Okay…I am asleep at the wheel most of the time but when did I miss this news? He is no longer riding Cervelo but has signed to ride Javelin. Guess maybe he thinks his career is on the downturn and he wants to make sure it’s because of his bike;-)j/k that was for the Cervelo junkies of the forum.
Didn’t someone once say that, “It’s Not About the Bike”!
Fleck
yeah but didn’t he win a bike race or something…we’re talking tri here. It’s all about the bike. Besides…if it wasn’t about the bike why did that same guy spend so much time giving his input into the evolution of said bike…every year. If it was nothing to worry about he could have kept winning on the same bike he won the first one on.
sure…I caught that one…after I posted…actually came back to my thread to delete it when I saw Fleck had already replied (he’s just as quick when it comes to racing too)
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As I said over on the other thread, I have always found it interesting the difference between pro triathletes and pro-roadies and here Lance’s quote does start to come to life. Pro-triathletes do seem to be obsessed by the bikes they ride and surprise, surprise the rank and file triathlete does to. Now over on the pro-roadie side, these guys tend to ride what’s given to them. It’s a tool and they leave it at that. The tool has to be good and on an even playing field with the rest, but that’s it. It’s not about the bike!
Fleck
Fleck, this is a direct quote from a former pro who rode with Lance:
‘What was my favorite bike? I don’t remember, I just rode what they gave me.’
In Triathlon, it’s all about the bike because we can’t draft. Lance spent a great deal of time developing and fine tuning his TT bike. We’re talking about millions of dollars to save maybe a minute or so.
“In Triathlon, it’s all about the bike because we can’t draft.”
It’s all about the bike because we’re all a bunch of great big kids who love our toys.
Guess maybe he thinks his career is on the downturn and he wants to make sure it’s because of his bike;-)j/k that was for the Cervelo junkies of the forum.
I think he finally realizes that his old ITU style isn’t enough…not sure why though…He was a freakshow at IM Lake Placid last year.
He was all alone most of the day.
He probably got a big fat carrot dangled in front of him …who wouldn’t bite?
The Javelin Barolo specs a nice geometry…he’s tall though, so not sure if they’ll custom him a pair for the season.
My money’s on him to repeat at IMLP this year.
IMLP is womans pro ironman champ race IMCDA is mens this year and Simons racing there. A group of us rode with him and dave scott last week at a camp in solvang he was riding Black Javelin Barolo
Whoops!
I guess he’s not doing IMLP this year.
IMCDA,IMLP either one hes probably going to win it.Sorry I stand corrected from another thread he was riding a Black Javelin Arcole. I had looked at pics on javelin web site and barolo was first one on the list looked like the bike but now stand corrected it’s the arcole he was riding last week.
Fleck, I don’t know which roadies you are hanging with, but they are typically more obsessive about their bikes and positions than triathletes. They don’t just “ride” what they are given. They work very closely with their sponsors to fine tune equipment. Hey Eddy Merckx would raise and lower his saddle depending on what wool tights he was wearing.
Okay think I got if figured out I send photo to tinypic.com(was careful after reading threads about mispelling it since I’m at work) So here goes we were on ride on something canyon rode I went ahead
pulled up next to a tree and waited pic is cropped simon is in center almost.
Dev,
What I meant by this, was that for pro roadies, they essentially ride what the team bike sponsor gives them. Do they fine tune fit with other P & A, absolutley, but to mu knowledge with most pro-road riders the bike they ride is not a deal breaker, it’s a tool.
Fleck
THIS is what I’ve been talking about! Compare to:
or…
http://www.xtri.com/article-pic.asp?id=1247&offset=2
Now, he looks like a guy that cares about his bike position. No more of this “it works for me and I feel comfortable and powerful” bullshit. He’s learning that the top dogs care about going fast – not about who can sit up the straightest and be comfy and powerful. A reference point is how high up his knee comes toward his elbow. Most of the top triathletes have their kneecap coming right up to the bottom of the elbow. (In his TT position, L. Armstrong’s knee is a few inches above his elbow.) This “elbow-knee” distance is a rough marker for how tight a cyclist’s bike position is.
Every watt of power that is lost to extra wind resistance is wasted power. Power is like income – it’s the after-tax amount that counts, not the gross amount. Wind resistance is a tax, and our goal is to have the most power left after the taxman cometh.
Speed matters, my friends, and Simon has learned something over the winter. Don’t be surprised if he goes even a little lower. I would put him back on top of the list of guys likely to rock at Kona.
BTW – everybody is quick to rave about Lessing’s Lake Placid bike ride. But, this guy below had the same bike split a few years before, and he is hardly renowned as a hotshot cyclist:
Tony Deboom
Notice anything compared to Simon’s bike position? Tony pays a much smaller wind tax than Simon, and had a similar bike split on what is most likely significantly less power than Simon can muster.
Nice shot of the knee-elbow relationship here… I must admit that this is almost my exact bike position. My forearms are more level, but it’s otherwise identical.
I agree. It’s a poor mechanic who blames his tools. I’ve done well at races on all different brands, both a road bikes rigged with tri stuff and pure tri-bikes that were steep-angled (76 to 80 degrees). I think if you put in the time and effort, and get relatively dialed-in, position-wise, you’ll run well off the bike. That is, if you bother to put in the effort at learning to run well off the bike 
Tony
“Black Javelin Arcole”
Yep, looks like he is on an Arcole.
But has he converted to your RC dark side yet, Gary? ;^>