You can also look up last year’s Unbound 200 mile and compare the Elite men VS Elite women results. It’s the same course but they start with offset times. The top men finish about 1.5 hours faster than the women. But the fastest women definitely finish faster than some of the men and overtake them during the race.
That said, I’ve also listened to interviews with the female cyclists who prefer the separate start. I believe this race series used to be combined genders. What they prefer is that they can actually start the race knowing their rivals and setting pace accordingly. In a larger group for an endurance race, it’s possible to misjudge your opponents and burn out faster than you’d like or chase the wrong targets. The women’s field gives everyone a better idea of how to set pace since there is a natural separation throughout the course.
Even if women have better stamina, the power output is not the same which results in a different pace on average.
You can also look up last year’s Unbound 200 mile and compare the Elite men VS Elite women results. It’s the same course but they start with offset times. The top men finish about 1.5 hours faster than the women. But the fastest women definitely finish faster than some of the men and overtake them during the race.
That said, I’ve also listened to interviews with the female cyclists who prefer the separate start. I believe this race series used to be combined genders. What they prefer is that they can actually start the race knowing their rivals and setting pace accordingly. In a larger group for an endurance race, it’s possible to misjudge your opponents and burn out faster than you’d like or chase the wrong targets. The women’s field gives everyone a better idea of how to set pace since there is a natural separation throughout the course.
Even if women have better stamina, the power output is not the same which results in a different pace on average.