Technology making Lance even faster

The New York Times [possible registration required] has a fascinating article on how technology is being used to improve Lance Armstrong's times:

"Little interaction effects and race equipment can lead to big gains or losses," said Bart Knaggs, president of the Postal Service racing team.

The effort began with experiments in November in a wind tunnel at the University of Washington. On April 22, Armstrong plans to race with his new equipment for the first time this year in the United States during the time trial stage of the Tour of Georgia. . . .

"We brought all the key suppliers together and made them understand there has to be a holistic connection between Lance and his equipment," Knaggs said. "The body and the bike have to be thought of as one."

In that equation, he said, the body is clearly the dominant factor.

Nike's Project Swift designers said that the rider's body accounted for as much as two-thirds of the total air resistance created by a bicycle racer. The other third comes from the bike itself.

Total resistance is a combination of air resistance and mechanical resistance from tires, gears and bearings.

A shorter version of the article is available here (no registration required).