Weight Weenies

I'm not a physicist, so can't give you exact figures to prove that it helps. So I'll just drop it, ok?

It doesn't matter if it helps or not. It's the motos responsibility to maintain a big enough gap, so we'll just call it race craft

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Not targeted at anyone in particular, don't get me wrong, but I find it curious that the opinion here seems to be that 2mm difference in tyre width makes an aerodynamic difference, while riding 10m behind a motorbike at around 50kph does not.

Not saying the chasers would have made it, you never know, just like arguing an aero frame decided a tight sprint finish.

I'd say the inconsistency is largely influenced by caffeine intake.

Endless factors to consider

An aero frame in a sprint would make a difference if for instance everyone took the same route and all factors/routes were consistent.

No two approaches to the finish are remotely similar in a sprint. Everyone has their own path.

It's a tech blog and we tend to nerd out a bit but the difference between a win and a loss will always be skill, handling, preparation, lead up, experience, and human effort

Forgive me if I'm wrong but if a team misjudges a lead-out slightly and loses by 1mm, that's not the bike's fault.

Stannard is, and always has been an opportunist, IMO. His position in Sky encourages this. He saw his chance and took it when others did not. Impossible to say if someone else would have made it work when he launched, but no one else chose that exact instance. That was their mistake.

Stybar/Sagan hops curbs to get faster lines. Skill and quick decision making wins races.

They could have had a very, very marginal advantage from the draft, but an organized peloton is still faster than a small group. You have to be pretty damn close to a car or moto to get a very beneficial draft and from that shot they are pretty damn far away. I mean, anyone that has ridden in a pack with other riders or raced has at least once been in a situation where there was a gap of the same size that they just couldn't close. Even though the rider is 10 feet in front the draft isn't reducing the power enough to let you latch on. This is an essential skill you learn when you first race in a pack so that you don't get gapped or accidentally gap those behind you.

It sounds like they rode better, the chase wasn't too coordinated, and they were smart about using the course to their advantage.

KWalker wrote:...accidentally gap those behind you...

Gapping those behind you is kinda good as long as they're not in your team.

Sep Vanmarcke might do very well this spring and I think Stybar might do something as well.

wassertreter wrote:while riding 10m behind a motorbike at around 50kph does not.

ultimobici wrote:

lippythelion wrote:I didn't see the race, but maybe there was a tail wind for the last 15 to 20km.

Wind was from the south, a tailwind for the last 18km.

Provides the answer.


Otherwise, next motopacing session you have, find a good tail wind, get the bike to sit 10-15m ahead and at 55km/h and see how much sit you get

Tuck like a pro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... YAjF4Niz6E

KASK helmets renew Team Sky deal until 2016.

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 16,00.html

looks like something is wrong with R.Feillu's bike

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_romain- ... id=1900354

What are the brand of the Black bike in stella-azzurra youtube video?

My guess is Factor Vis Vires

Antoine wrote:looks like something is wrong with R.Feillu's bike

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_romain- ... id=1900354

Fork steerer tube got broken for some reason.....it looks like he started to sprint and the steerer tube failed under load

He should do soccer, that was some epic "AAAH AAAAH AAAAAAH..oh wait why am I screaming it doesn't hurt"

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