Cycling- Did Pellizotti Lose a Podium Place Because of His Flowing Locks?
In yesterday's final stage of the Giro d'Italia Franco Pellizotti lost out on a podium position to Lampre's Marzio Bruseghin by a scant two seconds. I think I know why:
(Detail courtesy flickr user cesareb)
I'm not an expert in aerodynamics, but I can't imagine the drag created by those frosted locks helped his time. 2 seconds over 28.5 Kilometers is .07 seconds per km- would a shaved head have shaved that time off of his time trial and put him on the podium? I would love to hear from someone who is an expert on the subject if there's actually any merit to this theory. As soon as I saw him in the start house with his lion's mane peeking out from his helmet I started to think of it as a possibility.