View Single Post
Old 05-25-03 | 09:30 AM
  #13  
horndude
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
From: columbus oh
Yes the avg speeds have increased,training has gotten better and more aero from testing in windtunnels etc.The gains from weight savings however are prob less than 1%,but the gains from better training/bike set-up are prob around 3-5% if the tdf stats are any indication.Being the right size physically is a huge component...example,pre cancer Lance was too heavy,carried too much upperbody muscle around,post cancer he was able to achieve the current typical size range and power output of a top ten elite pro stage racer.This is still gains in performance measured in seconds over MANY miles.Could Merckx compete on a 20-30yr old bike in todays peloton.....Id guess yep,on a flat stage sure,wouldnt make much difference,hilly stage...maybe,I think the results would suprise some folks.Some of the performance gains are still gonna be masked by teamwork,strategy,course,and just plain luck.
horndude is offline  
Reply