Team BKool CycleChat

[BILL S]

Bridgy. I just challenged you to Hurst Wokingham chaingang ride and you kicked my 4ss by 48 seconds. There was a bunch of us (the usual suspects with two of me and two of you. Only the one AAAC and one LB) and we all stuck together-ish until about 60% through. You had tried to make a break for it before but this time you really went for it. I thought you had no chance but I was wrong and you increased your lead right up to the end. I just about managed to stick with the BillS and AAAC ghosts and was happy with that considering my 2 weeks off.
I watched with interest when AAAC's ghost saved my ghost when it dead stopped and went back to get him. I managed to avoid the dead stop this time by freewheeling into the hill but it left the two ghosts about 12 seconds behind. Took a while but they did catch and pass me again.
Looks like we'll need a new league as there'll be no summer cup either. Anyone got any suggestions?

 

[BILL S]

Well I hadn't seen the watts but that doesn't surprise me, they were really shifting! If the Cyclechat Chaingang has taught me one thing though, it's how t to get a fast start! Despite being stuck on the line for a bit (this keeps happening recently) I was in the lead for a bit at the start, and got a Strava KOM! Unlike the fastest guys though, I couldn't keep that kind of power up!

Names please? Are these the same guys at the top in the summer cup?

 

[bridgy]

Bridgy. I just challenged you to Hurst Wokingham chaingang ride and you kicked my 4ss by 48 seconds. There was a bunch of us (the usual suspects with two of me and two of you. Only the one AAAC and one LB) and we all stuck together-ish until about 60% through. You had tried to make a break for it before but this time you really went for it. I thought you had no chance but I was wrong and you increased your lead right up to the end. I just about managed to stick with the BillS and AAAC ghosts and was happy with that considering my 2 weeks off.
I watched with interest when AAAC's ghost saved my ghost when it dead stopped and went back to get him. I managed to avoid the dead stop this time by freewheeling into the hill but it left the two ghosts about 12 seconds behind. Took a while but they did catch and pass me again.
Looks like we'll need a new league as there'll be summer cup either. Anyone got any suggestions?

Yeah I remember feeling particularly good the day I did that time Bill! I stuck with yours and AAAC's ghosts at first but felt strong enough on the day to try and make a run for it, and as you say, it stuck this time! That is an advantage of racing ghosts though I guess - the ghosts can't react!

I thought the league based on real local rides we'd done was good - don't know how bad the dead stops still are though, and whether we still need to stick to flatish ones?

Personally I'm not really a fan of the sprint stages as I never know when to try and fit them in! Sorry can't remember who mentioned it earlier but agree that throwing in a longer stage would be interesting...

 

[bridgy]

Names please? Are these the same guys at the top in the summer cup?

Can't remember, but probably these guys ahead of me who did the ride on today's date (note our very own RickB up in the leaderboard - not today though!)

 

[bridgy]

Actually, does that leaderboard work, as the ride I was on was set up by time rather than distance? I do recognise some of those names though

 

[BILL S]

Actually, does that leaderboard work, as the ride I was on was set up by time rather than distance? I do recognise some of those names though

Yeah, some of those guys are high up in the summer cup. I have no idea what the effect of having a ride set up by time rather than distance. I think Kipster mentioned recently that it was easier to make power in the velodrome rather than up d'Huez so there may be s/w f/w differences at play here.

 

[AAAC 76C]

Yeah, some of those guys are high up in the summer cup. I have no idea what the effect of having a ride set up by time rather than distance. I think Kipster mentioned recently that it was easier to make power in the velodrome rather than up d'Huez so there may be s/w f/w differences at play here.

It's certainly easier to make speed in the velodrome than going up d'Huez!
My experience of the Velodrome is that you get more kph/mph for your watts than on a road session.
Perhaps that is to do with rolling resistance?
Although our local TT man, Mr M Bialobloki (a very Somerset name nowadays) seemed to mange quite a few mph this weekend smashing Dowsett's record by over 30 seconds.
Apparently that was and average 460 watts ish' for 16:35 (36+ mph or 59 ish kph).
However he might not have stood a chance against Bridgy's Velodrome competitor, Cesar Perei, who pulled 500 watts for longer, 20:23 minutes, also at 59 kph.
Just goes to show a sustained 59 kph is human though.

 

[bridgy]

Sounds like Cesar should turn pro if he hasn't already!

And did you see that Bialobloki then went on to beat Dowsett's 25 mile TT record the following day? Beat it by 25 seconds to get 44.04 - 34mph/54.7kph!

 

[kipster]

i'm getting lots of 'you've been beaten' emails for the Valencia Triathlon 10.8km course, I might have to seek revenge......

 

[CXRAndy]

i'm getting lots of 'you've been beaten' emails for the Valencia Triathlon 10.8km course, I might have to seek revenge......

I noticed you were on my run, I think you did your ride in February. Was that when you had broken your collarbone?

 

[BILL S]

Yeah I remember feeling particularly good the day I did that time Bill! I stuck with yours and AAAC's ghosts at first but felt strong enough on the day to try and make a run for it, and as you say, it stuck this time! That is an advantage of racing ghosts though I guess - the ghosts can't react!

I thought the league based on real local rides we'd done was good - don't know how bad the dead stops still are though, and whether we still need to stick to flatish ones?

Personally I'm not really a fan of the sprint stages as I never know when to try and fit them in! Sorry can't remember who mentioned it earlier but agree that throwing in a longer stage would be interesting...

Unfortunately I don't think local rides will work for us at the moment because the dead stops are still there. They seem to affect some more than others but to keep things fairly equal we probably still need to pick rides with as smooth transitions as possible.
Any suggestions gratefully received

 

[BILL S]

The August/September Chaingang league has now come to an end.

Congratulations to Paul (Bridgy) for winning

Well done to Goldwolfie, Paul T and The Boxers for doing all 6 stages and getting well into the top 10.

Bob and Berty get the booby prise for only doing 1 stage each

 

[bridgy]

Unfortunately I don't think local rides will work for us at the moment because the dead stops are still there. They seem to affect some more than others but to keep things fairly equal we probably still need to pick rides with as smooth transitions as possible.
Any suggestions gratefully received

I'd like to help with some suggestions but to be honest I pretty much only ride the league routes anyway so don't have much experience of other routes to suggest! There's a couple of local rides I do which are flattish and I have ridden on Bkool as well recently with no dead stops as far as I remember - they might be a bit long for the league though unless you do want to throw in a long one (particularly long for the slower riders I guess) - http://www.bkool.com/profile/detail/643902?durationType=DISTANCE&lapCount=1, and http://www.bkool.com/profile/detail/655743?durationType=DISTANCE&lapCount=1

As we're sticking mostly to flat rides, how about a veldrome session - I don't think we've had one in the league since I've been doing it?

 

[bridgy]

The August/September Chaingang league has now come to an end.

Congratulations to Paul (Bridgy) for winning

Well done to Goldwolfie, Paul T and The Boxers for doing all 6 stages and getting well into the top 10.

Bob and Berty get the booby prise for only doing 1 stage each

Woohoo!

(Let's agree not to mention that neither you, LBHIFI or AAAC completed all the stages this time, or that I got that odd speed boost on the first stage, OK?)

 

[theboxers]

Not a pancake but pretty close. http://www.bkool.com/profile/detail/1691270?durationType=DISTANCE&lapCount=1 . I've not done it yet but it seems long enough with no big gradient changes that would suit the rockets and autobus crews

Or you could try this http://www.bkool.com/profile/detail/875843?durationType=DISTANCE&lapCount=1 . A bit more extreme with no guarantees as to sudden stops.

E.T.A.
Sorry forgot to say these are suggestion for the chaingang. The second one took me 1hr 40m