TdF - Lance's Average Speed vs Last Place Rider
just fiddling with some TdF stats... the last place rider (155th) is 3 hours and 53 minutes behind lance. seems huge right? but the difference in their average speed over the 1902 miles so far is just 1.3 mph!!! lance=26.1, last place=24.8. everyone else is in that narrow range! the difference between the top riders is totally negligible.
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Well, when your talking about over 77 hours of riding... that is a big difference...
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A break down by stage would probably tell a better story.
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Both of those averages are still better than mine for a 20-mile ride :(
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A 5% performance delta between elite atheltes is actually very large.
Al |
Most riders are spending a lot of time pulling for one or more of their teammates which Lance doesn't do. Many riders are going after only stage wins or king of the mountain or sprinting points which Lance doesn't do. If you think that all of those riders could definitely improve their average speeds if they didn't have those other objectives, the difference becomes even smaller.
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Originally Posted by noisebeam
A 5% performance delta between elite atheltes is actually very large.
Al |
Originally Posted by noisebeam
A 5% performance delta between elite atheltes is actually very large.
Also, you have to remember that the peloton rides together for most of the race. You only see large time gaps during the time trials and on some of the mountain climbs. |
Originally Posted by dfw
Most riders are spending a lot of time pulling for one or more of their teammates which Lance doesn't do. Many riders are going after only stage wins or king of the mountain or sprinting points which Lance doesn't do. If you think that all of those riders could definitely improve their average speeds if they didn't have those other objectives, the difference becomes even smaller.
Look at Roberto Heras... even though he did some pulling on the mountains on the US Postal Team he still did way better than being a leader of a team. I highly doubt that the guys who do all the pulling could improve their speeds that dramatically.... The time gaps develop in the TT's and Mountains... |
Originally Posted by Mr_Super_Socks
Yeah, but the point is that 5% - which may be a large difference for elite athletes - is actually a negligible difference for the rest of us submutant humanoids (Bob Roll's colorful words).
Al |
I am in awe of the speed and technique of all the riders in the Tour. Actually, I am in awe of the spped and technique of nearly any racer.
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Originally Posted by dahvaio
How about each of the team leaders? Most of them don't pull.... I saw Lance, Ivan and Ullrich working together on the mountain stages...
Look at Roberto Heras... even though he did some pulling on the mountains on the US Postal Team he still did way better than being a leader of a team. I highly doubt that the guys who do all the pulling could improve their speeds that dramatically.... The time gaps develop in the TT's and Mountains... |
For me.... I am in awe of anyone who is a professional racer because those guys are fast...
The only way I could accelerate to 54MPH on level pavement is to convert my bicycle into a motorcycle... I've reached about 36MPH on a level road from a stand still but can only maintain it for a little bit... |
that is interesting. I can go that fast...down a LONG HILL:)
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actually even some of the flat stages it's common to have 10 or 20 minute gaps from the main pack. i think in this tour (other than the initial TT) riders began to lose big time in stages 5 or 6. some make it up and some never do. i remember lance and co was behind like 20 or 30 mintues at the beginning of the 2001 tour.
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Lance's average speed sounds pretty close to my sprints...
LOL... sigh - got a long way to go... |
Is this going to be the quickest TdF ever? I know they were clocking a serious advantage over 2003 a few stages ago. Has that still held?
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Originally Posted by SunSwingsLow
Is this going to be the quickest TdF ever? I know they were clocking a serious advantage over 2003 a few stages ago. Has that still held?
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What is the fastest overall average speed for a Tour winner?
Lance Armstrong (USA) won the 2003 Tour with an average speed of 40.940 kilometers per hour (25.44 mph). He covered 3,400km (2,100 miles) in 83 hours 41 minutes and 12 seconds. From Trek's website, FAQ about the TdF |
I this year on pace to be even faster???
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Originally Posted by brooklyner
just fiddling with some TdF stats... the last place rider (155th) is 3 hours and 53 minutes behind lance. seems huge right? but the difference in their average speed over the 1902 miles so far is just 1.3 mph!!! lance=26.1, last place=24.8. everyone else is in that narrow range! the difference between the top riders is totally negligible.
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Not many km's left either. Today's stage and the final are short. And then the ITT which will be fast.
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I am willing to say that smootie is right. After todays stage if they average a very slow (for them) 30 km/h (18 mph) through the ITT and into Paris then they will be the fastest tour ever.
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Originally Posted by simplyred
Lance's average speed sounds pretty close to my sprints...
LOL... sigh - got a long way to go... But hey, I'm not getting any help from drafting behind somebody! (As if to make it sounds like I can add 5mph more, if I drafted.) |
Originally Posted by dahvaio
I highly doubt that the guys who do all the pulling could improve their speeds that dramatically.... The time gaps develop in the TT's and Mountains...
-s |
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