email and ask him yourself, Im sure the team has a www that you can direct questions to.
one further possibility is that he is testing a position with a 3:1 legal basebar setup.
Well if you just look at *VDV *and not the bike or the bars - visusally he looks pretty good - almost text-book set up. Isn’t that what matters.
I get your point, and that may actually be a powerful/aero position for him but I think he looks a bit cramped and the pads way up on the forearms seems… unusual. Again, I don’t doubt that he/his fitter knows what they are doing but it is a big departure from his previous position.
I was thinking that either his crash caused some issues with his old position, he is trying to seperate the armrests from the base bar, or this is a last minute attempt to get around a UCI compliance issue.
just a little armchair quarterbacking…
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/features/garmin-chipotle_team_camp08
I seem to remember seeing something in velonews or so where that VdV likes a drop to the bull horns and this was the only way to do that with the Brezza bar.
The guy bloody does this for a living and he puts more hours on anyone here. So I am 100% sure that his position, parts, socks, and eyebrows are exactly where he wants it to be. Moreover, he probably used every single dollar at his disposal to be sure his position has been analyzed and approved by his coach, team, sponsor, wife, dog and best friend.
You appear to be awfully naive as to the way most pros (although not necessarily Vandevelde) think/operate.
Versus your PhD, books, and vast knowledge regarding all matters pertaining to cycling and exercise physiology
You failed to mention the consulting that I do with elite athletes, professional teams, and national sports federations (seriously).
(I was being sarcastic for goodness sake!)
That’s what the pink font is for.
I never question anyone who does this professionally. It’s their dime on the line. They make a mistake and it costs $$$. They succeed and they make $$$. It’s just a hobby for me, but I definitely watch what they’re up to…
The next step is to move the extensions and stem much more rearward, and pads up. Then you have a UCI legal tuck position, like Belutti used on the track
Xav