“The protest was lodged on the grounds that Watt’s handlebars were positioned too low and she therefore gained an aerodynamic advantage. The rules stipulate that the bottom of the handlebars are not to overlap the front wheel and it was for breach of this rule that Watt was stripped of her win.”
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/feb05/geelong05/?id=results/geelong051
Is this true? Because my position puts the bottom of my handlebars just about the same level as my front tire. Shouldn’t there be a morphological exemption for shorter riders if this is the case? Although, I don’t really see how a lower handlebar itself would offer much of an aerodynamic advantage. Couldn’t she have just ridden in the drops to achieve the same aero position?
This part is pretty funny, though:
“Not only was Watt relegated to last place in the time trial, but she was fined 50 Swiss Francs for urinating in public and was given an official warning for being late to the Stage 1 presentation”
