The height issue will be affected by all sorts of factors, including increasing average height of men (up a couple of centimetres since the war), and differences in average height in different populations: the TdeF has seen an influx of people from taller populations. For instance, the average height of a British male is around 1.5-2cms or so taller than the average Spaniard/Italian;. Thus the fact that Wiggins is 2cms taller than Indurain could simply be put down to the fact that he is a similar height in relation to the British population as Indurain is to the Spanish; of the 6 cyclists above 1.78, 5 are Northern European.
Looking at postwar winners (and I've not managed to track down the heights of some of the earlier ones), it looks basically as if there's a cluster around 1.73-1.76, with a fall off either side, and a few outliers, (more above than below, admittedly!). The multiple winners do seem skewed to the higher end, but that might just be the very small sample.
Heights I've traced:
1.60 Robic
1.71 Delgado
1.72 Pantani
1.73 Zoetemelk, Sastre, Gaul
1.74 Fignon, Hinault, Evans
1.75 Roche
1.76 Anquetil, Contador, Schleck
1.77 Armstrong, Coppi
1.78 Lemond, Pereiro
1.83 Ulrich
1.85 Merckx, Froome
1.86 Riis
1.88 Indurain
1.90 Wiggins
Quite a few sources say that Coppi was 1.87 tall.
Looking at postwar winners (and I've not managed to track down the heights of some of the earlier ones), it looks basically as if there's a cluster around 1.73-1.76, with a fall off either side, and a few outliers, (more above than below, admittedly!). The multiple winners do seem skewed to the higher end, but that might just be the very small sample.
Heights I've traced:
1.60 Robic
1.71 Delgado
1.72 Pantani
1.73 Zoetemelk, Sastre, Gaul
1.74 Fignon, Hinault, Evans
1.75 Roche
1.76 Anquetil, Contador, Schleck
1.77 Armstrong, Coppi
1.78 Lemond, Pereiro
1.83 Ulrich
1.85 Merckx, Froome
1.86 Riis
1.88 Indurain
1.90 Wiggins
Quite a few sources say that Coppi was 1.87 tall.
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