The Science of the Tour de France by James Witts

Author:James Witts [Witts, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 2016-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Fi’zi:k support many WorldTour teams including Sky

‘That’s rare, though,’ says Ildos. ‘Around 99 per cent of the time, professionals use of -the-shelf saddles. We have such a wide range that we can accommodate many riders. I do remember one special case, though, when we made a saddle especially for Ivan Basso. He had really bad inflammation from saddle sores and needed antibiotics. It was painful.’

But like all of the gear adopted by professional riders, each will have their own steer, their own idiosyncrasies, of how they apply that garment, helmet or saddle to their own performance. ‘Take Tony Gallopin,’ says teammate at Lotto-Soudal Greg Henderson. ‘He’s always changing his saddle height. Always. That’s not unusual for a rider from the track but rare for a pure roadie.’

Tinkering isn’t unusual; riders like Bernard Hinault were famed for their attention to detail. But riders today are refining their performance with the most scientifically proven equipment in the history of cycling. The advent of wind tunnels and software to gauge the drag on an object has created a multimillion industry of cycle clothing, helmets and componentry, all proclaiming to go faster or hit the scales lighter than ever before. While integration is the future of bike design, the same is true when it comes to an increasing focus on bespoke gear. As 3D printers become more affordable, constructing a garment that matches the specific dimensions of any rider on the team will become as standardised as having a bike fit or taking a fitness test. Whether that’ll make riding at 2,000m any easier is debatable – and that’s where we go next on our quest to uncover the science behind the Tour de France.

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