Well I just lost an Ironman by 17 seconds so 1 watt could mean a bit ;)

As for the tire, I just noticed Tom A got around to posting data. That was my tire and it was very well worn. And yep according to that it is 1watt, however there is always going to be some margin of error. Plus, maybe that is an extra good force and bad SS, who knows. Also, although I might only average around 40k an hour, there are many times where I am rolling much faster as well. Then there is the fact that Force is a very wide tire, much wider than a 23mm SS, and the trailing edge of the rear wheel matters. IMO the eyeball test says the air comes off the Force creates a bigger wake. The SS is about 30-40 grams lighter and is at the furthest point of rotation and in 3000 miles I have had 3x flats.

So even if I save only 1 watt it is still 1 watt, and watts add up. I'll get another watt to 1.5 watts from the chain, maybe even 2, 3, or 4 watts depending on who the pro is. I'll get another watt from ceramic bearings in the hubs, bottom bracket, and pulleys. Some more watts from Atomic coated chainrings and cassette and their proprietary lube. I'll save a few more watts on the front tire and it all starts adding up to make a big difference. And the key to Ironman racing IMO is always to be well well under your limit. If you are with a bunch of guys and someone starts to push above their paygrade maybe you have the fitness and little extra from equipment that keeps you from pushing into the danger zone.

Riding Supersonics in training has given me confidence that they are very durable tires. Is a puncture strip going to stop a thumbtack? A lot of what goes thru tires will go thru tires regardless.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Force and recommended it as the Best Ironman Clincher tire way back on June 6th 2012. I still think it is the tire of choice for the average Ironman competitor who want less to worry about and is scared of flats, but it all comes down to the fact that this sport is incredibly tough. Sometimes in order to have success you have to take some risks. How many guys have missed out on podiums because they didn't take their equipment seriously or they didn't have that extra watt? Remember Sebi's flat two years ago at Kona, he removed the valve extender from the wheel to save just a little bit and it came back to bite him a bit. Remember Starky going off the front last year, that was a huge risk. Changing out your drivetrain for race day is a risk but athletes like McDonald, Kessler, TO, Rinny, Bennett, Tim Reed, Cave, Evoe all do it. The Force is an amazing tire. Regardless we always think about the times when it was costly, but we never thing about the missed opportunities that were lost running slower equipment.