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Back in April, BikeBiz.com previewed some of the tech develoments of the F-One collaboration, including a new Nike TT suit and a new Trek TT bike, fitted with super-slim Dura Ace crankset. This had an extra short axle to fit with a BB-shell reduced by nearly a half. This would mean Armstrong could benefit from a reduced Q-factor and better power transfer.
However, as reported by Procycling.com, Chris Carmichael told an interviewer from US cable channel Outdoor Life Network that "Lance is more comfortable on the time trial bike with a standard bottom bracket width."
According to Carmichael the super-aero Trek proved fast but Armstrong found there was a loss in power and performance around the 25-30km mark.
"The older bike is still a fast bike and will help him win the Tour de France," said Carmichael.
Other technologies being used by the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team include PCs and laptops provided by co-sponsor AMD.
"We are thrilled that AMD is partnering in our efforts this season, and we especially welcome the improvements their technology have enabled," said Johan Bruyneel, sports manager for the USPS team.
"When race victory is determined by a matter of seconds, this team relies on the cutting-edge technology that AMD provides to give us a competitive advantage."
The USPS team is equipped with AMD Opteron processor-powered workstations, and AMD Athlon processor-based notebooks. During wind-tunnel testing, AMD Opteron and AMD Athlon processors enabled Armstrong and the team to monitor the effects of body position, bike component position, and equipment relative to air turbulence.
"AMD enables so much of what happens behind the scenes," said Dan Osipow, the team’s director of corporate communications and events. "From laptops that help us interpret training data to workstations that help us design apparel and equipment to two-way radios that we use to communicate race strategy, all of our AMD processor-powered technology has been critical to our success this season."
