2019 Cruzbike Summer Time Trial Challenge

[LarryOz]

Cruzbike Summer 2019 TT Challenge week #13 results

Huge week for participation with 24 riders! Way to go down the final stretch!
Stats:
24 riders participated this week with 8 of them setting PBs - 1 first timer: Katnis - Welcome
Congrats to Neal Brooks who took this week's top honors with an 88 second decrease in his PB from 58:01 down to 56:33 -
What a close points race!
Dave Zinke took 1st place back and now leads Andrew Thompson by only 3.5 points! How exciting - It is going to go down to the final week!
Alvin jumped into a tie for 3rd with Larry - but they are miles away from 1st and 2nd.
Dean Hall moved up to within striking distance of 3rd now with that great 2nd place finish this week and 22 points!

Only 2 more weeks left - keep up the great work, and remember to Ride Hard and be Safe!

P.S. Cruzbike promised to provide "specially designed Summer TT Challenge" T-shirts to anyone who has at least 15 points at the end of the competition. So if you see yourself on this list with at least that many points and you want a T-shirt, respond to this survey.
https://forms.gle/jtFG7rDQtfCdL1xh8 If you pick "Larry will get me my t-shirt", this means you agree to pay shipping from me to you. I will pick up at the Cruzbike retreat and arrange shipping to you if that is the case. All Thursday night TT members. I will bulk ship them to Alvin and you will need to give Alvin a $1 to help cover the cost, so if you want one - just click "Larry will get me my t-shirt"
Larry

 

[LarryOz]

Larry, can we get Week 13 results posted here, as well? The FaceBook posts reduce the image size and make it look pixelated and messy. Posted here, it’s easier to read on smaller smartphone-like screens.

Sorry Neal - I had it in here since yesterday, but I guess I did not hit "post reply" hard enough!

 

[NeaL]

Sorry Neal - I had it in here since yesterday, but I guess I did not hit "post reply" hard enough!

I’m currently planning on coming to the Retreat, with my three Cruzbiklets in-tow.
Is it possible to get one on those Time Trial shirts in a 3XL?

 

[benphyr]

I’m currently planning on coming to the Retreat, with my three Cruzbiklets in-tow.
Is it possible to get one on those Time Trial shirts in a 3XL?

@NeaL with the PBs you have got you should be getting 2 shirts. More than a minute PBs several times! And jumping into TTs without any experience, training, etc. My hat is off you you.

 

[NeaL]

@NeaL with the PBs you have got you should be getting 2 shirts.

They’ll probably have to use two shirts to make one for me.
I’ve been keeping track each week of what the 2nd slowest times have been. My fastest time so far is still slower than all of everyone else’s, so I’m not ready to pat myself on the back just yet.

But thanks.

 

[benphyr]

My fastest time so far is still slower than all of everyone else’s,

How much faster is it than your first time out!

 

[ElyDave]

How much faster is it than your first time out!

Over 15 mins according to the table above

 

[NeaL]

How much faster is it than your first time out!

Cruzbike Time Trial 2nd slowests each week:
1). 46:20
2). 46:51
3). 46:39
4). 44:13
5). 46:33
6). 43:07
7). 42:09
8). 46:12
9). 46:37
10). 50:00 (43:24)
11). 50:00 (39:51)
12). 44:05
13). 43:41

Comparing the times of those two who got exactly 50 minutes, something out of the ordinary happened there. Those times are not at all consistent with their previous times so I am disregarding them in favor of the 3rd slowests of those two weeks, in parenthesis.

My slowest time: 1:13:08
Fastest, so far: 56:33

 

[LarryOz]

Cruzbike Time Trial 2nd slowests each week:
1). 46:20
2). 46:51
3). 46:39
4). 44:13
5). 46:33
6). 43:07
7). 42:09
8). 46:12
9). 46:37
10). 50:00 (43:24)
11). 50:00 (39:51)
12). 44:05
13). 43:41

Comparing the times of those two who got exactly 50 minutes, something out of the ordinary happened there. Those times are not at all consistent with their previous times so I am disregarding them in favor of the 3rd slowests of those two weeks, in parenthesis.

My slowest time: 1:13:08
Fastest, so far: 56:33

Great job Neal and it will be great to see you at the retreat!
Remember this TT Challenge is not about being the "fastest" (others have faster bikes and have been racing for awhile - so it is not level playing field just based on time) - This challenge is about progress from when you have started to now - that is why it is setup the way it is to no really give faster times any credit. Each person has to get better and better each week: You have done an incredible job! My hat is off to you. You can see now how much harder it gets to go faster the faster you get too!
Larry

 

[NeaL]

That cycling YouTube channel out of Great Britain, I think they’re called GCN, one of their hosts recently talked about comparing a road bike with a Time Trial bike. Even with the information he provided, I still have no idea what the difference might be.
He threw in an aside comment that his times would have been faster if he had ridden a recumbent, which was nice to hear.

The Norwegian guy whose video of riding his V20 in France on the Cruzbike blog page, he said something in the captions about riding part of the way as a Time Trial. Again, I have no idea what he meant by that.

I think someone asked what I would have done differently on the Time Trial, if I could start over knowing what I know now. I probably would have tried to place the starting point where it concentrates the majority of uphill climbing at the beginning so I could enjoy more downhill speed pushing the 53T ring towards the end of the ride.
Any conflicting traffic patterns at the beginning or middle, also.
My current route has a long, though gradual, uphill as I approach the end, so I’m wearing down, shifting down a gear at a time as I get more tired. Then, I’m at my slowest and crankiest when I suddenly have to deal with traffic near the end of my ride. I actually gave a driver “the finger” on my 12th week ride.
Just the one. Usually I try to camouflage it by raising all of the other fingers at the same time.

Even after the 15 weeks are up, I’m thinking of continuing this route each week, maybe choose different start/finish points. Experiment with attire as winter sets in.
Normally I ride with four flags. Two weeks ago I rode with three.
Last week, two. I’m evaluating both their effects on wind resistance (drag) as well as visibility.
Since my route has been on a divided highway with periodic crossovers in the median, and I would then be allowed the flexibility of time and changing the route, I’ll probably start increasing the total distance by choosing further crossovers.

 

[LarryOz]

That cycling YouTube channel out of Great Britain, I think they’re called GCN, one of their hosts recently talked about comparing a road bike with a Time Trial bike. Even with the information he provided, I still have no idea what the difference might be.
He threw in an aside comment that his times would have been faster if he had ridden a recumbent, which was nice to hear.

The Norwegian guy whose video of riding his V20 in France on the Cruzbike blog page, he said something in the captions about riding part of the way as a Time Trial. Again, I have no idea what he meant by that.

I think someone asked what I would have done differently on the Time Trial, if I could start over knowing what I know now. I probably would have tried to place the starting point where it concentrates the majority of uphill climbing at the beginning so I could enjoy more downhill speed pushing the 53T ring towards the end of the ride.
Any conflicting traffic patterns at the beginning or middle, also.
My current route has a long, though gradual, uphill as I approach the end, so I’m wearing down, shifting down a gear at a time as I get more tired. Then, I’m at my slowest and crankiest when I suddenly have to deal with traffic near the end of my ride. I actually gave a driver “the finger” on my 12th week ride.
Just the one. Usually I try to camouflage it by raising all of the other fingers at the same time.

Even after the 15 weeks are up, I’m thinking of continuing this route each week, maybe choose different start/finish points. Experiment with attire as winter sets in.
Normally I ride with four flags. Two weeks ago I rode with three.
Last week, two. I’m evaluating both their effects on wind resistance (drag) as well as visibility.
Since my route has been on a divided highway with periodic crossovers in the median, and I would then be allowed the flexibility of time and changing the route, I’ll probably start increasing the total distance by choosing further crossovers.

I saw that GCN show when they talked about recumbents - they mostly have no knowledge about them.
Difference between a TT bike a regular road bike. I am no expert, but this is what I understand - and it is probably sooo much more. But basically:
Regular Road bike: regular drop handlebars. Seat and handlebars had to be a certain distance apart, and there are "other" minor geometry differences that the UCI will use to disqualify you in this category
Time Trial bike: TT handlebar where the rider is laid out as far as they feel comfortable off the front of the bike. Usually a longer distance between the seat and handlebar stem to allow them to get as low as possible. This make the upright bike much harder to ride, but much more aero and faster.
A properly setup TT bike will be as nearly as aero as a standard recumbent.

About the guy "Tor" that you referred to as saying "he said something in the captions about riding part of the way as a Time Trial" - That was his way of saying he was going to "go about as hard as he could" for that stretch. It is a general statement meant to indicate you are giving it about all you have for whatever distance you are going. In real truth, if one does a Time Trial effort of any distance of 10+ miles - if they really "gave it their all", they would need help getting off the bike and walking immediately afterwards. It is very hard to do and not advisable on publics roads. That is best done on a track!

A really nice TimeTrial course will just be an out and back segment with no stops or turns or intersections that you have to stop or slow down for. Over even a loop that you can go around and around on. This will give you the best chance to go as hard as you can as safety as you can. It will allow you to see you progress easier.

 

[ElyDave]

I think someone asked what I would have done differently on the Time Trial, if I could start over knowing what I know now. I probably would have tried to place the starting point where it concentrates the majority of uphill climbing at the beginning so I could enjoy more downhill speed pushing the 53T ring towards the end of the ride.
Any conflicting traffic patterns at the beginning or middle, also.
My current route has a long, though gradual, uphill as I approach the end, so I’m wearing down, shifting down a gear at a time as I get more tired. Then, I’m at my slowest and crankiest when I suddenly have to deal with traffic near the end of my ride. I actually gave a driver “the finger” on my 12th week ride.

You and me both, it's fairly flat where i live with one "hill" of about 15m climb that I stupidly planned my loop route to go up twice but only down once. If I'd shifted my start back by about a mile I'd be finishing just before the hill on the second loop

 

[Bill Wightman]

In real truth, if one does a Time Trial effort of any distance of 10+ miles - if they really "gave it their all", they would need help getting off the bike and walking immediately afterwards. It is very hard to do and not advisable on publics roads. That is best done on a track!

I can vouch for that. After trying to salvage one of our 12 mile TTs when stopped by a train and slowed by two cars, I ramped it up into the 195-200 bpm zone and nearly threw up as I passed the finish. Good visualization, need some CGI for that. I knew a guy who was a 100-yard sprinter in high school. He said you were not trying if your field of view did not narrow down to 30 degrees and you were not almost blacked-out at the finish. Do not try this on the bike period.

 

[ElyDave]

back in the day, when I was doing club TTs, I didn't consider it a good effort unless I went through the finish with tunnel vision. I do the same in running, and on my local 10k race would always make up 20 or more places as I was prepred to bury myself in the last 2km.

 

[trplay]

You guys are verifying what more and more serious triathletes are saying about improving their training. They are learning you can push your body much harder with smart trainers than you can on the roads for the very reasons you speak. Tons of stories about tri's who have seen massive real riding gains due to virtual riding. Try it, you might just like it.

 

[ElyDave]

As we move later into September, we start to lose evening light here, and that's when I start to use the indoor trainer. This year, I plan to start with an early ftp test, then follow the Black Book as closely as I can. Starts with lots of sub-maximal base building and then builds into nasty intervals. I've also booked one audax a month between now and February.

What I have learned over the years, particularly on ultra marathons, is that (injuries aside) your physical capability is strongly influenced by your mind. If you can coax your mind past those limitations, that's the real trick.

 

[Bill Wightman]

What I have learned over the years, particularly on ultra marathons, is that (injuries aside) your physical capability is strongly influenced by your mind.

Speaking of physical capability...I want to thank Larry for dreaming up and working this TT. I just did another HbA1C test and have reduced my value down further by about 8.5% since we started this thing. The only other thing I have done differently over that time is to start supplementing with organ based foods. I think the extreme nature of the TT has an effect on my blood chemistry. Weekly mileage has not changed. Also I can hang in the 180 bpm range for a long time now without the characteristic "distress" feeling. Pretty cool.

 

[ElyDave]

Type 1 or 2 Bill?

I find that my max HR seems to be a function of how well rested I am. I just can't get it up when I'm tired, but I seem to run around the same average of high 150s to low 160s, about 5bpm higher than I used to tolerate as a threshold value

 

[Bill Wightman]

No diabetes here, I just keep tabs on HbA1C level to know how much simple carbs to limit (I am a chocoholic). My HbA1C is now 4.4 and the only significant change in the last 12ish weeks is this TT activity. Definitely good for the body with enough recovery. Maybe the high intensity eats up the blood sugar more effectively than slow riding so less glucose binds to the red blood cells. Maybe it is somehow related to Nitric Oxide release in a TT. After these TT rides my blood pressure is crazy low and that is tightly related to NO release. I agree it is hard to get heart rate up if tired. I know from experience that if you ease into breathing deeper and faster than you need to you can generate more power and your heart rate will rise. It is like pushing with the lungs instead of the legs.

 

[LarryOz]

Cruzbike Summer 2019 TT Challenge week #13 results
Pretty average week with 16 riders!
Stats:
16 riders participated this week with 6 of them setting PBs
Congrats to Katnis who took this week's top honors with an 85 second decrease in her PB from 39:31 down to 38:08 - for her 2nd ride in this challenge
And special mention to Dean Hall who broke his PR by 65 seconds on his 13th ride in this challenge: from 35:24 down to 34:19 - Dean also jumped Larry and Alvin with that high finish to grab solo 3rd place!
Oh, and what a close points race!
Dave Zinke took kept 1st and now leads Andrew Thompson by only 3.5 points! How exciting - It is going to go down to the final week!
These 2 are also the only 2 riders who have not missed a week. 14 consecutive TT weeks - what an accomplishment! Congrats to you both!
No coincidence that 3rd thru 5th place are the only 3 riders who have ridden 13 out of 14 weeks - consistency is the name of the game!

ONLY 1 more week to ride your TT. We are in it - This is the last week - This past Monday thru Sunday the 29th!
I would love to see 100% participation this final week - so please ride your TT if you can.
Leave nothing behind - go harder than you have ever gone in this series. Let's all set a new PR this week!

Larry Oslund