Originally Posted by WhyFi

Their separation in terms of w/kg isn't that much, but the fact that Brevet is significantly heavier means that he puts out quite a bit more power; this means that some diesels will have trouble keeping up with his w/kg on the climbs, whereas some climbers may have trouble hanging on in the flats or downhills.

Anquetil has a significantly higher w/kg, but swings back the other way and is light, which makes me wonder how long I could hang on to that group ride - I should be fine on the flats and downhills, but I'd have to be feelin' my Wheaties if there's an extended climb. Actually, I did ride with Anquetil for a little bit, once - I caught them from behind, somehow. I hung around for a bit, but was ultimately on a different course and ended up splitting off at a fork in the road.

But yeah, part of me thinks that varying only the w/kg of the pace partners, while keeping the weight constant, might make the groups more evenly spaced... but it might also make them more boring and give riders fewer niches to identify with.