Originally Posted by
gregf83
There is a chart which I can't locate showing the height and weight of pro cyclists. There are exceptions like Cadel Evans and others but my recollection was that most were over about 6'. Larger riders would tend to have larger cardiovascular systems and a higher absolute VO2Max. That won't help on climbs where power to weight is the critical factor but for general riding it's the Power to CdA ratio that is important so it depend on who can get into the most aerodynamic position so perhaps tall skinny riders with a smaller frontal area but still large heart and lungs have an advantage.
Poxpower posted thus:
"You can see a list of all the Tour de France winners here and if you click on their links they give you their height / weight:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...France_winners
Lance Armstrong was/is 5'9.5 and 165 pounds, which gives him a ratio of 2.37
Cadel Evans: 5'9, 150 , 2.17
Alberto Contador: 5'9.5, 140, 2
Carlos Sastre: 5'8, 130, 1,9
Oscar Pereiro: 5'10, 150, 2.14
Marco Pantani: 5'8, 130, 1,9"
My recollection from many years ago 5'9" @ 143 lbs was the over all average but then
my memory never was any good.