Can you find me 10 seconds on a 3 minute sprint?

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Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Photo Winner
Location
Inside my skull
A rolling start, and staying clipped in and you are most of the way there. Then wait for the right conditions, stonking tailwind etc.

If you do want to train then 3 mins is a VO2 max effort. So 30,/ 30:repeats, 60 / 60 repeats, then 2 min and 3 min repeats as hard as you can go. Choose a quiet road with no junctions or pot holes etc. Hill repeats can do the job.

or post a link to the segment here and I am sure @Drago will have a go at the KOM, pedalling one legged on his chopper.
 
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Sharky

Legendary Member
Location
Kent
Stick some tri bars on...

+1
I've found that my single speed (68" gear), road bike with tribars, is generally quicker than my geared road bike, without tri bars, on my regular training loop.

It hurts on the hills, but the aero advantage is significant.
 

Animo

Über Member
Get your wife to motor pace you in a vehicle of some sort. A Luton van works particularly well.
 

ivegotabike

Active Member
Rolling start, clipped in, apply your knowledge of the segment to know when to really go full gas (any uphill bits) and where you can ease off a tiny touch if need be. Empty the tank with a 20 - 30 second gallop to the end. That should, as others have already said, find 7 seconds in like for like conditions. If there is a slight tailwind, so much the better.

7 seconds in 3 minutes can be as simple as course knowledge.
 

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Über Member
Location
Hampshire, UK
The more often you ride a segment, the more likely your fastest time will come from a strong tailwind, rather than your best power output.

Anyone else remember "segment ninja" website?
 
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bulldoze

Active Member
Just ride your bike more, bit pointless doing all this extra stuff just to ride over to a segment and try and beat it. Just go for a ride and as you approach, build up speed and then go for it. The standing start probably lost you those seconds. It's not a race.

I use strava to judge my fitness and see how I've improved over time - e.g. my commute is a couple of minutes quicker now I've shifted some weight.

I could not do an attempt on every ride! That would frazzle me in just a few days for sure. :hyper:

The trouble with getting old is that I still know how to hurt myself but the body just cannot recover - one proper attempt a week is about right and hope for good conditions.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
I could not do an attempt on every ride! That would frazzle me in just a few days for sure. :hyper:

The trouble with getting old is that I still know how to hurt myself but the body just cannot recover - one proper attempt a week is about right and hope for good conditions.

Well, just roll into the segment rather than start from scratch. Get the speed up before. I used to do a few segments on my commute when I rode a fixed gear road bike - no chance now on an old rigid MTB with semi-knobbly tyres.
 
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bulldoze

Active Member
Imagine the frustration when you do all this extra work, beat the record by a second or two....and the next day some sod beats your time.

All part of the fun, and all good training for 3 years time when I am hopefully in good enough nick to wallop the 65 - 75 times.

I know, I know. They may look like easy pickings now but I am quite aware circumstances change.
 
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