I know, because I’m a rocket scientist

Please don’t bring politics to this blog. – FC

Do you mean the hat I’m wearing in the top of this post? That was a hat they handed to finishers as we crossed the line; I was wearing it to keep my head from getting sunburned once I took off my helmet. – FC

As “ac” explained beautifully above, in the real world, a heavier rider is able to overcome these losses to a greater degree than a lighter rider. I’ll note that air resistance, drag, is but one source of losses. Others include tire deformation, bearing friction, bumps on the trail, etc.

If you were riding as pure support to The Hammer, why did you not ride a geared bike? This would have given you more flexibility – ride at The Hammer’s pace when together, plus more easily catch-up (like with the descending) or speed ahead (to get to an aid station early) if the situation demanded it.

Thanks. Only up to Part 2 and once again hooked into the story… :-)

That’s a great question. I’m going to try to be honest with my answer, in spite of the fact that it’s a little bit embarrassing.

The reasons I gave before the race to people who asked this was that if I was geared, I’d keep losing her on the flats, where I could otherwise be of most help. And also solidarity.

The real reason, though, is actually figured into your question: I wasn’t doing this with her purely to support her. There was still a big chunk of me doing this for me and my ego. And my ego wouldn’t let me be on a geared bike while my wife rode a singlespeed.

That’s the first reason, and probably about 70% of the “why.”

The second reason is that I really loved the idea of a husband-wife team riding singlespeeds together on this race, in the same kits. Which is why I made her wear the new men’s kit for this race (I didn’t really make her; she volunteered when she realized it mattered to me) even though the women’s kit fits her a lot better.

- FC

Think of it as being on the DVR. – FC