by -Adam- » Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:15 pm
[quote="Jon Hemming"]Nah, it's the pointy hat that makes us look stupid, and I'll be expecting you to wear yours this evening.
Absolutely!
Andrew, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against testers. My dig was aimed at anyone who hides behind the label of climber/tester/sprinter/puncheur (delete as appropriate), without accepting the reality of what they're actually capable of. Time trialling is all good, if you're competing with your mates, people who chase fast courses to say they can ride as fast as Armstrong, well, thats another matter!
Your right though, most pro's ought to wipe the floor with us. I was just highlighting that while Wiggins was a good example to back up your point, that Contador might perhaps be even more notable.
[quote="Grahame"]I suspect power to weight is the dominant factor in climbers, but for testers (except on sporting courses) I'd place money on power to frontal area being more important.
Yeah, your probably right, I'd broaden out frontal area to total drag though, there seems to be more emphasis on overall aerodynamics rather than just the smallest frontal area. I would still say that if two riders put out the same power, i.e 300w, the dude who weighs in at 60kg, will still go faster than the dude who weighs 75kg, on any course, even totally flat ones.