The Dynamic of Bicycle Finals: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Slipstreaming

Dilger Alexander, Geyer Hannah


Zusammenfassung
The finals of bicycle races have certain peculiarities compared to other sports. The leading group in a bicycle race rides comparatively slowly up to a few meters before the finishing line, until one of the competitors tries to shake off his opponents. Only then do all riders perform to the limit. This raises the question of who takes the thankless early lead and why. The rider who is in front just before the final sprint is seldom the one who wins in the end. By means of the relevant physics it can be shown theoretically that on the one hand the better rider will always be able to win the race and, more surprisingly on the other hand, the better rider will definitely be the rider in the slipstream. These findings are confirmed empirically by means of several logistic regressions. 49 final sprints of road races between two up to seven professional racing cyclists with varying performance potentials were analyzed concerning the order of the riders at the beginning of the final sprint and the final outcome of the race. Subsequently, possibilities for further research and implications for sport economics are described.



Publikationstyp
Sonstige wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichung

Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht

Jahr
2009

Band
4/2009

Verlag
Institut für Ökonomische Bildung

Ort
Münster

Sprache
Englisch

ISSN
1860-8159

Gesamter Text