stevie g wrote:
It has been like this since it started.
How is it the only people who post to ST either did not draft or the people they know rode legal. Given you all do sub 5 hours on 170 watts
Actually, on a flat, fast course, sub 5 on 170 watts is doable if you have really good aerodynamics and aren't too big. For the average IM'er, with a sit up and beg position and all kinds of stuff hanging of the bike, not so much. On a crowded course like Texas, you can ride legal and still get some draft advantage from all the other riders out there, all that passing and being passed, plus often having riders at the legal distance ahead, makes a real difference.
Not to say there isn't a ton of drafting, as I see plenty of riders go to places like Texas and Florida and put on bike performances way out of line with what they usually do. But there are a ton of you burning a lot of watts to not go that fast, I see it all the time on Strava (ignoring, of course, Strava's useless estimated power and only looking at people with real PMs).