Tim McNamara wrote:
Pat writes:

How would a recumbent handle the Tour?

You mean, if the UCI rules permitted the use of recumbents?

They'd like have some advantage on flat breakaways and time trials,
but the disadvantages in sprinting and climbing would scupper them
compared to regular bikes.

Would the upright sprinter ever catch the recumbent breakaway so as to
be able to use their greater [1] sprinting power?

Another factor is that recumbents are heavier than regular bikes,
although there are now some 20-22 lb recumbents (e.gg., Bacchetta)
that can be bought by Joe Everedge.

Gee, I know people that have Razz-Fazz lowracers that are in the 7.5 kgf
(16½ pound) range, much lighter than the Bacchetta Arrow, er Aero.

That would go a long way towards
improving climbing. My friend Don's titanium Bacchetta seems to work
pretty good on climbs.

While that bicycle is higher performance that most commercially
available recumbents, it is not in the class of a Razz Fazz with a
tailbox or a Velokraft NoCom.

[1] Probably 1.5:1 or 2:1 based on the meager evidence.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
“Mary had a little lamb / And when she saw it sicken /
She shipped it off to Packingtown / And now it’s labeled chicken.”