Originally Posted by
MinnMan
That's not a dangerous bet. The "sprinters" would drop all of us on an HC climb without breaking much of a sweat
There was a period of time when suddenly all the riders were bald, but that was for a different reason.
So true. I used to go watch the pros in person.
I would guess my FTP in the mid 80's was around 360 watts and around 4.3-4.5 W/Kg. It is 309 W 35 years later, so, just a guess. I was doing a climb on my touring bike in 1986 out of Colorado Springs in the days leading up to the World Road Championship. I was riding hard and suddenly a large group of riders speaking Italian were passing me. The freaking Italian team!! Holy ****. They were joking and jabbing at each other. Probably a Z2 ride or maybe a recovery ride. The head honcho waves me in. No Kiddin. I was absolutely on the rails holding their wheels. Another time, I did l'Alpe d' Huez in the days leading up to the tour going up it, a good effort a few days after La Marmotte but my time was totally garbage. It is completely unfathomable to me how good these guys are. Just watching them climb in person is very humbling. Even the caboose