So, I'm flipping through the pictures of my Triathlete Magazine '03 calendar and one of the months features a photograph of Dave Scott crossing the finish line in 9:05. This was 1983, or so said the caption. I'm far from a historian on triathlon, but didn't Paula Newby-Frasier go 8:55 in '89 or '90? In the case of Dave Scott's 9:05 in '83, the competitors were not riding slick aero bikes, bars, 55mm deep rims or anything like that. These were standard road bikes, toe-clips and such. I don't have time to look at all of the stats from all of the years, but my question is:
With the introduction of all the recent technology over the last 20 years, it would seem from casual observation that finish times for the professionals have not fallen much. In no way am I trying to diminish their efforts in Hawaii. Has the "improvement" in bike technology, training methodology etc. benefitted the age-group ranks more than the pros? Have we reached the limits of human performance? Any thoughts out there?
Brett
With the introduction of all the recent technology over the last 20 years, it would seem from casual observation that finish times for the professionals have not fallen much. In no way am I trying to diminish their efforts in Hawaii. Has the "improvement" in bike technology, training methodology etc. benefitted the age-group ranks more than the pros? Have we reached the limits of human performance? Any thoughts out there?
Brett