I count myself as a pretty dedicated armchair athlete and can wax on about the TdF with the best of them. There is however one question that always bugs me:-
How does someone like LA benefit from having his whole team bury themselves on the way up a mountain? Seeing the competition get spat out the back is impressive but if DSC’s efforts are to be worthwhile LA has to be able to hold their pace their whole way up and then maintain it on his own when they’ve all peeled off. If they know he can do this anyway why not just send him up on his own?
On steep climbs I’d guess any drafting effect would be pretty negligible and would be of equal benefit to all the other riders behind the ‘blue train’.
The simple answer, I know, is “look at the reults - that’s how you win the tour” but it’s been Lance’s tactics since for ever so there’s nothing really to compare it to.
He doesn’t have to set pace – he can use a team-mate’s pace to grab onto. That team-mate can carry his water so he doesn’t have to (rare). And when Lance does go, the team-mate can disrupt the rhythm of the other chasers.
Although the effects of the draft below 20-25 kph are negligable in terms of racing against the clock, in the mountains there is usally wind so having 6-8 other members of the team out in front to keep the team leader out of the wind pays huge dividends. Also, part of the dynamic of the group riding up the mountains allows Lance to ride behind his team while they maintain a high, but consistant, steady tempo which all but eliminates any ebb or flow in the pace of the climb. Riders further back in the group who do not have that kind of team support, have to contend with the vagaries of the other riders as they attempt to follow but ultimately begin to lag and then surge at various times in order to maintain contact. While Lance sits in maintaning a steady speed, ultimately other riders start to lag behind which then requires a surge in tempo from the following riders in order to maintain position in the group and it is these little surges in tempo that create a ‘slinky’ effect. Disco may be riding 20-25 kph at the front, but with 40-riders in tow, you can bet that the riders at the back almost appear as if they are riding with a rubber band attached to their bikes as the speed at the back of the group can and will fluctuate drastically. As the riders climb higher and higher up the mountain and start to reach their limits, even a single 3-5 kph surge in tempo as a result of a rider falling back can mean the difference between maintaining contact or looking forward to joining the others in the ‘autobus’.
He says the average velocity on the Madeleine was just over 25 kph, fast enough to have a real drafting effect. And while some parts of the climb they were going slower, minimizing the drafting effect, on other parts they were going faster.
It’s easy for us mortals to underestimate just how fast these guys climb.
Michael sums it up very well. Pulling a team leader up a mountain used to be one of my jobs as a climbing specialist. It’s an art and a science; you have to know the person you are towing well enough to get an idea of what is a reasonable tempo for them but still make it high enough to stay in contact with the front of the race. Also, having been towed up a climb a few times myself, being able to stare at a wheel and just maintain a few inches of gap vs. looking up at all the altitude ahead, coming around riders who are blown, dodging ruts and potholes, etc.; the former is so much easier on the lungs and mind.