Lance Armstrong is obsessed with numbers: He measures his seat height by the millimeter, his food by the gram, and his performance by the watt. Such attention to detail is de rigueur in cycling, one of the most data-driven sports of all. Consider the numbers behind the Tour de France: 21 days of riding; 2,110 miles; 5,200 calories burned per day; a peak of 1,000 watts output at any given moment (enough juice to run seven iMacs). The two most important figures: 6, the number of consecutive victories Armstrong will have if he wins the Tour again (a new record); and 61, the number of seconds he won by last year, his narrowest margin yet.
To ensure the 32-year-old Texan has every advantage, his equipment sponsors have joined forces in an unprecedented, cost-be-damned collaboration known as F-One. Their goal: to get Armstrong's rig as close as possible to the Union Cycliste Internationale minimum bike weight of 6.8 kilograms (about 15 pounds) and make the rest of his gear as light and aerodynamic as possible. After all, even the slightest improvements can pay off. In 1989, Greg LeMond won the Tour by eight seconds - a victory universally attributed to the aerodynamic handlebars he used in the final time trial. While some of Armstrong's custom-made equipment won't be ready until race day, other items are premium versions of gear for sale at your local cycling shop. Here's a glimpse at the hardware designed to keep Armstrong in the yellow jersey.
HELMET: Giro Atmos, $190
The 9.53-ounce Atmos sports a carbon fiber subframe - a first for cycling helmets. This roll-cage subtracts 0.7 ounces from Giro's previous top skid lid without sacrificing protection.
JERSEY: Nike HC, custom
Nike's Dri-FIT fabrics, along with a no-sew seaming technique, helped create a 4-ounce top that's 30 percent lighter than last year's winning jersey (shown here - the new model's still in stealth mode). To reduce drag, the back is covered with mesh four times lighter than the main body fabric. A chest vent sucks in air when upright and closes when hunched.
SHOES: Nike Lance, $300
The Swoosh folks blew through 100 prototypes before settling on this 11.29-ounce design. Seven-layer soles provide optimum power transfer, an aluminum ratcheting buckle ensures a precise fit, and water- and stretch-resistant synthetic leather protects during heat and frequent downpours.
FRAME: Trek Madone 5.9, $2,800
By building with carbon fiber instead of aluminum, Trek significantly improved its biking aerodynamics: Wind-tunnel testing shows that this 2.43-pound frame reduces the leg power required to maintain a given speed by 10 watts. And by varying the density and direction of individual fibers, Trek made a bike that's both vertically pliable for comfort and laterally rigid for efficiency during hard pedaling. Armstrong is also testing a variation called the Madone SL, which sheds a few more ounces by shaving excess material from the seat tube.
WHEELS: Bontrager Race XXX Lite, custom
Wheels are among the trickiest components in cycling: Rotating weight has a greater impact than static weight because a rider must move it with every revolution. This year, Bontrager used carbon fiber in the hub, which, in addition to the carbon fiber rims introduced last year, keeps the weight of both wheels to 42.32 ounces. The company has also developed a special set of wheels for the Tour's new time trial up l'Alpe d'Huez. Made from expensive aerospace-grade carbon fiber, these hoops were built to be as light as possible for climbing, trimming another 3.5 ounces from each wheel. The trade-off is that safety functions like durability and braking have been sacrificed. After scaling the mountain, the wheels will be tossed.
COMPONENT SET: Shimano Dura-Ace, $1,350
On long climbs, Armstrong pedals a hummingbird-like 100 to 110 rpm while his rivals tend to slow to about 70 rpm. This quick cadence lets Armstrong play to his cardiovascular strength rather than rely on muscle power. To help him, Shimano added a 20th gear to his drivetrain and shaved 4.48 ounces from the entire component group by using hollow forged-aluminum crank arms and titanium (not steel) rear gear cogs.
TWO-WAY RADIO: Alinco DJ-C5T, $199
Riders and coaches used to talk via bullhorn; now it's two-way radio. This credit card-sized 2.99-ounce unit lets Armstrong & Co. strategize in secret.
FUEL: PowerBar, $1.79
To help replace the 110,000 calories (31 pounds!) Armstrong will burn during the race, he will nosh on some 105 PowerBars and 210 PowerGels. Yum.
WATER BOTTLE CAGE: Trek Bat, $7
At 1.55 ounces, this cage isn't that light. And it's not made of space-age materials (nylon composite is a geek term for plastic). So what gives? It's only $7, which means you can buy it for less than the price of Armstrong's 2001 best seller (now in paperback).
PEDALS: Shimano Dura-Ace, $215
Armstrong used a pair of decade-old pedals because he liked the way they felt. Last year, Shimano delivered a model with a broader platform, and Armstrong cut 7.06 ounces from every crank rotation.
COMPUTER: Ciclosport HAC 4 Plus, $440
In training, Armstrong relies on a heavy and expensive power meter that measures output via specially designed crank arms. For the big race, Armstrong slims down to this standard - albeit top of the line - cycling computer to track speed, heart rate, incline, cadence, altitude gain, and power output.
Ben Hewitt (ben@bittergravity.com) is a Vermont-based freelance writer.
Lance Armstrong
credit Photo from AP
