doug in co wrote:
Going to a front 404 and wheel cover (disc) at back was about 1-2min improvement for me, at times around 1:05 to 1:10 for the bike leg.
At some races that's the difference between podium and maybe just squeaking into top 10..
Also, at Oly distance it really is a question of seconds, quite often.
Huge DITTO to this. In sprints, I have had multiple finishes where 5 seconds separated the top 3 AG finishers. Actually, ~20 seconds between 1st and 3rd is the norm. Olympics are a little more spread out, but still often within a minute.
My last Oly, I was 3rd overall. 4th place was just 18 seconds behind me. If I did not have all of my tricks, I would have fallen off the podium.
If you are gunning for podiums (overall, AG, Masters), then you need every trick. Your competitors will have them, and every second matters.