Just wondering how much better these guys are. I remember some. YouTube videos of LA vs Lieto and it was close. I know Tony Martin and his 58 chain ring would blow them away but how would Kienle do against the sprinters and climbers?
As a point of reference, Jordan Rapp went against the pros at the tour of california. Rapp was not in peak shape having done Leadman recently. He was beat by female pro cyclists though.
That said the top cyclists in triathlon would probably not finish last since many of the competitors in the TDF are sandbagging the tt.
Against the sprinters and climbers no chance. If anything most of them would probably be of the rouleur mould. With specific training or if a middleground could be found for distance for a TT (Think 70.3 and ITU vs long course athletes) then maybe they could be close.
They would get blown away. A pro triathlete typically cycles at the level of a Cat1; the uber-bikers might be at the level of a domestic pro…the TdF is a whole 'nother league.
That being said, as JM points out, many of the TdF non-GC riders aren’t going all out, just resting up for the next stages so their times don;t reflect what they can really do. Even the sprinters and climbers can dust pro triathletes in an all out 40KM TT.
Against the sprinters and climbers no chance.
The OP is talking just purely about TT, not about being a complete racer.
I’d guess a pro triathlete would look silly in comparison to the top 10 TTers, but finish respectably with the domestiques who are tired and don’t care much about TT.
That said, Danny Pate is the quintessential domestique, and finished 11th, only 3:01 back of Martin. Which shows that when a domestique really wants to bring it, they’re also elite bike racers. I assume Pate was taken off the chain because Sky thought…“why the @#$# not.”
Bjorn Anderssen has done some TTs against pros and fared pretty well. Look up his national championship results.
It’s amazing the depth of talent of the riders in the Tour de France… It seems like every rider is the champion of a country… 
I think some of the elite tri guys E.g. Kienle, Raelert…etc would do well if they focused solely on biking… Having to train for running aswell obviously limits time in the saddle and also decreases muscle bulk and possibly then power… In addition swimming increases upper body weight and also takes time away from cycling training…
The tri guys are not generally focused on bike handling so time is lost there aswell as they do not train for it…
Would be interesting to one day see a triathlete with biking talent jump across to professional cycling:-)
I believe Bjorn was as high as 3rd in his pro TT champs, and the winner was the world silver medal tt winner, so not too bad. Do i have to mention that in those days we are now suspecting all riders of enhancement too? I have lived with Bjorn for weeks and weeks at a time, dude won’t even drink coffee. Took me forever to get him to even drink a coke and eat a snickers bar. Clean as they come, i figure he was pretty close to the top 10 guys with all things equal. His time up our mountain is still the fastest, or at the very least pretty equal to the winner, pretty solid since it was the final climb of the TOC queen stage. So there was no holding back.
Conrad Stoltz also was either 2nd or 3rd in the South African TT champs. I know SA isn’t France or Spain, but worth noting at least.
How did the SA TT champ do at the Tour today?
He, Daryl Impey, wasn’t there because of testing positive. Solid TT guy ignoring that though.
I remember that day, and I had a bar room bet with some roadie friends that a triathlete would finish top-5… I was stunned at how poorly the tri guys did… And my respect for Pro Tour riders increased proportionately. The bike handling skills alone were in another league as several of the honorary racers ( including our Dan E!) didn’t even stay on the course.
Maybe I should have expected it, I can’t really ride with my roadie buddies when they get serious…
.
As long as they do a HIM everyday for 20 days prior to the TT would the field be leveled. At that point no triathlete would even compare to a TdF rider.
i got all those except LDL. i’m stuck on cholesterol. what do it mean?
Bjorn Anderssen has done some TTs against pros and fared pretty well. Look up his national championship results.
Bjorn had a team at the Silverman Ironman in 2006 when they offered $100k to a team that could break 8hrs. That was pretty much when he was at his peak. Tyler Hamilton also fielded a team and beat him by 16min. That was when Tyler Hamilton was suspended for doping, and clearly not at his peak (though still likely doping).
Bjorn had a team at the Silverman Ironman in 2006 when they offered $100k to a team that could break 8hrs. That was pretty much when he was at his peak. Tyler Hamilton also fielded a team and beat him by 16min. That was when Tyler Hamilton was suspended for doping, and clearly not at his peak (though still likely doping).//
Time does not tell this whole story. Bjorn’s aero bar broke completely and he had to ride with one arm most the ride. Most people would have just quit, but he soldiered on, one arm pulling, one arm hanging. And if you know that course and how much Bjorn likes to use his leverage on his bars, you would know what a handicap that was.