Pro cycling “has been failed structurally and commercially”

[phreak]

Don't know how much it has changed in the last ten years since I raced my last road race, but I podiumed on a Chinese bike that cost a grand. I at no point felt that I was disadvantaged compared to guys on their S works and the like. I wasn't the only one using cheap parts in races.
Also recalling a guy who used to be on the forum being competitive in crits on a budget Btwin with a triple.
Harry Mack raced the Nationals on a cheap Chinese sourced bike and was competitive. The junior world champion was on a Chinese bike last year. All substantially cheaper than equivalent brands that want to charge you five grand plus for a decent race bike.
The biggest factor is the engine.

Isn't equipment cited as one of the reasons why we've seen a 10% boost to both average speed in races and times up key climbs in the last handful of years?

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Isn't equipment cited as one of the reasons why we've seen a 10% boost to both average speed in races and times up key climbs in the last handful of years?

Who knows how long pro racing teams have known and acted on the knowledge, but for us mortals, the focus on aero over weight for performance gains has been huge in the last ~10 years.