I am fortunate I have seen many of Canada's top cyclist do a MAP test. To give you an idea a world class female cyclist, lets say top 10, is on par with a good provinicial Cat 1 guy, at least on a long climb.
Typically a lack of anerobic power hurts women more then guys. Actually there isn't many complete female cyclist, it seems they can either climb or sprint, few can do both. The only one I have seen who could do both was Jeanson (her MAP was a un-natural 6.5 watts/kilo BTW).
Yeah Premont did destroy the competition at nationals. However the same girl she beat at nationals was in front of her for 80% of worlds race ending up within a minute of her. Those gaps happen some times in mountain biking, Absalon won a world cup by close to 4 minutes this year.
As for the 45km/hr thing I believe that use to be a carding criteria when they use to give cards for TTs. I have seen Leah Goldstien TT at 45kph for a 20km TT (Bazan Bay in Victoria a couple of years ago), my wife TTs at41kph for 20km. I guess those speed you quoted are bang on.
As for the FTP that is what they are finding. Trainning volumes have dropped dramatically at all levels. The Tour this year was won by a guy who average just over 20hr of training per week. Which compared to the volumes of the past is nothing.
Just as note about prize money, there isn't equal prize money in mountain biking. Even at world cups where they have 100 women the prize money isn't equal.
Ed: Ben Boyko, Daren Bearclawth, ect... There is whole another world of cycling which you don't know. Frankly you have no interest in (my interest is pretty limited too) but it exist and in terms of sponsorships dollars and attention far exceeds that of road or XC mtbing (in North America at Least). Go to a school ask the kids who Mike Barry is or Premont is, they will not have a clue, but they can tell you all about Ben Boyko.
The Canadian cycling company with the biggest sponsorship budget is Norco. They sponsor Symetrics, Pendrel, and Fionne (a brit downhiller), and a couple of free-riders, Ben Boyko being one of them. The majority of their budget is spent on free-riders.
To be honest I hate free-riding. Probably the worst thing ever to happen to cycling in Canada. The kids with true talent, the gifted athletes, spend their time trying to land a back flip instead of learning to pedal (whether on a road bike or an XC bike).
The bright side is compared to when I was kid there is a lot more kids on a bike, it is a cool to ride a bike. Now somebody with vision would come up with a way to introduce those free-ride kids to road or XC. Honest I have tried and failed utterely, the kids are not happy when you suggest the idea of pedalling up, they want their ski lift. But my failure doesn't mean that it can't be done.
Ohh and don't go and suggest track. That is been tried again and again and again in Victoria and the kids don't like it at all. They think it is cool the first time, OK the second time, and after that they want to go back to the BMX track and the program dies from lack of interest.
