Ted
Very true, it's certainly not going to hold anyone back. I remember the 93.6-inch gear restriction when I started racing as an Intermediate, and then a Junior, back in the '70s in northern California. I competed against Greg LeMond most weekends and I typically just watched him accelerate up the road until he was out of sight. The gear restriction didn't seem to keep him back at all.
I beat him only once on time; it was a flat 10-mile time trial for a stage race in Sacramento. He was a Junior, like me, but he raced that event as a Senior. My first place Junior time was a little faster than his first place Senior time. That was 30 years ago, but I don't recall being being spun-out at all during that event.
Ted Turner
----- Original Message -----
From: Peter and Laural
To: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 9:31 PM
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Junior Gears, another perspective
Thanks Larssyn, for offering some professional perspective. From the track racing side of the sport I would like to point out that a 52x14 is a 100 inch gear. Track racers would refer to that as "Freakin' Huge" or "Massive" and typically in tones of hushed respect. The current pursuit record at Alpenrose was set with a 101 inch gear and Mike Tillman wasn't complaining about a lack of gear. The current hour record at Alpenrose was set on a 96 inch gear.
At 100 rpm a 100 inch gear is about 30mph, at 130 revs it's around 35 Anybody, junior or otherwise, who finds a 52x14 inadequate should just skip all this amateur racing and go directly into a division one professional team. In short, it's a PITA, and an extra equipment expense, but it's not going to hold anyone back.
Peter Drake
Fred Meyer Cycling Team