Giro 2017: Stage 2:- Olbia › Tortoli (221k) *Spoilers*

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Comments

  • Crampeur
    Crampeur Posts: 1,065
    RichN95 wrote:
    Crampeur wrote:
    Why are guys like Pozzato and Vandenbroucke so popular, considering they have a (comparatively) poor palmares?
    They have (or had) personality off the bike and were maybe tactically maverick. Look at Sagan - he's no stylist in terms of pedaling style or position (builder pushing a wheelbarrow - Inner Ring) - but he attracts fans for more than his wins.

    True, but you can't discount aesthetics. Vandenbroucke was aware of it - why else do you think he pushed such a big gear?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,461
    I'd be interested to see someone do an analysis of Ewan's style to compare aerodynamic gain against mechanical efficiency. It doesn't look like he can maximise power through the pedals at the that angle.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    M.R.M. wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    The thing that puzzles me about style etc. is that four of the last five Tour de France winners used asymmetric rings - yet no-one, bar Froome, seems to want to try them.
    AFAIK plenty of pro's tried them, but saw no advantage even after getting used to them for a week. Initially they were advertised as giving you 5% more power, until it was found out, that they screw up the power meter measurements (calibration prior to riding seems to be needed to be done on round chain rings, then swapped to osymetric) and just show a false value of 5% more power. Now they are advertised as reducing lactic acid by 10%. No one knows if any of this is actually true.
    Some people just seem to find them more comfortable and that seems to be why Froome uses them.

    Apparently they're handy for loose/slippy and steep surfaces in mtb. Trainerroad podcast covered it fairly extensively and they didn't have any references to support performance benefits.

    Comfort is a totally legitimate reason to use them, imo.
  • milton50
    milton50 Posts: 3,856
    yourpaceormine wrote:
    Ewan's style looks like he is on the edge of losing traction, particularly if there is any up gradient in the finishing straight. Clearly not as he wouldn't do it /or dial his position back a bit. Wonder if he has ever been caught out?

    Inrng making the point that he might lose traction on the cobblestones at the end of today's stage. So we'll see if it has any effect.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    What's interesting is how Cav rewrote sprinting with his superaero position enabling him to beat more powerful riders, then Kittels successes seem to move the game back to the big fellas and now along comes titchy Ewan. If he starts to be dominant everybody will be sprinting with their nose on the front tyre. Horror
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • lucan2
    lucan2 Posts: 293
    Blazing Saddles wrote:
    Gaviria completely out-paced by two, forth tier sprinters. :oops:

    Saving himself for the win the following day?

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