Aero gains cannot be overstated. And something simple like changing the width of the bars/hoods can be huge. At 30 mph you’re looking between 25-50 watts if you believe the study below.
Get your position dialed and practice holding a tight aero position for longer periods of time and you’ll net some really nice efficiency gains just from that. Bars with a flat surface also make it much more comfortable to get your forearms flat (reduces frontal area) and takes some pressure off of your triceps, shoulders, and chest as you have more bone-on-bone support similar to a TT bike. Sometimes this means raising the bar height a bit as it can be hard to achieve this position with a slammed stem. Keeping head low and out of the wind is also huge. Elbows should be somewhat inline with the legs if possible and not flared out too much. Image of Cattaneo for reference.
The reality is as a tall rider you will always have to put out more watts then the other riders. But you can work on a lot of things that make it easier.
If you ride on a group try to get behind the second biggest rider on the group. Don’t stay at the back try to be on the middle. Work on cornering to lose less speed.
Working on an aero position is important especially if you are tall since this will reduce your drag considerably.
And if you want to invest money then get a alloy bar and stem and get something on the 38 to 40 range to try put those 4-6cm should make a big difference on aero drag.
At your size, maximizing aero gains is really helpful…tight fitting aero jersey or skinsuit, aero helmet, etc. will all help you more than most since you stick up into the wind. But the extra aero drag is also a fact of life for you.
[quote=“SacSasquatch, post:6, topic:95768”]
I can hold 1000 watts for a bit, the main issue is I have nothing left in the tank to sprint with once its time to go.
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No one really feels good in those situations…everyone is hurting, or st least starting to. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and go anyway. If you blow up, you blow up…but you gave it a go. But a lot of times, you find out you have more in the tank than you realized. But you won’t figure it out until you try it…commit yourself to the line and digging deep.
Heard. I’ll see what I can find. Unfortunately my Canyon uses a wacky diameter steerer tube…