I’m far from a bike fitting expert so i really have no idea either way, but it’s also entirely possible that he’s successful in spite of his fit rather than because it’s objectively the best choice. The latter is often assumed in the case of pro athletes, but winning races is far from an exact science, and being fast and having access to more resources/expertise than most doesn’t always exclude one from some truly head-scratching desicions. Sorta like how some billiionaires can make really poor financial desicions without it necessarily being why they’re billionaires.
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Great point on handling. I should probably have added that. It’s not as much of an issue with my fits, but for anyone dealing with severe wind conditions, or things like rolling hills and other course conditions… they may well factor into final position.
Exactly.
Again, as chad noted, it is all a balancing act…but my eyeball wind tunnel aches every time I see a pic of Blum on that bike. 
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He’s had some weird positions. Just googling here, but these are some positions he’s played with in the past:
I think there was another where he was even farther forward than the first one.
I’m sure he’s not just winging it, he likely has some sort of physical limitation keeping him from achieving a more orthodox position.
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I think the bigger question is how does a guy with such a big upper body run so damn fast?
He’s big and barrel chested and I would guess he’s at least 10% bodyfat. He’s carrying a noticeable amount of extra weight compared to guys like Sanders or Fradeno or Lange. Not only that, but my understanding of running is that it’s very much like uphill cycling. Power to weight is absolutely paramount. The amount of force you can put into the ground compared to the amount of lean body mass you have basically dictates the podium +/- a marginal amount of running efficiency. But at the elite levels, everyone’s running gait is efficient. There’s a reason the top finishers at the Boston Marathon (or any top race that’s over 3k) are all rail thin…because that’s what goes fast in endurance running. Just like at the top of a mountain stage in the tour it’s almost exclusively the tiny guys…or at the opposite end of the spectrum at the end of Paris Roubaix it’s all big guys because they put down huge power and go over cobbles fast.
I really don’t mean to body shame or something. It just defies the norm that he runs the fastest run split out of the field while carrying so much mass in his upper body.
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I feel like seeing Blummenfeldt in a lineup of pro triathletes is kind of like seeing a ‘short’ Olympic swimmer or a ‘small’ NFL player on screen- looks pretty dramatic compared to their peers, but they’re still probably built quite differently to most people.
I also don’t want to be vain and point out the trisuit, but uh, I wouldn’t call it ‘slimming.’
He also has some type of deformity on his chest that makes it protrude further making him look even more barrel chested.
I am interested to hear your (and other TT folks’) take on KB’s modified position here. It looks faster to my untrained eye (e.g., more mantis with hand position).
Oh, thanks for posting that, hadn’t seen it….position definitely looks better, but I wish there was a full body shot from the side to get a better sense of what other changes they made.
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