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Answer
Stumper #30Questions:
a) Approximately how much faster or slower do you suppose a
racing tandem, which encounters more road and wind resistance than the single
bike, might be going as it reaches the 400 meter mark freewheeling down a
similar slope?
b) What on Earth is 'VO2 Max'?
Answers:a) The tandem could be going about 10 kilometers an hour faster than the single bike.Ref. Bicycling Science, Frank Rowland Whitt and David Gordon
Wilson, MIT Press, 1974
This reference provides the relevant calculation. b) 'VO2 Max' represents the maximum amount of oxygen in milliliters that the body can use per kg of body weight per minute.MORE:
VO2 Max
represents the capacity of a person's aerobic system to supply energy for
muscular activity. In other words, it is the body's ability to transport oxygen
from the air to the working muscles. Successful endurance athletes typically
have readings of 50 to 60 (women) and 60 to 75 (men).
Expressed as VO2/Kg, cyclist Greg Lemond's reading was over 90
and Lance Armstrong's was nearly as high. Lemond won the Tour de France three times and Armstrong won a record seven times. Miguel Indurain, a Spanish racing cyclist who is also a legend in 'Le Tour', has a VO2 Max of 88.
Professional measurement of a person's VO2 Max usually
involves either running or cycling until exhaustion and then breathing into a
mouthpiece connected to a piece of medical equipment which directly measures the
amount of oxygen that has been extracted from the exhaled air.
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