Team BKool CycleChat

[Brendan Parker]

Very noticeable how much improved are @bert1971 and @Goldwolfie, both gained around 8 minutes over their previous time on this session in the chain gang.

Well done, very impressive progress!

Geoff

Thanks Geoff.

 

[Soarerv8]

Dammit I have just ordered a juicer from Amazon. I am going to damn well juice green stuff and like it. Mrs Soarerv8 has not helped by scoffing at the thought of me juicing a Cornish pastie

 

[BILL S]

Sorry LB as a result of today's race you'll be dropped from the team and we'll be picking up Bill S. No hard feelings.

lol
Although to be fair to LB he did say he was going to stop freewheeling downhill and sling-shotting uphill and just ride like he was time trialling. I'm still doing the freewheeling and sling-shotting but might try the time trialling next time to help out my handicap . Also interested to see if that would give me a much improved watts/kg as all this downhill freewheeling is making mine rather low.

 

[Goldwolfie]

Plenty of heft on my legs to push the pedals down. Goldwolfie is my spirit guide though he is slightly huskier but must have lungs like billows!

We'll have to team up with a couple of other heavier members for the team handicap race. We could ride alongside each other and the whipets will never get passed us. I'm not sure I've got the skill for this drafting malarky so alternative tactics may be required. e

 

[Goldwolfie]

Goldwolfie you made me put a huge effort in at the end....

Cheers -
I'm glad I've got some uses.

 

[Soarerv8]

We'll have to team up with a couple of other heavier members for the team handicap race. We could ride alongside each other and the whipets will never get passed us. I'm not sure I've got the skill for this drafting malarky so alternative tactics may be required. e

Ha ha a porky rolling road block

 

[LBHIFI]

lol
Although to be fair to LB he did say he was going to stop freewheeling downhill and sling-shotting uphill and just ride like he was time trialling. I'm still doing the freewheeling and sling-shotting but might try the time trialling next time to help out my handicap . Also interested to see if that would give me a much improved watts/kg as all this downhill freewheeling is making mine rather low.

I loose speed if I freewheel on descents unless it's steeper than 7-8 %, so I rarely freewheel for more than a few seconds. I guess that brings up the avg. watts (although it is far from registering the watts it should on downhills).
I also still get some slingshots to some extend. I think I missed one at the end while having a good battle with Guy. I was sure he was right behind me, but in a split second he was suddenly 18 seconds in front. Looking at the final sprints in Geoffs video, I'm sure he would have beat me in the sprint anyway.

The real difference is that I try to set a pace I know I would be able to hold for the entire session, while in the Chain Gang races the pace is dictated by the opponents, and constantly changing.

Interesting to compare stats with Bridgy, who put down 10 watt more but spend 1 more minute. They look very similar, but as far as I can tell, the time difference is due to my higher speed on the downhills, probably because I work on the downhills as well.
Bridgy do you tend to freewheel all the way on downhills?

 

[Alfie_Gooner]

Freewheeling down descents!!!!!!!!! OMG..........i never stopped pedalling for the whole race and was still nowhere near any of you lot!!!!

 

[Rod McG]

[/QUOTE]
Rod shows as having disappeared after 3.3 miles, and a few more that didn't really leave the start line.[/QUOTE]

I was sorry to have to pull out due to a mechanical issue. Looking forward to the re-run. Is it Thursday 7pm?

 

[LBHIFI]

Freewheeling down descents!!!!!!!!! OMG..........i never stopped pedalling for the whole race and was still nowhere near any of you lot!!!!

Try to keep an eye on the speed numbers. If they turn blue, then it means that the speed is calculated, and basically that all your hard work is in vain .

 

[LBHIFI]

I was sorry to have to pull out due to a mechanical issue. Looking forward to the re-run. Is it Thursday 7pm?

I don't think there's a rerun like in the Chain Gang. I think we just do the same stage again next Tuesday.
However, I do know that Thursday 7pm is the Chain Gang main race time.

 

[CXRAndy]

Try to keep an eye on the speed numbers. If they turn blue, then it means that the speed is calculated, and basically that all your hard work is in vain .

Bloody hell, I was pedaling like mad (over 400watts) at the start and thought I was on ice as the speed figure slowly crept up whilst blue in colour. How do I circumnavigate this quirk of the bkool system?

 

[bridgy]

I loose speed if I freewheel on descents unless it's steeper than 7-8 %, so I rarely freewheel for more than a few seconds. I guess that brings up the avg. watts (although it is far from registering the watts it should on downhills).
I also still get some slingshots to some extend. I think I missed one at the end while having a good battle with Guy. I was sure he was right behind me, but in a split second he was suddenly 18 seconds in front. Looking at the final sprints in Geoffs video, I'm sure he would have beat me in the sprint anyway.

The real difference is that I try to set a pace I know I would be able to hold for the entire session, while in the Chain Gang races the pace is dictated by the opponents, and constantly changing.

Interesting to compare stats with Bridgy, who put down 10 watt more but spend 1 more minute. They look very similar, but as far as I can tell, the time difference is due to my higher speed on the downhills, probably because I work on the downhills as well.
Bridgy do you tend to freewheel all the way on downhills?

I will tend to back off and have a breather on the downhills only if the speed turns blue and increases of its own accord. I don't know whether when it goes blue you can actually affect the rate of speed increase by pedalling really hard, or whether the very fact it's blue means any speed increase is now automatic and out of your control - don't know if anyone knows this?

I have noticed my watts are regularly pretty high compared to others around me (and often ahead of me) in the results - not sure why this is. Bill once pointed out that maybe I need to get smarter about where and when to use the watts so I'm more efficient, so I've been trying to save some energy on the descents in order to be able to push harder on the climbs, but the fact that you're actually faster on the descents but still have lower watts overall is a bit confusing in this respect! Maybe you're lighter than me so can go uphill faster for less watts?

What I do know is my average watts were over 20 higher than when I did the same course shortly after first joining the chaingang rides in December which is really encouraging - and great to think I'm increasing my fitness through the winter for a change!

 

[bridgy]

Freewheeling down descents!!!!!!!!! OMG..........i never stopped pedalling for the whole race and was still nowhere near any of you lot!!!!

I remember when I first found out about this too - it was a revelation! If the speed turns blue on a descent (usually a steep descent and you need to be going quite fast) you can back off and your speed will continue to climb as it replicates downhill momentum. You just have to turn the pedals slowly so it doesn't think you've stopped and want to end the session. As soon as the descent starts to level out your speed will turn white again and you'll have to pedal like mad again to keep your speed up as normal.

Obviously the faster you're going at the top of a climb leading into a descent, the sooner your speed will turn blue (and I guess your max speed will be quicker), but as I said above what I don't know is whether pedalling like mad when it is actually blue will help with speed increase at all or whether because it's blue you'rein auto pilot!

 

[PA5DD]

Bloody hell, I was pedaling like mad (over 400watts) at the start and thought I was on ice as the speed figure slowly crept up whilst blue in colour. How do I circumnavigate this quirk of the bkool system?

What trainer are you on ? I see this behavior on the Wahoo KICKR since BSIM V2.54. I do not think it affects BKOOL trainers.