Laura Trott's hair

[Roadrider48]

The thread title actually refers to the weight of Laura Trott's hair.

I know that, I was replying to a post.

 

[Crackle]

I don't think I'd ever seen Jo Rowsell with hair until she appeared on the telly as a pundit the other night. It was quite disconcerting. I can understand why she would want to make herself look "normal" when not riding, but it's a shame the world works like that.

I'm not sure this is it. I have a feeling that it's something she does because she likes to. She seems to have a variety of wigs and styles and the women's team seem to delight in nails and hair and all that kind of stuff.

You could perhaps argue that the pressure to conform is insidious but again, I have a feeling that kind of pressure doesn't influence her directly and I'm sure she's thought a lot about her condition and her image.

 

[winjim]

It's not so much the total weight as the weight distribution. Trott needs to put both her bunches on the left to gain full advantage, like those Felt bikes with their drivetrain.

 

[Spiderweb]

Laura Trott is one outstanding athlete, she has great hair too but are these two one and the same?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

The last 3 pages aren't about shaving legs are they?

 

[winjim]

I'm not sure this is it. I have a feeling that it's something she does because she likes to. She seems to have a variety of wigs and styles and the women's team seem to delight in nails and hair and all that kind of stuff.

You could perhaps argue that the pressure to conform is insidious but again, I have a feeling that kind of pressure doesn't influence her directly and I'm sure she's thought a lot about her condition and her image.

Rowsell Shand has said that she wears a particular set of wigs because they make her feel like herself, and she regrets cooperating with a Daily Mail photoshoot in which they dressed her in five different wigs to match five different outfits.

 

[coffeejo]

I know that, I was replying to a post.

Which was in response to a post by me, which didn't mention alopecia...

 

[Fab Foodie]

It seemed like a legit discussion until it turned to how Jo looks rather than the weight of hair and/or wigs vs "marginal gains".

OK, I'll bite ....
Yes, no, maybe ....
I guess hair weight might be a useful marginal gain. BUT if it IS, would athletes especially female athletes be prepared to shave their heads for such a gain?
Jo R-S is a case in point for discussion as she naturally lacks hair but chooses to look like she has hair when not competing and as many of us expect a wig would be pretty uncomfortable under a helmet. However, if it is their looks that are a concern for females not to shave their heads for a marginal gain, I just wanted to say that Jo-RS's case to me at least demonstrates that baldness in women is not necessarily a bad thing despite our cultural norms. Super short hair works too ....

Have I dug a big enough hole yet?

 

[coffeejo]

You could say the same about Peter Sagan's thick mop of hair, or all the bearded cyclists. If it mattered, then I daresay each athlete would / did make the decision about priorities.

OK, I'll bite ....
Yes, no, maybe ....
I guess hair weight might be a useful marginal gain. BUT if it IS, would athletes especially female athletes be prepared to shave their heads for such a gain?
Jo R-S is a case in point for discussion as she naturally lacks hair but chooses to look like she has hair when not competing and as many of us expect a wig would be pretty uncomfortable under a helmet. However, if it is their looks that are a concern for females not to shave their heads for a marginal gain, I just wanted to say that Jo-RS's case to me at least demonstrates that baldness in women is not necessarily a bad thing despite our cultural norms. Super short hair works too ....

Have I dug a big enough hole yet?

That's kind of what I said earlier. The point I was trying to make is that the discussion drifted to how Laura and Jo look (comments about legs and general attractiveness) rather than their prowess as athletes and/or the benefits of weight saving.

 

[velovoice]

How can you compare Wiggins' sideburns to a woman who has a medical condition and doesn't have a choice in the matter?

What? I was replying to @coffeejo, re thread title "Laura Trott's hair".... ?!!

ETA: Aha. I see @coffeejo has already cleared that up for you. As you were.

 

[John the Monkey]

Have you only just logged in?

 

[winjim]

Mass of human hair = 5mg/m
No of hairs on average blonde = 150k
Length of Laura Trott's hair = 0.5m
=>Mass of Laura Trott's hair = 375g

Mass of Laura Trott = 52kg
=>Proportion of Laura Trott which is hair = 0.7% w/w

Somebody check my working?

 

[Markymark]

0.7% I would imagine, is not negligible at such a high level.

 

[winjim]

0.7% I would imagine, is not negligible at such a high level.

Back of a fag packet calculations notwithstanding, 375g does actually sound like rather a lot, doesn't it?

 

[slowmotion]

Mass of human hair = 5mg/m
No of hairs on average blonde = 150k
Length of Laura Trott's hair = 0.5m
=>Mass of Laura Trott's hair = 375g

Mass of Laura Trott = 52kg
=>Proportion of Laura Trott which is hair = 0.7% w/w

Somebody check my working?

Hair diameter varies a lot.

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/BrianLey.shtml

We need Ms Trott to send us a sample strand.