Originally Posted by
ellerbro
I posted the question over on physicsforums.com and the three responses I've gotten are that a heavy and light cyclist will have the same acceleration (a = g*sin(theta)), and therefore speed, when coasting down a hill. That is, until wind resistance comes into play.
And wind resistance comes into play pretty quickly. Cyclists, particularly upright cyclists are absolutely horrible at being aerodynamic.
Anybody know the average Cd of a typical roadie in the drops? I suspect it is marginally better than a parachute. Hell, maybe the chutes better. It just has a lot more cross section.