Breaking the hour record.

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KB
Posts: 3967
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 12:32 pm
Location: HULL UK

by KB

Merckx was more than 70kg, more like 73/74 by the look of him. Bracke in comparison always looked smaller in stature to Merckx, so probably closer to 70kg. Moser was heavier than Merckx ( i think I saw 78kg), and Indurain came out around 80kg.

Don't know how that affects the power numbers, but I would also say it's BS. From stuff I've read, Merckx's power output was somewhere around 470. Also, Indurain comes out tops in power because he was the biggest. Lance and Hinault would never equal Induranin for power as they were that much smaller.

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KB
Posts: 3967
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 12:32 pm
Location: HULL UK

by KB

Lifted from another site. However, I must admit to being surprised at Rominger's figures given his weight; and I would have thought Indurain's numbers would be higher:

--------------------------------------------
49.700 kms (30.8 mph)
Ondrej SOSENKA (CZE)
2005 July 19 (PM)
Moskow
Krylatskoje Olympic Velodrome
indoor, 333 meters, wood
Sea level SOSENKA
Prague, Czechoslovakia
1975 December 9 (29 yrs)
2.00 meters (78 in)
80 kilos
40--205 bpm
Pavel Vrsecky Output
54 x 13 (4.15)
Development meters
Cadence rpm
190 mm cranks
Revolutions rph
est. 430 watts
------------------------------------------------------------
49.441 kms (30.6 mph)
Chris BOARDMAN (GBR)
2000 October 27 (15:45)
Manchester, England
Manchester Cycling Centre
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Chris BOARDMAN
Hoylake, England
1968 August 26 (32 yrs)
1.76 meters (69 in)
69 kilos
40--199 bpm (.85 l/k/m)
Credit Agricole (FRA)
Output
54 x 13 (4.15)
8.23 meters
100 rpm
-170- mm cranks
6,007 rph
400 watts
---------------------------------------------------
56.375 kms (35.0 mph)
Chris BOARDMAN (GBR)
1996 September 6
Manchester, England
Manchester Cycling Centre
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Chris BOARDMAN
Hoylake, England
1968 August 26 (28 yrs)
1.76 meters (69 in)
69 kilos
40--199 bpm (.85 l/k/m)
Output
56 x 13 (4.30)
9.02 meters
104.1 rpm
-170- mm cranks
6,243 rph
445 watts
---------------------------------------------------------

55.291 kph (34.2 mph)
Tony ROMINGER (SUI)
1994 November 5

Bordeaux, France
Velodrome du Lac
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Tony ROMINGER
Voyens, Denmark
1961 March 27 (33 yrs)
1.75 meters (68 in)
65 kilos
-- bpm (.86 l/k/m)
Output
60 x 14 (4.28)
9.02 meters
102.1 rpm
172.5 mm cranks
---- rph
468 watts

-----------------------------------------------------
53.832 kph (33.3 mph)
[b]Tony ROMINGER (SUI)
1994 October 22
Bordeaux, France
Velodrome du Lac[/b]
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level
65 kilos
-- bpm (.86 l/k/m)
Output
59 x 14 (4.21)
8.85 meters
101.4 rpm
172.5 mm cranks
---- rph
460 watts
---------------------------------------------------------------
53.040 kph (32.9 mph)
Miguel INDURAIN (ESP)
1994 September 2
Bordeaux, France
Velodrome du Lac
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Miguel INDURAIN
Villava, Navarre, Spain
1964 July 16 (30 yrs)
1.88 meters
79 kilos
28--195 bpm (.88 l/k/m)
Output
59 x 13 (4.21)
8.86 meters
99.7 rpm
190 mm cranks
---- rph
477 watts
------------------------------------------------------
52.713 kph (32.7 mph)
Graeme OBREE (GBR)
1994 April 27
Bordeaux, France
Velodrome du Lac
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Graeme OBREE
Ayr, Scotland
1965 September 11 (28 yrs)
1.82 meters (-- in)
72.5 kilos
-- bpm (-- l/k./m)
----
---- Output
52 x 12 (4.33)
9.25 meters
94.9 rpm
175 mm cranks
---- rph
[b]400 watts

-------------------------------------------------------------
52.270 kms (32.4 mph)
Chris BOARDMAN (GBR)
1993 July 23
Bordeaux, France
Velodrome du Lac
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Chris BOARDMAN
Hoylake, England
1968 August 26 (24 yrs)
1.75 meters (66 in)
70 kilos
40--199 bpm (.85 l/k/m)
Output
53 x 13 (4.07)
8.70 meters
100.1 rpm
-170- mm cranks
---- rph
-410- watts
---------------------------------------------
51.596 kph (32.0 mph)
Graeme OBREE (GBR)
1993 July 17
Hamor, Norway
Olympic Hall Velodrome
Indoor, 250 meters, wood
Sea level Graeme OBREE
Ayr, Scotland
1965 September 11 (27 yrs)
1.82 meters (-- in)
72.5 kilos
-- bpm (-- l/k./m)
Output
52 x 12 (4.33)
9.25 meters
92.9 rpm
175 mm cranks
---- rph
-375- watts
----------------------------------------------------------

51.151 kph (31.8 mph)
Francesco MOSER (ITA)
1984 January 23
Mexico City, Mexico
Velodromo Centro-Deportivos
Outdoor, 333 meters, resin-cement
2,300 meters
1951 June 19 (32 yrs)
1.82 meters (-- in)
75 kilos
44--195 bpm (7.3 liters)
57 x 15 (3.80)
8.27 meters
103.0 rpm
175 mm cranks
---- rph
446 watts
------------------------------------------------------
50.808 kph ( mph)
Francesco MOSER (ITA)
1984 January 19
Mexico City, Mexico
Velodromo Centro-Deportivos
Outdoor, 333 meters, resin-cement
2,300 meters
1951 June 19 (32 yrs)
1.82 meters (-- in)
75 kilos
44--195 bpm (7.3 liters)
Sanson (ITA)
Output
56 x 15 (3.73)
8.12 meters
104.3 rpm
175 mm cranks
---- rph
--- watts

--------------------------------------------------
49.431 kph (30.6 mph)
Eddy MERCKX (BEL)
1972 October 25
Mexico City, Mexico
Olympic Velodrome
Outdoor, 333 meters, wood
2,300 meters
1945 June 17 (27 yrs)
1.84 meters (-- in)
75 kilos
32--195 bpm (85 ml/k/m)
Output
52 x 14 (3.71)
7.93 meters
103.8 rpm
175 mm cranks
6,250 rph
485 watts

-------------------------------------------------------------
48.653 kph (30.1 mph)
Ole RITTER (DEN)
1968 October 10
Mexico City, Mexico
Olympic Velodrome
Outdoor, 333 meters, wood
2,300 meters Ole RITTER
Slagelse, Denmark
1941 August 29 (27 yrs)
-- meters
-- kilos
-- bpm (--)
54 x 15 (3.60)
7.69 meters
105.4 rpm
175 mm cranks
-- watts
[/i]

SystemShock
Posts: 138
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:03 am
Location: USA

by SystemShock

The power estimates for Merckx's hour record are strangely all over the map. :hmm:

Some as low as 360 watts, others as high as 485. Not sure what to think of this, so I'll just assume the truth is somewhere in the middle (around 420-430 -ish).

Very, very impressive effort... though I think a few ppl 'back in the day' were slightly disappointed that he wasn't the first rider to break 50 kph for the hour (he did come close).
.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

KB wrote:
Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:13 am
However, I must admit to being surprised at Rominger's figures given his weight
Would you be surprised to know that Dr. Ferrari was trackside on that day?

Drug testing was not a prominent as it is today. Even Merckx rides were suspect.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

Butcher wrote:
Mon May 16, 2022 5:15 pm
KB wrote:
Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:13 am
However, I must admit to being surprised at Rominger's figures given his weight
Would you be surprised to know that Dr. Ferrari was trackside on that day?

Drug testing was not a prominent as it is today. Even Merckx rides were suspect.
Suspect? We all know Merckx was doping, it's just that the good drugs hadn't been invented yet.

Butcher
Shop Owner
Posts: 1925
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:58 am

by Butcher

I bet it was the best at the time. It's all relative.

The good stuff has not been invented yet.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

Butcher wrote:
Tue May 17, 2022 11:28 pm
I bet it was the best at the time. It's all relative.
Right, and relative to the benchmark of clean capability the performance delta of drugs available in Merckx's day was nowhere near as much. You couldn't become superhuman through doping in the way you can now. There's a reason (ok a few reasons) why no one talked about the 'peloton a deux vitesse' until the EPO era.

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Could they have used blood bags in that era? I imagine the technology for storing and transfusing blood was there. I guess they just hadn't caught on to it yet?

BdaGhisallo
Posts: 3261
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:38 pm

by BdaGhisallo

AJS914 wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 2:59 pm
Could they have used blood bags in that era? I imagine the technology for storing and transfusing blood was there. I guess they just hadn't caught on to it yet?
They could have but I highly doubt it. Look at the budgets and the size of team organizations in those days. They were a far cry from what we see today. Even the underfunded women's pro teams are probably better funded and organized than many of the top teams in those days.

Today we have WT teams with 28-30 members and a similar number of staff. Top teams in the 60s and 70s might have had 15 team members at most and, perhaps, a total of 4-5 support staff. Popping pills or mixing up 'finish bottles' was pretty simple and low tech. I can't imagine any of the teams back then ever even thought of making the jump to transfusing blood.

CarlosFerreiro
Posts: 421
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:41 pm
Location: Shetland, Scotland

by CarlosFerreiro

Joop Zoetemelk did blood tansfusions at the 1976 TdF while being interviewed for TV aparently?

petromyzon
Posts: 781
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:14 pm

by petromyzon

AJS914 wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 2:59 pm
Could they have used blood bags in that era? I imagine the technology for storing and transfusing blood was there. I guess they just hadn't caught on to it yet?
It's widely accepted that Team USA were blood doping at the 1984 Olympics so yes.

UpFromOne
Posts: 1181
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Olympic Nat'l Park, WA

by UpFromOne

How about that Mr. Bigham?
I guess aero is indeed everything.

Imagine if Merckx had a modern bike instead of that 'ole aerobrick he rode! :lol:

User avatar
tarmackev
Posts: 899
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:59 pm

by tarmackev

It was an impressive performance.
Like many others I'm sure I'm 46 and have watched cycling properly since 90. I view all performances with a slight sceptical view. That being said well done Dan, incredible.

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