Bobby Julich Rides Tour Team Time Trial Wearing a Camelbak
If you watched the Tour de France Team Time Trial earlier today, you may have seen Bobby Julich, the American rider on Team CSC, wearing a Camelbak hydration system. This is the first time I ever saw a rider wearing a hydration pack during a Tour stage. But, it was obvious and unusual enough to be noted by Outdoor Life Network analyst Paul Sherwin who said:
....That's Bobby Julich on the front. You can see that straw just sticking in front of his skinsuit there. That's to a pack on his back, the Camelbak, which is filled with liquid. Keeps himself topped up throughout the course of the event.
Julich carried the Camelbak inside his skinsuit, which means that the suit had to be fitted with him wearing a full hydration pack. It did not look like the Camelbak affected Julich's aerodynamics, as I would have expected. It appeared that the bladder was positioned directly behind the point of his helmet when he is in riding position on his time trial bike.
I don't ride with a Camelbak myself, but I think it's something worth looking at again if a pro cyclist wears one in a Tour de France time trial. He probably thinks that the drag induced by reaching for a water bottle, bringing it to his mouth, drinking from it, and returning it to the bottle cage is more than the slight increase in drag associated with wearing the Camelbak.
It will be interesting to look carefully at other Tour riders to see if any more of them are using hydration systems.
Update: According to Camelbak, Bobby Julich and David Millar both wore Camelbak Race Vest hydration systems in the Stage 9 time trial from Lorient to Lanester in 2002. It's surprising then that the 2004 Tour de France TTT is the first time I've seen indications that a rider is wearing one.
Comments
problem is on a stage any longer than ~1 hr, those things would be impossible to fill up on the fly if they are worried about precious seconds as they are. great idea for a time trial though! I've seen 'studies' done to compare the apparent effects of bottles on the cages vs rear seat mount vs aero bottles. I don't recall the outcome though....
Posted by: josh | July 7, 2004 5:08 PM
Josh:
I didn't even think of that, but you are right. There are only four stages I can think of where a Camelbak would not need to be refilled. If you simply carried a hydration system with an appropriate-sized bladder, weight would become an issue. Still, there are no bladders with enough capacity for a 5 or 6-hour Tour stage.
That doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for most of us. The races I've been in (mainly duathlons) are short enough to use a Camelbak. So are 99% of my training rides.
Posted by: Dave Aiello | July 7, 2004 6:20 PM
Camelback used to do a "roadie" version called something like the "Razor". I've got one and it's great - the tube has a cover with a wire in it so you can bend it into shape and it stays there. The pack is really streamlined without any pockets etc. I've used it for a marathon and 1/2 ironman and it was a big help.
From what I remember, aero bottles between the bars come out best 'cos you can stay aero while you drink without the sitting up and reaching around for cages or rear seat mounts.
All of this only really matters in time trials though - if you're in a stage race, you're drafting most of the time
Posted by: Matt Reynolds | July 8, 2004 2:55 PM
At one point the UCI outlawed "Camelbaks" becuase they might actually give an aerodinamic advantage, if positioned properly. If I recall correctly, they rule said something about being outlawed for the purpose of an aerodynamic advantage, which may be why Julic had to position his where he did.
Posted by: Brad Wilson | July 28, 2004 10:40 PM
Actually, Julich was using an old (circa 1998) product called the Camelbak Race Vest. You are right that the UCI banned the Camelbak on the back of a rider because of its potentially aerodynamic advantage, so the Race Vest was positioned on the front. It is 40 or 50 ounces and is contained in a coolmax 'bag'. The UCI approved the Race Vest for use in 1999, but it was weird to wear and never caught-on.
Posted by: Geoff | July 29, 2004 7:10 PM
I noticed this year ('05), quite a few riders rode with one. I haven't been able to find what exactly they wear, but they definitely have them on their back like bobby did. I time trial a lot and that would help a lot.
Posted by: dal | September 2, 2005 10:47 AM