Some interesting pics on cyclingnews. Here’s the link:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/#germ
Great shot of Jan’s position. Ouch.
what’s with the arms? haven’t wind-tunnel tests shown that this position is not as effective?
when my clip-ons came loose during an oly last year, it took me about thirty seconds to realize that i had little ability to steer, and a very reduced ability to use my upper body for power, in a similar position. spent the next 23 miles in the bullhorns.
Wonder why he’s running the Rev X instead of the HED 3…
It isn’t a Rev-X. Its the new Stella Azura wheel. . .four aero spokes (not eight like the Rev-X)
read and intersting stat yesterday - your bike only comprises 10% of your overall drag. your body position is the other 90%. something to think about when you’re trying to decide whether or not to buy $$$ aero wheels or whatever. adjusting your position could give you more benefit and cost nothing.
I agree, what’s with the arms? With that position he’ll never be one of the best if not THE best time-trialer of the world and perennial TdF contender. Will these people EVER learn?
oh, give me a break. i wasn’t trying to say that he’ll go much slower than if his arms were straight forward. however, in an era where the gc contenders spend hours upon hours in the wind tunnel, looking to perfect everything from the back end of the helmet to the material on the sleeves, you’d think that there would be some sort of consistency between riders about arm position.
the vast majority of pro riders have arm positions with forearms parallel to the ground. jan doesn’t. is it so wrong for me to question it?
in conclusion, come off your high horse.
.
No, YOU give me, and Jan, a break. You were the one criticizing a world-class athlete with proven results and I am the one on a high horse?
reread the post, man. i asked a question. i was fishing for an answer from john cobbs or gerard or someone who spent a lot of time in the wind tunnels. then i recounted a personal experience - i thought it was a pretty decent explanation of the reason for my curiosity.
where did i pass judgement? like i said, i was asking a question.
“i wasn’t trying to say that he’ll go much slower than if his arms were straight forward.”
I think it’s safe to say that he at least needs to switch aerobars if he is going to use that position. They bladed section of the bars probably doesn’t work well tilited down at an angle like that.
That’s his formula 1-style wing for downforce.
What’s up with Vino’s big chainring?
He is not wearing a helmet, which would mean that it could have been a hilly TT. If the hill was steep enough the aero bars may have been closer to flat while he was climbing.
Just a random guess.
Looks like Bobby Jullich left some of his stuff in the T-Mobile bike truck 
Those are custom-made, biopace-like chainrings.
Todder,
That’s a pic of Jan’s warm-up, hence the lack of helmet.
That’s a pic of Jan’s warm-up, hence the lack of helmet.
And note the water bottle in his jersey. I don’t think he’d do that in a race.
I would think it would be a greater variety of inconsistency in rider position from David Millar, Jan Ulrich, and Lance Armstrong. Jan is much bigger and more powerful than Lance. Why would you think that a big guy would want to mimic what works for a small guy. To question that Jan does not know what he is doing is funny. You think he gets paid millions and spends hours on the bike to not know what would make him a half second faster??
it is very frustrating to get comments like this. i guess i need to clarify, again, the point of my original post.
just about every resource i’ve seen online has involved a recommendation to have the forearms parallel to the ground. every pic i’ve seen of pro’s during time trials, from magnus backstedt (sp?) to damiano cunego (from opposite extremes of the size spectrume, right?), shows them with that arm position. so what does ullrich know that we don’t? like i said before, i’m hoping that john cobbs or gerard will stumble across this thread and answer the question. i’m not saying that jan is wrong - i’m saying that i want to learn from his research.
I’m no JC or Gerard, but maybe the answer is that Jan isn’t interested in the most aero position. He’s clearly a power rider, and perhaps he’s figured out that giving up a little in aerodynamics gains him a lot more in power. Aero/power/comfort is always a trade-off. Maybe he’s choosing to maximize power instead of aerodynamics.