SirLes said:Thanks Alex.
One question. How much difference does drafting make? When I see old footage of the tour the main riders seem to spend a lot more time on the front.
Obviously less when climbing than on flat terrain. I am quoting solo ride times, no drafting.
You can expect a 20-30% reduction in drag when drafting closely. In terms of climbing power (using same 8% gradient assumptions I listed earlier), that equates to a 1.8% - 2.6% reduction in power to sustain same climbing speed.
Obviously without knowing how much drafting is involved in every race scenario over the years, this is part of the overall variability we can't really measure.