Newsgroup: it.sport.ciclismo
Titolo: Lances data points (Science Of Lance)

These are some notes I took from the Science of Lance to share with the
cycling community. I mingled some of my own thoughts as well in this
summary. While it's not perfectly scripted, it has some excellent data
points.
Lance team looked at every aspect of cycling to make their team better.
They made the bikes as light, strong and as safe as they could. They looked
at not only the riders and the team as a whole but all the nuts and bolts,
frames, helmets, even the tires and the jerseys are specially made. The
tires are aged six years just for Lance, and the jerseys are made of special
materials to shave off resistance, drag. Lances F1 team represents the best
minds from technology, sports physiology, statistical analysis and
aerodynamics.
 Calculations take into considerations the grade of the climb, the density
of the air, the weight of the rider and the rolling resistance of the
wheels. Lance takes an active role in examining every detail. Everything is
tested in wind tunnel from frames, body position, helmets, clothes, even the
shoes. 2\3 of the drag comes off the body, 1\3 comes off the bike. Clothes
are lighter somewhere on the average of 150 grams, and with materials used
to cut drag, claims are made that minutes could be saved on a stage, but I
have my doubts about that, it seems like a lot just for the clothes but
overall they say that all the advantages add up to as much as five minutes
on the final GC. Lances training season adds up to as many miles as riding
nearly halfway around the globe.
 Lances coach Johan is one of the smartest tacticians that ever rode the
tour and he speaks six languages, which allows him to coach a multi national
team like Discovery, even though really it's an American team. According to
Lance Johan has almost never been wrong about his judgments of riders when
they will crack in a tour stage, and can even predict it to the day, but
this to me is somewhat hyperbull. At 14 years old, Lance was already better
then all the top tri-athletes. Lance was the youngest world road champion
ever at the age of 21. Lances heart can pump 9 gallons of blood per minute
at maximum heart rate, and that heart rate can reach an above average speed
of 200 beats per minute. The average heart can only pump 5 gallons per
minute. This makes Lances heart a third more effective then an average mans
heart. He was national champion and world champion before cancer. After
Cancer he lost 20 pounds so his power to weight ratio went up by 10 percent,
which is huge on the climbs.
 Lance choose a cancer treatment that spared his lungs. Lance VO2 max test
was some of highest numbers for cyclists tested at the labs, and his lungs
extract far more oxygen then the average person. An impressive 83
milliliters of oxygen for every kilogram of body weight. He generates 500
watts of power at peak performance. An average healthy 20 year old extracts
a mere 45 milliliters of oxygen and generates 250 watts of power. Lances
lungs are twice as efficient as the average racer. Lance is a physiological
freak since for reasons unknown to science, Lances muscles built up much
less lactic acid then the average rider and his body eliminates that lactic
acid much more efficiently. When he exceeds his aerobic capacity on like a
sprint to the finish Lance maintains full power longer then his rivals. The
toughest battles take place where the air is thinnest so to increase his
oxygen carrying capacity Lance trains and recovers at attitude. Lance
doesn't appear to have a drop in his oxygen uptake ability as he climbs up
at attitude higher and higher.
Lance's science bears out that all his genetic advantages combined with the
F1 team adds up to much more time then cheating by skirting controls,
substances and such. Lance is one of the most drug tested athletes on the
planet and he has never failed a test. Lances climbing frames weight about
as much as a paperback book and are extremely stiff. I remember in the video
called A Sunday in Hell when Merckx was always fiddling with his bike
constantly adjusting the seat or the bars. Lance is also know to always be
looking for a millimeter of change to make a difference. Bikes are tested
both in real and virtual wind tunnels. With the help of AMD computers,
frames and parts could be tested in virtual wind tunnels. Colors are used to
simulate high and low pressure areas which allow for changes to be made and
then finally tested in a real wind tunnel. Lance likes lightness and
stiffness because this translates into more pedal power being transferred to
the road.
 Lances tires are aged in a private cellar for six years before they are
really the Tour. Lances team time trail was the fastest in history averaging
37 mph. Lances climbing bike was 100 grams lighter then previously giving
Lance a new advantage. Lance has changed the sport to bring more technology
and more precise training to the tour and has set the benchmark for
preparation to execution, and every possible related aspect of racing from
technology, training and equipment to make a champion. Giro, Trek, came
together for the first time to make Lance and team discovery go even faster.
Lance is very good at cultivating information and getting it from different
sources. The best companies in the cycling business came together and pulled
their resources for Lance and it has never been done before. The main goal
was to work together to make Lance faster in the time trial.
 Allied Aerospace in San Diego was used for wind tunnels tests. The same
technology for aircraft was applied to the bikes. Technology collected over
the last few years was brought to the whole team. Ekimov time trail position
was actually always quite good and needed little adjustments after all these
years. Every year Trek has looked at ways to improve Lances equipment and
bikes. This year's TT bar for Lance was half as light as last year's bar.
The design of the bar reminds me of a tiny stealth aircraft, black and all.
Lances TT bike is different then team TT bikes because it is designed to go
in a straight line very quickly without any other bikes near it. Team TT
bikes were designed differently with more agility. The TT bike is more
heavy, but more aerodynamic then the climbing bikes. The Madon SL was
created for the best climbers and is 100 grams lighter then TT bike. Knowing
you bike is 100 grams lighter is also a psychological difference in the
riders frame of mind. Lance gives the thumbs up or down for products and
Giro and Trek often rebuild products to meet Lances expectations.
 Chris Carmichael is Lances manager, and his motivator. Chris job is to add
the human touch to the F1 team. Chris tracks Lances training progress in
Colorado. Chris tested Lances VO2 level at 80 which is very high, one of the
highest tests recorded for a cyclist. Also Lance is tested for lactate
threshold test at Colorado Springs. This measures the ability to work
through the muscle burn and Lances threshold is very high. At Chris's camp
he says to imagine the road is on fire like hot coals. Instead of pulling up
from the down stroke, imagine the bottom of the pedal stroke is hot, and you
want to get your foot away from there as quick as possible. Pulling back
over the top instead of pulling up. Lance has made a lot of improvements to
the pedal strokes. Lance has made a 10 percent improvement in his pedal
stoke from 1992 to 1999. His high cadence on the climbs is one, most
notably.
Nike has worked with Lance for four years. Lance cycling clothes for 2005 is
the best ever, a hodgepodge of specially designed materials to reduce drag
and is better then any riders in the tour. Nike offered to trim 200 grams
off of Lances TT suit which they say would amount to 45 seconds quicker in
the TT. The swift suit was revealed at the Tour this year. Four different
fabrics were engineered and added to reduce the drag in the exact spots
Lance needed it. The dimples on a golf ball which are used to add
aerodynamics were also applied to the jerseys to reduce drag in just the
right places. Seams were removed to reduce drag and with the all the high
and low pressure zones adjusted with the right fabrics savings of 2
kilometers per hour was added. The Giro helmet is no longer a two piece
shell but only one molded piece, the fastest helmet in the world. The time
savings with this new helmet  over the old helmet was 23 seconds. The gloves
were also designed similar to the swift suit for aerodynamics. The glove is
a gauntlet fit into the suit so as to be seamless. The aerodynamics of Nike
shoes for Lance are a special secret, but it has an extremely hard bottom
plate, carbon fiber.
 Lance has always told Nike and Trek to push every year for better
improvements as long as it is legal within the rules. According to the F1
team, the tunnel tests which brings together all the best technology from
Giro, Trek, etc. added up to three or four minutes a stage which seems huge.
It's somewhat unclear to me, but I would think 5 minutes a stage would be
impossible as opposed to 5 minutes on the final GC which seems reasonable.
However, if it's theoretical, then this allows a rider like Lance in his
late years to save his energy for the end of the tour, which was evident in
his TT victory. Lance won the tour by a wide margin and was still fresh
which is quite remarkable.
 I have to give Lance credit, that he won 7 tours in a row without taking
drugs, he was always a classy rider, he beat cancer, and has taken a hell of
a lot of crap from people, but he hung in there brought honor and
recognition to the sport as well as technology, training and redefined team
racing. He sure did a hell of a lot for the sport here in America, and I
think historians will be kind to him.
Live long Lance, Live strong.
Bruce

 
seee, sconosciute alla scienza ma non ai suoi preparatori... ;-)

Sierraman ha scritto:
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Sorry, but in my opinion this is the greatest bull shits compilation
I've read.
I'm not saying that is not important to take into consideration all
items regarding the sport activity you are performing, but asserting
that the reasons of the Armstrong's success are these, is too much...
Marco

 really the Tour.
Anch'io i copertoni di riserva li tengo in cantina vicino al vino
Mi chiedevo... i Conti GP3000 del '98 sono meglio dei ProRace del '99?
:oP
ciao Rex
http://www.goffredo.ch/
-- 
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ab...@newsland.it

 drugs
STRA-ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


> oP
Sono come il vino, più sono vecchi più sono buoni :-))))
Ciao

 Marco
These are not my opinions but almost word for word data points from the
documentary called (The Science of Lance). Not my intention to discuss the
validity of such points, but to merely share with the readers, at least with
those interested to know what was said since more then likely the Discovery
channel program didn't run in other parts of the world. It's just a window
into Lance made by the film makers and not to be taken as my opinions, and
in some areas I had my doubts. :-)
Bruce

 ciao Rex
Seens like a bit much since he didn't start winning the Tour until just
about that time. I suppose after the first tour win, the famous French
mechanic came onboard.
B-

 STRA-ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, he never failed a drug test, but during cancer he tooks lots of drugs!
:-)

 documentary called (The Science of Lance).
That you can also find on EMule...
Last year I downloaded and watched this "documentary" about Lance...
Tour.de.France.The.Lance.Armstrong.Chronicles.Wrap-Up.Show.2004.OLN.DivX.avi
-- 
Il segreto della felicita' non e' di far sempre cio' che si vuole, ma di 
voler sempre cio' che si fa. (Lev Tolstoj)

 this to me is somewhat hyperbull. 
Ipertoro?


 STRA-ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lance has said that team Discovery are under way too much pressure to skirt
doping controls and he is one of most heavily tested athletes ever for
drugs. According to Lance blood doping or steroids would amount to a small
different as where looking at every aspect of cycling and re-defining it
adds up to a huge different over the years. Also this is legal, as where
doing the drugs year after year is not only risky and he would of got caught
like Tyler but also it would catch up with Lance's body as well. Since
cancer I doubt very seriously Lance would take such risks since he values
life so much more. To say Lance uses drugs is the easy cop out, but to
acknowledge all the technology and training, (The Science of Lance) is
harder.
B-


Tour.de.France.The.Lance.Armstrong.Chronicles.Wrap-Up.Show.2004.OLN.DivX.avi
The Armstrong Chronicles were yet another series of documentaries that ran
before the tour last year and this year. There were quite a few of those, I
never saw them all but they didn't reveal anything special, not like after
his 7th tour win, and then they releashed the secrets. At least I never saw
anything like this in the chronicles. Health Discovery channel did run a few
specials on Lance comeback from cancer, but that was more about Lance then
about anything to do with all the secrets of his team and his training.
Bruce

 STRA-ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me simply put it this way...
Maybe it's possible that Lance just works harder, smarter, then anyone else.
How many riders ride 6 hours everyday in the off season? Data point from
Sports Illustrated, (SI) They have been trying to nail Lance ever since the
Festina affair, and they have never been able to come up with one single
shread of evidence, nada, nothing. :-)

 Ipertoro?
Solido geometrico dello spazio quadridimensionale....


 How many riders ride 6 hours everyday in the off season? 
Jan Ullrich! He keeps going back and forth to the "Biergarten" and the
"Würstlstandl" all the winter long!!
ciao Rex


 
From what you reported it seems that the Armstrong Chronicles are as 
funny as the Seinfeld Chronicles.
As someone already said it's not a light, well designed jersey or a 6-
year old tyre that make you win the Tour the France, but maybe that 
something that " for reasons unknown to science" make Armstrong do 
things that a human being, according to medical books, can't do.
So the reasons are unknown to science but not to his medical staff 
(...oh look one of his main sponsors it's a pharmaceutical industry...) 
neither to Michele Ferrari, the doctor that anticipated most of the 
winning doping methods in cycling.

 winning doping methods in cycling.
They have been after Lance ever since the Festina affair. Year after year,
they have tried to prove he uses drugs, and he has never failed a drug test.
As I said before, could it be that Lance just works harder, faster and
smarter then anyone else?
7 Tours is not a fluke, drugs or not, it is a superhuman accomplishment.

 ciao Rex
When will the Italians create a F1 team bringing together the best minds in
Italy? When will the next Coppi or Bartali come? When will the Italians win
the Tour De France next? Just curious? France didn't produce any great
riders in the 90's, not any capable of winning the Tour. France and Italy
can both create F1 teams and produce the next Hinault or Coppi. First, also
you must find a superhuman. Pantani was good, but who will be next?
B-

 winning doping methods in cycling.
Even if the best Italian or French riders used EPO, steriods, doped to the
gills doesn't automatically mean they will win the TDF. They might or might
not make the top five. Also, they wouldn't win it year after year using
drugs, and certainly not 7 years in a row. Only a great superhuman can win
the tour, and drugs are only a small advantage compared to a good team, a
good coach, good equipment, and lots of hard work. The fact that Lance works
harder then other athletes is often completely ignored. Lance climbs Alp
d'Huez more then 11 times before one of his tours, and their team usually
climbs the mountains stages many times in advance. They know the courses
extremely well and that helps a lot. Again it's easy to throw stones and use
the easy cop out that Lance uses drugs, but it's harder to acknowledge that
everything covered in (The Science of Lance) adds up to much more then drugs
ever could. No rider body would last be bombarded for 7 years in a row on
EPO or steriods, especially post cancer. They would of been dead by now. No,
the truth is Lance is clean and he took the hard road to win, the clean
road. It is an incredible testimony to his willpower, stamina and endurance,
coupled with his team, coach and the best technology.
You guys should know that already, and I think you do. No rider will last on
EPO or steriods.
B-
ps-I will say Lance has been one of the luckiest winners of the tour,
avoiding crashes and illness.

 wrote in message
news:D9CdneHwPd1...@sti.net...
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well, look at the classements of pro tour or the older cdm and look how many
times italians and french won.
btw, la is not the #1, just because tdf is not enough. no one is interested
in dragsters here, f1 and motogp are interesting. and one engine is supposed
to be used in more than one race.
if you don't know who jalabert is (reading your post i think so) probabily
you appreciate more la, but this is just a fault of yours, not a jaja's
problem....
note. stop writing in english, me the first. the netiquette about ng
suggests to use italian in .it groups, so...if you can write in italian, if
you can not just read or try to use a software to translate.
no chauvinism, just netiquette.

 wrote in message
news:dd0n2d$gtp$1...@news.ngi.it...


I don't post that much, at least I didn't use to. I sort of grafted myself
in. I actually like it here, but my language skills are poor for Italian
language. If I used a translater software I would really get slammed since
the results are very poor. The good news is I can understand mostly what is
being said in Italian language post, but can only  respond for sure in my
native print. I will try to refrain from posting too much. :-)
Jala is good, but the pool for real potential tour winners is lean. There
are several Americans in the top ten of the tour, but no one to take Lances
place.
B-