Yup, my old neck injury will definitely be a factor in everything -- helmet choice, bar setup, etc. With a lot of physical therapy this year I've improved a bit, but not enough for the current style TT and aero helmet setup.
I can keep my head and neck aligned with my back for quite awhile, looking up "through" my eyebrows at the course ahead. But only if the helmet cooperates. My POC Omne Air Spin has thicker than usual EPS foam and overhangs too much for that technique, so while it's comfortable and very well ventilated it's only practical when I'm sitting up in a normal roadie position. Unfortunately that rules out the excellent POC Ventral and Octal, which are also thicker with more brow overhang -- I've seen them locally on a couple of riders. My Bell Formula MIPS is a little better -- not too much brow overhang. I just need to find an aero helmet comparable to the Bell.
Looking back at those 1989 and '90 TdF time trials, LeMond's technique and bike setup were very different from each other. The heat of the course on the 1990 20th stage final time trial meant most riders didn't use helmets at all. The course was tougher than the '89 finish, and LeMond's technique would be considered raggedy and inconsistent by today's standards. Nowadays TTs are like a science, with even hand positions tested in wind tunnels. In the 1990 TT LeMond was in and out of the saddle, on the bullhorns as much as the aero bars, often standing to stomp the pedals to maintain momentum against the wind and onto false flats with those slight inline grades that are so deceptive and soul sapping. It may be the last, best example of old school time trialing, where raw strength was as important as technique. It made the '89 TdF final TT look almost elegant in comparison.
And LeMond was impatient and irritable with reporters just before that final 1990 TdF TT, snapping at one "Don't ask stupid questions!" It looked like he channeled that anger into raw energy on the bike. It was still a good lesson for students of the sport, even though he didn't win a single stage en route to the overall win.
I've studied both TdF TT finishes to see if I can improve my technique, reaching down to shift with the downtube shifters while using the aero bars. I don't think my balance will ever be that good. So I'll be switching hand positions with every gear shift, as long as I stick with the stock Ironman setup. I do have a spare set of newer Profile carbon aero bars and 10-speed bar end shifters, as well as an 8-speed set of bar ends on my hybrid that I could swipe and install on the Ironman. But I'm gonna keep it stock for my next attempt at a new
PR on that 6 mile TT segment.