, i don't think small riders have any natural disadvantage due their weight, but i think they are, to some degree, discriminated against.