• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

2010-2013 cleanest era of the sport?

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Aug 31, 2012
7,550
3
0
Visit site
Re: Re:

Dear Wiggo said:
SeriousSam said:
Dear Wiggo said:
So the winner in 2012 does not include 64 minutes at 6.4W/kg (!!) from the final TT.

Can you please confirm whether Lance's placing in Tours remains in play, or if everyone finishing after him was shifted up one? In particular it looks like Wiggo (4th 2009 including Lance) - in this limited dataset - generated less power on the climbs in 2012 (1st) than 2009 (4th), despite (allegedly) weighing less in 2012.
I've wondered for some time why time trials aren't analysed as much as MTF climbs, and why they aren't considered as indicative of "not normal".

Because climbing is predominantly overcoming gravity, which remains a constant for all riders. TT, being aerodynamically dependent, means you have to estimate the frontal surface area, and wind on the day, even to the closeness of following and leading vehicles, can have a dramatic impact.

Wiggo admitted his final TT power - that's how I know what it was.

Too many variables in the TT mean estimating it accurately is too difficult.

Why weren't Vayers et all all over it? 6.4w/kg? A wattage not subject to the considerable estimation errors we usually have, higher than anything we've seen in years. 64 minutes long.
 
Mar 27, 2014
202
0
0
Visit site
One other point not mentioned above is the propensity of the favourites to look at the TT as a way of gaining time over the pure mountain goats,
If you know you can put time into some of your rivals in the TT then you are more likely to work on it and work on position and power, But they may also want to take advantage of a boost in other ways, While the rest of the pack are taking a day off and not topping up the tank with whatever goodies are on offer from the sweet cabinet, the good TT guys may be jacking up the program the night before to ensure the extra boost on TT day to drive home the advantage as much as possible.

So while we know most of the top guys will be going full genius on the MTF stages and the big selection stages, the pure climbers may not be on the TT stages bringing another variable to the TT data and making it less useful as an indicator.