Tour de France 2012 (with SPOILERS)

[ColinJ]

Just going back to yesterday's prologue (sorry) ...

Don't mention the prologue! I fired up Eurosport Player only to see a replay of Cancellara crossing the finish line. I was an hour late, a CET/BST mix up!

I thought it was my TV / dodgy freeview box!

Since Hebden Bridge got Freeview last September, it has been very obvious to me that ITV use a horribly low bitrate to squeeze more channels in. BBC1 isn't too bad, BBC2 and Channel 4 seem slightly lower quality, BBC3/4 slightly lower still.

 

[Herzog]

ajay, are you sure it was a water bottle? I saw a white box like thing at the bottom of the seat tube/above the bottom bracket that I assumed to be a power meter or somesuch.

I thought it was a 1.5L clear plastic watee bottle (e.g., Evian, not a bidon).

 

[ColinJ]

I thought it was a 1.5L clear plastic watee bottle (e.g., Evian, not a bidon).

You are discussing two different bottles!

The one in the road was definitely a big Evian (whatever) bottle.

Ajay was asking why Evans had a bottle on his bike for a very short prologue ride!

 

[Ajay]

 

[smutchin]

Maybe it was the one he forgot to take on the Dauphiné TT.

d.

 

[ColinJ]

Well spotted!

It would surprise me if they hadn't thought about it. Maybe they have tested it in a wind tunnel and found out that it somehow aids airflow?

 

[Doseone]

That was a mother of a steep hill at the end. Evans looked like he was itching to do something towards the finish and Brad looked stuffed afterwards. I think they had a hard day at work!

Sorry to go back to yesterday, but I'm late to this thread thought Brad did really well, Martin would possibly have pipped it if he hadn't had a mechanical and Menchov, Hesjedal and Nibali all put down markers and this ain't just going to be the Brad and Cuddles show. Well done to FC though and for his efforts today.

Interesting that Cav had a pop at the intermediate - he's maybe a bit keener on green than he's been letting on.

 

[Speicher]

Well spotted!

It would surprise me if they hadn't thought about it. Maybe they have tested it in a wind tunnel and found out that it somehow aids airflow?

This is an intelligent guess here: If Cadel Evans has long "practice" runs ie 50kms or 80kms,(on his time trial bike) he would carry a full bottle of water. So when he does the shorter time trails, he still has the water bottle, otherwise the bike would handle slightly differently. This slight difference on the corners could add up to one second or so.

 

[tigger]

This is an intelligent guess here: If Cadel Evans has long "practice" runs ie 50kms or 80kms,(on his time trial bike) he would carry a full bottle of water. So when he does the shorter time trails, he still has the water bottle, otherwise the bike would handle slightly differently. This slight difference on the corners could add up to one second or so.

Modest!

What about when the bottle is emptied on a long TT? It would handle differently at the end of the TT and have little or no effect on balance

 

[Speicher]

On a longer tt the cumulative seconds are diminutive compared to those on a shorter tt.

 

[400bhp]

Modest!

What about when the bottle is emptied on a long TT? It would handle differently at the end of the TT and have little or no effect on balance

[Arguably] less of an issue on a longer TT when your average speed is lower and bottles can be replaced.

Seems like a good educated guess by Speicher.

 

[Speicher]

[Arguably] less of an issue on a longer TT when your average speed is lower and bottles can be replaced.

Seems like a good educated guess by Speicher.

Thank you 400bhp. Yes, he would replace the bottles on a longer tt. Yesterday's tt was a short tt. I think there are some much longer ones later in the Tour.

 

[smutchin]

Yes, he would replace the bottles on a longer tt.

How? No contact with the team car is allowed. (AIUI you're allowed contact with the team car for feeding on very long TTs, but the TdF TTs aren't long enough for that.)

When Evans lost a bottle early in the Dauphiné TT, he wasn't able to replace it, and he clearly suffered as a result.

d.

 

[beastie]

This is an intelligent guess here: If Cadel Evans has long "practice" runs ie 50kms or 80kms,(on his time trial bike) he would carry a full bottle of water. So when he does the shorter time trails, he still has the water bottle, otherwise the bike would handle slightly differently. This slight difference on the corners could add up to one second or so.

Hmmnnn.... that sounds like rubbish to me. It has to be aero related, at that speed nearly all the energy produced is pushing air. Or the sponsor thing.

 

[beastie]

How? No contact with the team car is allowed.

d.

There is a feed zone midway on the longer TT