webbie146 said:The optimal fat percentage differs per athlete. At a certain point losing more fat is not a option anymore, because the athlete will lose power output + recovery ability. Nibali has done a lot of GT's now and he knows what his optimal fat % is.
Athlete A can have a 5% fat percentage, and athlete B 6% but that does not mean always mean he is 'sharper'. Athlete B could lose power output at 4% so he will be 5% at the start of the tdf. Athlete B loses power at 5% so he will start the tdf at around 6%
During the tdf those initial numbers will lower because u always lose weight during a GT.
It's all about finding the optimal number for the athlete, differs per person.
Let's say Nibali get's down to 5%. His power output goes from 430 to 410W. This would mean in the flat TT he would perform worse, in the mountains it would not help either because his output is down. That Contador is around 5% and Nibali 6/6,5% does not say anything about how the will perform.
so, in short we will have to wait for mountains to know whether this good or not.