Newsgroup: it.sport.ciclismo
Titolo: Motore vs serbatoio

http://www.53x12.com/do/show?page=article&id=58
Engine Vs Tank
By: Michele Ferrari
Published: 30 Nov 2005
Some thoughts over the relevance of endurance in cycling, as opposed to 
big powerful engines...
The suiveurs and cycling appasionati often draw up conclusions on riders 
with judgements such as: “Yes, he’s a nice rider, but he has a small 
engine…”, meaning that the cyclist does not have enough endurance 
skills, gives in over long distance or to the fatigue accumulating day 
after day.
I believe we should rather say that the athlete has a “small fuel tank” 
or a not so efficient one.
In fact it is how the tank is working that determines endurance and 
recovery skills.
With tank, we mean not only the amount of glycogen or triglicerids that 
are stored in the muscles, but also the capacity to utilize subcutaneous 
fatty acids under effort, to feed and assimilate in racing or training 
conditions.
With engine instead, we mean the level of performances that the athlete 
is able to express, notwithstanding fuel availability: great engines are 
best defined by relatively short efforts, that allow the production of 
high power outputs, apart from fuel consumption.
Modern cycling, especially in the last 10-15 years, has been giving more 
and more prominence to big engines, somewhat lessening the importance of 
an efficient tank.
The average level of the riders has been rising remarkably, just as the 
number of athletes and teams able to actually win at any given race: 
this brought about some very tactical racing habits, where nobody dares 
or has the strength to attack early in the courses because too many 
riders behind would set up an effective chase.
As a matter of fact, the best riders prefer to wait the final clicks of 
the final climb before striking an attack: 10-20 minutes all-out, where 
power is more relevant than endurance, the engine more decisive than the 
tank.
Add to this the tendency to shorten the mileage of races and stages, in 
order to provide a “good show” and supposedly counteract doping practices..
The reality of it, at least for the second point, is actually the exact 
contrary: if it is relatively easy to “tweak” the engine, it is much 
more difficult to improve and widen the tank.
The course of the stage with Colle delle Finestre in the last Giro d’ 
Italia has finally stressed and recalled the crucial importance of 
endurance, of a smart distribution of the effort, of nutrition and 
hydration in the race, providing the spectators with an exciting show, 
riveting and uncertain in the final result.
Long and hard climbs, or ascents/descents without any long flat distance 
are the kind of elements that do encourage attacks far from the finish 
and give priority back to the tank in determining race results.
Also longer and harder time-trials, with climbs, descents and flats 
would better fit those less powerful yet more enduring riders.
In fact there is a big difference between a solitary effort of 2 hours 
and one that last 40-60 minutes, as marathon runners know so well.
-- 
www.modesta.biciticino.ch
Il sito dedicato alla giovane ciclista lituana Modesta Vzesniauskaite

 Engine Vs Tank
quasi quasi sottoscrivo usa.sport.ciclism
-- 
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Spettacoli/2005/11_Novembre/10/genesis.shtml
 

 more difficult to improve and widen the tank.
E riporto questa parte... se lo dice Ferrari che accorciare le tappe non 
serve a diminuire il doping...
È più facile truccare il motore, la performance nel breve, piuttosto che 
migliorare il serbatoio, la resistenza...


 migliorare il serbatoio, la resistenza...
parole sante! 
E il grande Panta più salite faceva e più diventava forte... meditate
gente.. meditate
-- 
Lollo
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 gente.. meditate
a parte le solite eccezioni che confermano la regola, per le gare in
linea c'è una deadline al di qua della quale vincono in molti e al di
là della quale solo i campioni
questa deadline è 250 km (parola di Bugno)
per i giri a tappe, quando le ore di tappa in montagna passano le 6e30
normalmente vince uno che punta alla classifica, se si fanno le solite
4-5 ore si aprono molte sorprese (parola di Hinault)
come dargli torto !
--
Mardot