Originally Posted by reef58
I did some number crunching. This is a crude calculation, but it demonstrates how close all of the contenders are.
1) Using the power calculator, and assuming 500 miles are really fought out between the GC's in the TDF the difference is very small. I plugged in an average slope of 2%, cadence of 90rpm's, and used the same height & weight measurements for all 3 wattages.
300 watts time 25 hours, 22 minutes and 50 seconds.
297 watts time 25 hours, 30 minutes and 36 seconds
295 watts time 25 hours, 38 minutes and 27 seconds
3 measley watts gives identical riders almost and 8 minute differece in time.
That is a 1% difference. I think it is certainly possible for someone to be gifted enough to maintain a 1% difference without PED's. I am not saying it was done, but possible.
Has anyone found a study on PED's and the elite riders? I wonder how much difference they make? I suspect it would be less than someone who is untrained.
Richard
Yet the guys who have raced and been a part of all this mess all claim that the difference is phenomenal, and that one cannot finish, let alone compete without them
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"You should already be aware that riding with people who steer with their elbows, stick food to the top tube of their frames and ride around in dick togs is not a great idea." -- Classic1