Great analysis! I think it overall shows there is a big difference between male and female cyclists. That said, I think it’s a bit unfair against the women’s race winner. Cycling the fastest is way harder than the slowest: if she were to attempt to join the men’s race, she would have a faster peloton to join and ride the race out. Also she would have to lead the peloton way less, and didn’t need to break off it and have to win other flights which are all draining. That said, this wouldn’t be the strategy to get gold, but at least I expect her to not get a DNF.
You can also look up last year’s Unbound 200 mile and compare the Elite men VS Elite women results. It’s the same course but they start with offset times. The top men finish about 1.5 hours faster than the women. But the fastest women definitely finish faster than some of the men and overtake them during the race.
That said, I’ve also listened to interviews with the female cyclists who prefer the separate start. I believe this race series used to be combined genders. What they prefer is that they can actually start the race knowing their rivals and setting pace accordingly. In a larger group for an endurance race, it’s possible to misjudge your opponents and burn out faster than you’d like or chase the wrong targets. The women’s field gives everyone a better idea of how to set pace since there is a natural separation throughout the course.
Even if women have better stamina, the power output is not the same which results in a different pace on average.
Great analysis! I think it overall shows there is a big difference between male and female cyclists. That said, I think it’s a bit unfair against the women’s race winner. Cycling the fastest is way harder than the slowest: if she were to attempt to join the men’s race, she would have a faster peloton to join and ride the race out. Also she would have to lead the peloton way less, and didn’t need to break off it and have to win other flights which are all draining. That said, this wouldn’t be the strategy to get gold, but at least I expect her to not get a DNF.
You can also look up last year’s Unbound 200 mile and compare the Elite men VS Elite women results. It’s the same course but they start with offset times. The top men finish about 1.5 hours faster than the women. But the fastest women definitely finish faster than some of the men and overtake them during the race.
That said, I’ve also listened to interviews with the female cyclists who prefer the separate start. I believe this race series used to be combined genders. What they prefer is that they can actually start the race knowing their rivals and setting pace accordingly. In a larger group for an endurance race, it’s possible to misjudge your opponents and burn out faster than you’d like or chase the wrong targets. The women’s field gives everyone a better idea of how to set pace since there is a natural separation throughout the course.
Even if women have better stamina, the power output is not the same which results in a different pace on average.
Ah, true, all fair points! It really is pretty apples to oranges comparing different lengths and averages and making up what might have happened.