I am not really sure on this and I hope that the real equipment guru's will chime in, but from what I have observered over the years, the really good road racers prefer the wider 44 cm handle-bars. However, most bikes that are available in the shops are speced with the narrower 42 cm bars. I wonder why that is?

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Wider bars provide more leverage for out-of-the-saddle climbing and sprinting. The extra 1-2cm might provide you a better grip to rock the bike left-and-right while climbing, for instance.

Besides, one shouldn't ( or needn't ) go further narrower than his shoulders' width. Specially in a mass start race, you won't get any extra seconds by squeezing in a handlebar one number too short.

Just my 0.02. Hope it helps.

Rick

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Ricardo Wickert | Team Magnesium Pur - Germany | My sporadically updated blog: The Thin Grad Line | My team-issued TT bike: Trek Speed Concept 9

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Tyler rides a 42cm (mid-mid), 44cm (outside-outside) Anatomic Easton EC90 oversized. Quite a normal size for him I would think.

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Gerard Vroomen
3T.bike
OPEN cycle

The still pictures I saw don't make it look as wide, it was just watching it on TV. I guess it was just my imagination, thanks.

I actually go a little wide for that very reason, little more leverage out of the saddle. It comes with a cost though - rounds the shoulders and/or back a bit.