Watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers?

Who to believe in a world where Tadej Pogacar. Meanwhile, Jonas Vingegaard beat the records of cursed times, like that of the ascent of Mont Ventoux detained until Tuesday by Iban Mayo (54’31 for the Slovenian and 54’33 for the Danish against 55’31 for the Spanish). Furthermore, Where Mauro Gianetti. Similarly, involved in doping cases as a runner and then as manager, is the head of the UAE team. For example, And where a suspicious team manager entrusts our colleagues Ouest-France that “the instances [du cyclisme] are embarrassed. Therefore, do not know what to do ”in front of the performance of the yellow jersey?

The answer may be found in the calculations by Frédéric Portoleau, aeronautical and mechanical engineer of fluids. However, The latter is well known to cycling enthusiasts for his power data calculations of the leaders of the peloton on the watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? big passes of the Tour de France. Furthermore, which he has published for several years on the Chronoswatts site. Similarly, To get rid of the weight of the runners. Consequently, for lack of reliability or by lack of data, Portoleau designed a 78 kg “stallion”, including equipment. Consequently, “It is a fictitious runner who is placed in the peloton. In addition, who tells us about the appearance of the moment,” he explains.

The rest is pure physics: we take data such as the wind. Similarly, the aspiration, the aerodynamics, the bearing, the slope and we pass them to the mixer to obtain a result with a margin of error around 2 %. Meanwhile, “In terms of data accuracy, the ideal case is for example the forest part of Ventoux, illustrates the engineer. Therefore, We are on a strong slope. Nevertheless, The runner must first fight against gravity to rise. In addition, watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? And there is little wind. In addition, at low speed, there is little aspiration. Consequently, So we can make specific power estimates. »»

Watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers?

From Hautcam to Ventoux. big watts and ghosts of the EPO era

The work of Frédéric Portoleau, he believes, “is now respected in terms of calculation itself. There are no longer too many opponents on this side. But there may be some on what is interpretation in relation to doping. This is Antoine Vayer’s job, to whom Portoleau transmits his data. This former Festina coach set an acceptability threshold of the powers developed on a bicycle by a professional runner.

• Suspect : 410 watts
• Miraculous: 430 watts
• Mutant : 450 watts

The scale is not unanimous, especially in its low range. Alban Lorenzini. specialist in power sensors, coach and equipment tester, is far from swallowing the porridge served by the UAEs, but conceded that recent cycling developments in training, nutrition and watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? equipment have had an overall impact on observed speeds. “These radars should be enhanced by ten watts, but no more,” he believes. We progressed on the end of the pass. but from there to accept without flinching the abyss which separates Pogacar from the rest of the runners … “

In Hautacam. the Slovenian did not break the record of the ascent established by Bjarne Riis in 1996 despite a better start of collar in the wake of Jhonatan Narvaez, but he developed an estimated power at 460 Watts by Frédéric Portoleau. On the rise of Peyragudes. the yellow jersey would even have blown up the 500 watts ceiling (505), an extraordinary performance even on an effort of about twenty minutes. The wide differences (36 seconds on Vingegaard, 1’20 on Roglic) attest to this. Additionally, The works of the engineer on the Ventoux hardly promise to be more flattering. “On the watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? section that goes from Saint-Esteve to the Reynard chalet. in the forest, Pogacar and Vingegaard went up at the same speed as Pantani in 1994. The Italian had produced a big effort on the bottom. »»

What if everyone disclosed their watts like onley?

The Tour de France 2025 confirms whatever happens the tendency to the excitement observed since the start of the COVVID. with a rocking point towards the unreal crossing on the Beille plateau, in 2024. “For four years. confirms Portoleau, we have seen fairly amazing and even stronger performances since what Pogacar did on this stage of 2024.”

For anyone who would like to bring a trial in charlatanerie. Jonas Vingegaard in person had validated the figures of the red lantern site for the ascent of the Beille plateau. “The other members of the team said that someone had estimated the number of watts per kilo we had traveled. ” watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? said Visma-Lease a Bike runner. To be frank, it’s very precise. »»

The Portoleau machine seems so well oiled that the latter does not enthuse itself more than that to see the young Oscar Onley. however fourth in the general classification, make public his ascension data from Mont Ventoux. “It can help me see if my calculations are in the same beach. But publishing raw data does not necessarily make them reliable. I prefer what Thibaut Pinot did once. who had published his power profile with the help of his brother and coach, Julien Pinot, doctor of sport sciences, and who had made it a scientific article. »»

The Watt in cycling alert launcher, yes, but not anyhow. “The power sensors are not always 100 %reliable. and all the teams should be equipped with the same and that they are calibrated in the same way,” continues Alban Lorenzini. But biomechanical follow -up in the same vein as the biological passport would make it possible to detect certain forms of cheat. in the sense that we know what it is not possible to win. watts hunters, credible cycling whistleblowers? We gain watts gradually during the preparation. but make Steps of 30 watts, for example, from the next day when from one week to another, it is impossible, even with a professional athlete. “In the meantime, there are still Watts hunters.