2) Hautacam 2000: 2175 Leg lifts of 45 kg in a row!
This 205 km stage in the Pyrennees, contested in cold, partly rainy weather,
was
Won by Javier Ochoa, rider for the Spanish team Kelme, at the end of 155km
breakaway. Lance Armstrong finished second on this 10th stage, and took the
yellow jersey, relegating Jan Ullrich to a time of 4 minutes 14 seconds on
the general classification.
"This time," relates Antoine Vayer, "he established an average
output of 457 watts, after a period of 557 watts at the foot of the climb,
following the attack of Marco Pantani, then he released a burst of 500 watts
to drop the Italien in terrible atmospheric conditions after a succession of
mountain passes. There, where he should have lost his facility on a steady
climb after five hours in the saddle, he actually increased it! He was able
to accelerate without appearing tired. At Hautacam, he paced himself, after
having dropped Pantani by outputting more than 500 watts, then he was able
to accelerate again toward the summit to take the wheel of and then drop the
attacking Spanish rider Jose Maria Jimenez, while outputting 450 watts. This
is no longer cycling."
To bring these numbers into context, Antoine Vayer provides the
following base of comparison: "During his ascent, the American demonstrated
an average output of 457 watts for a climb which lasted 36 minutes 25
seconds. If we put into perspective the output of watts over this time, the
result is astonishing: the force he used pushing on the pedals
alternatively, one leg after the other, corresponds to the force necessary
to lift a bag weighing 45 kg every second for 36 minutes 25 seconds, in
other words to do this 2175 times in a row without any apparent tiredness.
2175 times! Training and weight lifting can't explain everything,
especially since these exertions occurred at the end of a stage of the Tour
de France."
pages 308-309 More to come.