Pro Cycling Discussion Thread 2015

Good article by DCRainmaker about power meters in the peleton

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/07/power-meters-pro-cycling.html

Interesting to read that it's possible to set an incorrect offset on a PM...

Now, this same tactic could also be used to set an incorrect offset to another rider’s power meter. There is no validation or check of this data, except to ensure that the bike/crank isn’t moving. So using the team RV scenario each morning, it’d be a trivial easy thing using existing tools to connect to another power meter and then give it an incorrect offset. For example, I’ve used various beta and utility tools that do this over the years.
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#Chri5# said:
Good article by DCRainmaker about power meters in the peleton

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/07/power-meters-pro-cycling.html

Interesting to read that it's possible to set an incorrect offset on a PM...
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So does that mean that when they release the data it could have been tampered with before they even started? Either by Team Sky, a competitor or some random disgruntled individual. And Chris Froome could in fact be putting out wattage equivalent to what the French doctor was suggesting? Who to trust... :o

Interesting article though and it seems a fair point that at present any data should really be for interest rather than taken as proof of one thing or another.

Well done to Chris Froome and Team Sky on the win though, it was a bit closer in the end than it looked like it was going to be but still comfortable enough at the finish.
 
semi-pro waster said:
So does that mean that when they release the data it could have been tampered with before they even started? Either by Team Sky, a competitor or some random disgruntled individual. And Chris Froome could in fact be putting out wattage equivalent to what the French doctor was suggesting? Who to trust... :o

Interesting article though and it seems a fair point that at present any data should really be for interest rather than taken as proof of one thing or another.

Well done to Chris Froome and Team Sky on the win though, it was a bit closer in the end than it looked like it was going to be but still comfortable enough at the finish.
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I think a key bit of it is when he says he can barely get two power meters to give the same results on the same bike at the same time. God help us if we try to compare them across numerous configurations.
 
^ This. And when you see how pointy those osymetric rings that Froome uses are you see that they really are right at the extreme end of the scale, so comparing his power data to another rider on a different setup, with a different riding style, with a different power meter, neither of which are calibrated... is really comparing apples with oranges.
 
Vonhelmet said:
I think a key bit of it is when he says he can barely get two power meters to give the same results on the same bike at the same time. God help us if we try to compare them across numerous configurations.
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To add balance though this is comparing different ways of mesuring, at the cranks, hub, and pedal, so measuring in different places is never going to be the same.

Not surprised to hear about programming offsets. Seen quite a few pro's on Strava editing power files to remove power numbers for certain sections of the ride. So I guess its a similar thing really.
 
#Chri5# said:
Great day's racing though - Porte and Pouls did an immense job on that last climb.
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Incredible really, Pouls just seemed to go and go! He got dropped at one point too so must've come back up IIRC? Porte had been incredible the last couple of days after being quietish at the start of the mountains, reversal of Thomas (who was stronger at the start) really so I wonder if that was semi planned?

PermaBanned said:
Excellent work by the whole of the sky team though, each and every one of them has been crucial on one stage or another and they've completely turned themselves inside out to defend Froome from the start and to make this win a reality. Well deserved imo, and I wonder if we've seen a few rising stars in Porte and Thomas.
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I'm fairly sure most will agree with me - Sky won the Tour for Froome, fantastic to see such a team effort throughout and although biased I think they deserved to win.

Fairly sure Thomas is one of our next british stars we'll see alongside the Yates brothers in the upcoming years. He's grown into such a rider this season and is easily one of my favourites on and off the bike, great to see such a character next to guys like Froome who are not very open or outspoken.

Seeing Porte the last couple of stages I'm sure Sky will miss him, Froome especially. Seeing Stannard and Roche monitoring/maintaining the pace on the flatter stages makes me think Kwiat may be overkill for their team (ie not really required), unless Sky want more options?

platypus said:
God Save the Queen on the Champs Elysee. Chapeau Froome!
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Eat that Frenchies! ;)

Quite chuffed for British Cycling as a whole really, fantastic result from a very well organised team despite the ****storm created in the media and the lack of sportsmanship shown by fans and some riders.

GSVBagpuss said:
And Froome won it by being aggresive in the first week (including elbows out!) and being able to defend with a vastly superior team to Movistar.
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Agreed, Sky seemed to have the bigger picture in mind even in the first week. Really showing some of the others how to win a grand tour. You can't just rely on winning time on a couple of mountain stages like Movistar and Quintana seemed to... Although with Valverde there I did expect more from them.
 
One More Solo said:
http://www.chronoswatts.com/news/88/RecapTdf2015EN

As requested, mental. Those watts figures assume 70kg rider and 8kg bike, for 6.2ish w/kg.
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The guy is a total **** though. Where the hell is he pulling all those figures from? It is these wild and plucked out of thin air figures that caused the Froome mess during the tour. No basis and totally unfounded, the guys an idiot.

I tell you now, Quintana does not weigh 70kg..... You'd be lucky if he weighs 60kg... 430watt for a 60kg guy = 7.16. Quintana being listed as 5ft 5in and if you check around his weight is constantly stated as <60kg, 57-59kg seems to be consistent across various sites and reports.

Much taller climbers than Quintana are all around the 60-65kg mark. Quintana was not pushing an avg 430watts up Alpe-D'Huez. That is simply ridiculous from a common sense standpoint.
 
You've both misunderstood the weight point. The figures are normalised assuming that weight because it's one less variable to introduce into the calculation and it also makes the end figures comparable.

It will give an estimate w/kg figure based on 70kgs but Quintana's absolute power will obviously be significantly lower. (340ish watts at that power to weight if he's 55kgs?)

The accuracy of the calculation is a bit irrelevant, I only posted it to demonstrate that it's not only Froome that's under suspicion after the frothing earlier in the thread. It shows that Quintana and Froome are performing at a similar level, although Quintana doesn't have the absolute power to compete on the flat and that's ultimately where he lost the Tour.

Quintana's palmares are commensurate with those of a naturally talented and hugely gifted rider though...

Let's move on or discuss it in the other thread if that's what people want to do.
 
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Any Northern monkeys fancy coming to watch the Tour of Britain? I was going to go to Walley Bridge on Friday the 11th, but it's occurred to me that that's my wedding anniversary, so probably not the best plan... So it's now looking like the Clitheroe to Colne stage on Monday 6th. The route winds about a bit, so it might be possible to see the start, see somewhere out on the route, then head to Colne for the finish.

I need the ETAs before I can make proper plans...
 
xdcx said:
I tell you now, Quintana does not weigh 70kg..... You'd be lucky if he weighs 60kg... 430watt for a 60kg guy = 7.16. Quintana being listed as 5ft 5in and if you check around his weight is constantly stated as <60kg, 57-59kg seems to be consistent across various sites and reports.

Much taller climbers than Quintana are all around the 60-65kg mark. Quintana was not pushing an avg 430watts up Alpe-D'Huez. That is simply ridiculous from a common sense standpoint.
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planty said:
there's no way Quintana is 70kg!
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One More Solo said:
It will give an estimate w/kg figure based on 70kgs but Quintana's absolute power will obviously be significantly lower. (340ish watts at that power to weight if he's 55kgs?)
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I wouldn't be surprised if Quintana is lighter than that as I'm fairly sure he's not 5'5"! How tall is Froome?

Check the podium shots after the last stage, Quintana is quite a bit shorter than the two podium girls - even with them stood on lower steps than him. If it's the same girls were stood next to Froome we could compare their heights... Froome looked to have a couple of inches on them which would put him ~6" or more taller than Quintana, putting him near 6' foot minimum.

Does height/leg length/crank length have much influence on power? I've always (maybe wrongly) assumed the climbers were usually tall and light with their long legs being more efficient than the sprinters who seem to be shorter (Cav is tiny!) with their huge thighs and fast huge power outputs. Unless the length of the pedal stroke (from leg length) doesn't have much impact on efficiency?

This is something I've pondered about while watching the Tour as the majority is riders seem tall, then you have exceptions like Quintana and Cav who are not run of the mill riders and are both quite short. This is also an attempt to re-rail this thread ;)
 
They've given over $5m to the team since the start, I don't think it's entirely fair to paint them as the bad guys. As they say, it's a difficult time in the telecom industry and even though the team is doing well most of the exposure they get is in Europe and doesn't translate into much of a return for an African company. They've left the team in probably the best position they could have done, a popular, respected, desirable setup on the verge of getting a WT license. The team is not worried, and i think there's already talks of their new sponsor Dimension Data taking up the flag of becoming the title sponsor.

I think that's everybody who's said they're going to be there, but obviously only BMC have confirmed so far. Subject to injury, i suppose.
 
PermaBanned said:
Fantastic to see Adam getting his first WT win at San Sebastián. Kind of hope they had some cameras rolling for a BSP though, because that coverage was absolutely dire.
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33-1 too, almost had a punt myself but thought better of it! Swifty should ahve done better today isn't clinical enough for me. Potentially excusable given he's been off for a while but he's a podium placer on a tough day, rather than a consistent winner for me

Nibs joins the incredibly strong Astana team for the Vuelta - who gets team leadership there! I'm thinking Aru with Nibs for stage wins. He hasn't looked consistent all season but can really got hard when he's on a good day. Froome is favourite at 5/2 and hasn't even announced he's riding! He's also at 5/6 for next years TdF which is barking!
 
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