2019 Cruzbike Summer Time Trial Challenge

[LarryOz]

What is it?
The Summer Cruzbike Time Trial (TT) Challenge Series is a 15-week cycling challenge that is created and administered by Larry Oslund. It is officially approved by Cruzbike, and yes, Jim and Maria Parker will participate! Week #1 will begin on Monday June 17 - and last through Sunday June 23

If you participated in the 2019 Winter TT Challenge, this will be similar. But for this challenge, everyone must create and ride an outdoor 12-mile Strava Segment.

You don’t have to be a good (or fast) rider to win!
Anyone can win! Based on Alvin Maxwell’s summer Time Trial Series in Washington, NC, this series is designed to give everyone an equal chance to win – male and female, young and old, any bike type, regardless of rider conditioning. The rider that is the most consistent and improves the most over the course of the series wins. There will also be weekly winners so everyone in the series has the chance to win at some point!


What will I need to participate:

• Your bike - any kind!
• 12-mile Strava Segment of you choosing. You can probably find one local to you that someone has already created, or you can create a new one of your own.
• Strava account (you can create one free)
• You will need either a smartphone to run Strava or a Garmin (or similar data collecting device/ride computer) that can collect your ride data and upload it to Strava. Most new ride computers can be setup to auto upload to Strava.
• Consistency. You must be willing to do the TT at least once a week whenever you want.

How It Works

• Weeks will run Monday through Sunday
• Week #1 will begin on Monday June 17 - and last through Sunday June 23. The remaining weeks #2-15 follow the same Monday through Sunday pattern.
• Prior to your first week you need to have identified or created your 12-mile TT route. Ideally it is flat and must be out and back or a loop. Several smaller loops such as (4) 3-mile loops can also make your segment. Pick something that does not have stoplights, and only right hand turns if you can. (If you do not know how to create a segment, let Larry know and he can help you do it, or do it for you: larryoslund@gmail.com. There is also a post (https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216918157-Create-a-Segment) with screenshots that explains it.)
• Submit your ride to Larry each week: Each rider will ride their 12 mile “segment” as hard as they can each week and submit their results by emailing Larry (larryoslund@gmail.com) their Strava ride link. Results must be submitted by 11:59 pm Monday after the week.
• Larry tabulates the results and posts them on the Cruzbike forum.

The Nitty Gritty
The 1st week:
All riders ride their courses as hard and fast as they can (no sandbagging!). This will be your initial Personal Best (PB). Each rider will receive 1 point that rides during this 1st week. There will be no weekly winner the first week. The cutoff for submitting your segment each week is Monday at 11:59 p.m.

2nd through 15th week:
Scoring is based on how many riders are competing. After the cutoff for the week, each rider’s time offset from their Personal Best will be used to determine the plac aingnd points for that week. If 20 riders compete, then 1st place gets 20 points, 2nd place 19, etc. If 10 riders, then 10, 9, 8, etc. If there is a tie, the tied riders will get the same number of points.

Each week, each rider can also receive 1 bonus point if they set a new Personal Best (PB).

Anyone joining after the first week will be considered a new rider and receive 1 point after their first ride regardless of what week it is. If there is more than 1 new rider, they all receive 1 point. If you do not ride, you do not get any points. If you ride and get last place, you still get more points that the rider that did not ride at all!

You can ride your segment anytime within the week from Monday at 12:00 am to Sunday at 11:59 pm. We will announce a weekly winner along with the cumulative points for each rider on Tuesday.

Weekly standings will be posted on the Cruzbike forum.

The participant with the most points after 15 weeks is the winner.

Who can ride?
Anyone on any bike can participate as long as they can ride the same 12-mile TT route once each week. The results will be available on the Cruzbike forum.

Please email larryoslund@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

What do I get if I win? Or don’t win?

• Bragging rights of course.
• Cruzbike will provide a custom 2019 Cruzbike Summer TT Challenge racing Jersey to the overall winner.
• For participants who accumulate at least 15 points, Cruzbike will also supply a nicely designed 2019 Cruzbike Summer TT Challenge t-shirt for you to wear with pride.

 

[Robert Holler]

I'm in!

 

[RojoRacing]

The original FB post stated in bold it had to be an outdoor segment in bold type.

 

[LarryOz]

The original FB post stated in bold it had to be an outdoor segment in bold type.

Not sure what this means Jason - We decided not to do Zwift for this challenge, so it must be an outdoor segement.

 

[RojoRacing]

Yeah well that eliminates someone like me who lives in the middle of the city traffic light abound and after that nothing but mountains to climb.

Seems after 10 weeks of trying to get people on board during the last one we’ve chosen to take a step back and exclude from what I can remember, half the riders who took part in the winter challenge.

I’ll probably still due my own segment up alpe de Zwift each week and brag about how I’m getting closer to that sub 40 min on here.

 

[LarryOz]

Yeah well that eliminates someone like me who lives in the middle of the city traffic light abound and after that nothing but mountains to climb.
Seems after 10 weeks of trying to get people on board during the last one we’ve chosen to take a step back and exclude from what I can remember, half the riders who took part in the winter challenge.
I’ll probably still due my own segment up alpe de Zwift each week and brag about how I’m getting closer to that sub 40 min on here.

I am sorry Jason - I did not know it would affect you so greatly. It was really complicated to handle both indoor and outdoor rides last time, especially when people had different Zwift and outdoor rides to deal with.
I myself must drive 30 minutes each way to get to a decent TT route. I am hoping you can find something - If you are going to climb in Zwift anyway, aren't your mountains close enough to head over to once a week?

 

[Bill K]

Just a crazy thought, but how about single-track and a mountain bike, and reduce the mileage so the time is similar?
Maybe Jason could find something like this he could do a few laps on.

 

[RojoRacing]

I am sorry Jason - I did not know it would affect you so greatly. It was really complicated to handle both indoor and outdoor rides last time, especially when people had different Zwift and outdoor rides to deal with.
I myself must drive 30 minutes each way to get to a decent TT route. I am hoping you can find something - If you are going to climb in Zwift anyway, aren't your mountains close enough to head over to once a week?

It takes an hour of riding through endless lights to reach the nearest mountain road and it wouldn't be much of an out and back TT if I spent 90 mins climbing and 15 min coasting back down to meet the 15 mile out and back rule. I'm not hurt by the decision I'm just stating why it excludes someone like myself or others so when people on here start asking why we're not participating they'll know why. The confusion with the mixed up online segments last time was the result of poor segment choices and explanation of how to get it done easily, both of which could easily be resolved ahead of time now that we all did it once already. I would have been happy to have selected one or two segment options for the online group and how to easily do them without needing to trim their ride data. I already suggested as much in the last thread when I suggested the option for a hill climbing segment for those who like to compete and get better at climbing.

 

[LarryOz]

Just a crazy thought, but how about single-track and a mountain bike, and reduce the mileage so the time is similar?
Maybe Jason could find something like this he could do a few laps on.

Sounds like Jason would still have trouble getting to the mountains. Unfortunately, the distance needs to the be constant, since the time will always change and also be different for each rider and their level of fitness, bike choice, etc.
We also have trimmed it from 15 miles to 12 miles to match up with another group who has a 12-mile ride they already have setup.
Sorry it is so far for you Jason.

 

[ElyDave]

I'm in, but I'm definitely going left loop

I warn you though that next week's time will be slow - I've got a stinking cold, coughing like an old man, and a bad back, with a newly rebuilt S40
I like to get my excuses in early, as they say

 

[LarryOz]

I'm in, but I'm definitely going left loop

I warn you though that next week's time will be slow - I've got a stinking cold, coughing like an old man, and a bad back, with a newly rebuilt S40
I like to get my excuses in early, as they say

Great you are able to participate. Please send me the Strava Segment you are going to ride (larryoslund@gmail.com). If is doesn't exist, it is best to ride or drive it first, then create the segment. This was you have totally control over the segment and can play with it until it is exactly what you need.

 

[ElyDave]

Just confirming some ground rules
1) standing start?
2) same bike each week, or different bikes allowed?

 

[NeaL]

Good question about the standing start.
I created a route/path/segment using RideWithGPS, trying to get that, my Garmin, and Strava to communicate with each other.
My plan is/was to leave the parking lot, coast up to where the GPS will say it starts, then begin.

I haven’t ridden the route yet. I drove it to scope it out.

Today will be my 1st time. Hopefully the GPS, Strava, whatever all is involved, will correctly record and upload my ride today. I’m still unfamiliar with these things.

Strava does have a short list of existing routes or segments in my area but they’re not 12 miles long or anything close.

 

[LarryOz]

Just confirming some ground rules
1) standing start?
2) same bike each week, or different bikes allowed?

You can do whatever start you want. Most people do a rolling start just because a standing start is a PITA without someone helping. I try and roll up to my line at around 6-8mph or so. Just try and be consistent.
Ideally the same bike, but not in the rules so you can do what you what.
Some people switch bikes, but most try and improve their aero on the one they ride (better helmet, skin suit, wheels, handlebars) as they go along. Even if someone swtiched to a way faster bike, that would only give them an advantage for one week. Then if they set a new PB they are stuck with that bike and must now beat that PB again.

 

[ElyDave]

I have 2, possibly three bikes,
S40 - set up as a tourer
M5 - set up as light as it can be
Giant road bike - set up as a runabout

I don't have a designated "fast" bike - I'll work on the S40, and I definitely won't be spending on technology - far more to do in terms of the rider first - still recovering from my accident and a nasty virus for the last ten days. I've got getting back to a 20mph/32kmh average as a target.

Rolling start is interesting, I've never done that on a TT - when I was doing club TT's it was always a standing start (with a pusher). Today I did one foot clipped in, standing start, get the other foot in ASAP.
Not sure what I'll gain from a rolling start

 

[LarryOz]

Rolling start is interesting, I've never done that on a TT - when I was doing club TT's it was always a standing start (with a pusher). Today I did one foot clipped in, standing start, get the other foot in ASAP.
Not sure what I'll gain from a rolling start

I am a horrible standing starter. I relish the opportunity of not having to try and clip in from a standing start. I am horrible at it!

 

[Bill Wightman]

Well this is a plus already because Larry has helped me thru the Strava/Garmin learning curve and I have a good segment. I am not going to change gear much, just try to see if the legs get any stronger with some mild pain gain. Looking forward to cleaning out the carburetor. Just taped my wheel covers back on. This with help legs prepare for Hotter N Hell 100 in late August. Unfortunately I will miss a few weeks in late August cruising on Alaska coast vacation.

 

[benphyr]

... Unfortunately I will miss a few weeks in late August cruising on Alaska coast vacation.

Nope, not jealous, nope, not at all.

 

[ElyDave]

same here, I'll miss at least a week whilst riding around the inner hebrides,

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

I am a horrible standing starter.

Actually, I have become quite good at it. It's the unclicking that is a bug bear. But that is the same with all my bikes whether I'm using SPD's or Looks.