Diets only for hill climbers?

Shibumi

As a breed, us cyclists seem to be obsessed with weight. Whether its our bikes or ourselves, if we can reduce weight without too much pain or money, then we're interested. Now this is understandable (the desire to lose weight but not the obsession) for those of us who take part in endurance and hilly rides. But what about short distance time trialling (up to 25 miles)? On all except the hilly courses, I thought that the pursuit of aerodynamics was supreme, and that weight was a minor consideration.

Which brings me to my question: for short distance TTs, is weight important? If someone is of average weight and build, with a healthy fat content, is it worth the pain and hassle of losing that last couple of pounds or kilos? If it won't make you go any faster, is there any point going the Lance route (for example) and weighing all your food? And as for your bike, well who cares what that weighs as long as it's aero?