Originally Posted by
PepeM
When it comes to time trailing, average speed is way more important than power in determining how good a rider is. That is why the lowest time wins, not the highest average power.
Assuming everyone rides on the exact same course. When someone says they averaged 40kmh for a time trial that is a useless number without knowing the course. For example, 40kmh would have won you the 17km time trial on Stage 18 of the 2016 Tour de France. The winner (some guy called Froome) could only manage a paltry 33kmh.