LSUfan4444 wrote:
I don't want to start a new thread referencing the TTT, so I'll bump this one.
There is so much "evidence" out there that says a properly places horizontal bottle between the arms helps reduce drag. It has been said numerous times that it is the fastest hydration set up. It can be argued that it becomes less fast once you remove the bottle and put your elbow out in the wind, have to sit up and drink, etc., but tit for tat, it's fastest. So much so, that even an empty bottle to fill the space was considered faster than no bottle at all.
I could be wrong, but I didn't see 1 rider rolling a BTA hydration set up. Most riders didn't have any at all, but a few did (including Contador). All but 1 hydration setup I saw was nothing more than a regular bottle someone on the frame. I did see 1 aero bottle on the frame (can't remember which team and pretty sure I deleted it off my DVR).
Can it be reasonably assumed that even though the BTA set up might test faster in a tunnel while the bottle is in place, there might be other reasons that would make this a less optimal choice (in regards to speed). What other reason would there be that not 1 rider I saw used a BTA setup?
Not flaming, just asking.
Martin's team had two or three guys who did it. i thought i'd read that its better to have a bottle in the cage. less turbulence.