Quote:
Originally Posted by joevers
That just doesn't change the fact that advancements in non metal frames and components have made them measurably faster to the tune of dozens of watts.
Going from a 7/11 era Merckx to the latest and greatest carbon Merckx raced in the tour is like having a constant tailwind.
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I won't disagree that they are faster. But how much faster? Not much, if you look at the stats.
The 1952 Giro was 3964km long and the winning time was 114h 36' 43". That's an average speed of 34.59km/hr.
The 2019 Giro was 3547km long and the winning time was 90h 01 '47". That's an average speed of 39.40 km/hr.
So with carbon frames...
....more gears
....better rolling tires
....better nutrition
....advanced training techniques
....etc. etc
there was less than a 5 km/hr improvement in 67 years....on a course that was 417 km shorter.