43 mph on a bicycle?

lazerss9 · 07-21-2007, 06:14 PM

its different than what most of these posts are about, but i was watchin the tour d france and in the last sprint to the finish of stage 12, the announcers said that they got up to 43 mph! wtf kind of workout do u need to do to be able to get up to 43 mph on a bicycle?!? i think i can get up to 25-26 mph on a sprint, but 43 is ridiculous!

Jumper · 07-21-2007, 07:15 PM

That top speed is also after riding for 6 to 8 hours straight. Certainly they can hit much higher top speeds even riding alone, than the rest of us, but the speeds you are refering to are achieved through the power of the Peloton (drafting). All of the top sprinters have lead out riders on their teams that run at the front during the final stages of the sprint, pushing the pace and providing the final draft for their top sprinter to use to slingshot across the line. The lead out usually begins around 10 to 15k out from the finish, but the final burst for the line happens in the last 200 meters or so.

As an example of the power of the mass draft, watch how quickly the Peloton can reel in riders that have broken for the lead ahead of the pack. Sometimes these riders will make their breakaway early in a stage, lead for 70k or so, build an 8 minute or more lead, then get caught by the Peloton within the last 1000 meters.

Bicycle racing at the highest level is tres cool!

lazerss9 · 07-21-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumper

That top speed is also after riding for 6 to 8 hours straight. Certainly they can hit much higher top speeds even riding alone, than the rest of us, but the speeds you are refering to are achieved through the power of the Peloton (drafting). All of the top sprinters have lead out riders on their teams that run at the front during the final stages of the sprint, pushing the pace and providing the final draft for their top sprinter to use to slingshot across the line. The lead out usually begins around 10 to 15k out from the finish, but the final burst for the line happens in the last 200 meters or so.

As an example of the power of the mass draft, watch how quickly the Peloton can reel in riders that have broken for the lead ahead of the pack. Sometimes these riders will make their breakaway early in a stage, lead for 70k or so, build an 8 minute or more lead, then get caught by the Peloton within the last 1000 meters.

Bicycle racing at the highest level is tres cool!

riding 6-8 hours alone is crazy, let alone hit that speed afterwards! i dont completely agree about the speed being due to the draft; it helps to some extent, but u still have to have the power and endurance to get up to that speed after an avg of 25 mph over the 6-8 hours. and the distance of the sprint doesnt really matter; going 43 on a bicycle is insane! at the same time tho, theres a chance that the break away group wins the stage; the strategy/thought that goes into this is crazy, but kinda takes away from the crazy endurance of the athletes. id rather see a straight up, balls out race.