Cruzbike Time Trial Challenge 2020
- Thread starter LarryOz
- Start date
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Amazing Video Marco!!! - You mostly costing around all those roundabouts (for nearly 1 min total) makes your 300 avg watts for your ride even more impressive! Congrats my friend. I was thinking of video one of my ride soon too. Would love videos from anyone else. Great entertainment!
ccf
Guru
I got my Week 5 in just in time today. I had shifted my TT day to Tuesday, but I wasn't feeling motivated on Tuesday, then life got busy (work, birthday, anniversary). I tried the negative split approach that @ccooper recommended, taking the first half out at a target power equal to the average power of my PB, then bringing it back as strong as I could. For my PB a few weeks ago, I took the first half out at an "aspirational" target power and tried to hang on (fly and die). Today I was 5 seconds behind by PB pace at 3.8 miles, but caught myself at 7.8 miles and finished 10 seconds ahead. Average power was 4 watts higher than my PB. It also didn't hurt that my legs were well-rested and the garage was 9 degF cooler.
No PR for me. Strong wind, light showers. Should have gone this morning, light wind, heavy showers, just hate getting soaked. Drat! Only needed to shave off 2 seconds/mile to PR, but just could not do it. I think the wind died on my last downwind leg, or my legs did, or maybe both.
I am actually a fairly high cadence rider, able to work well at 95+, but that tends to be on a lower effort. I need to do some more work to get the same speed at higher cadence on this kind of thing, I don't have the leg strength to push a big gear slowly.
I'm cringing as you go round those roundabouts, mostly because I can't see the traffic. It was a situation like that where I got T-boned on just a casual ride resulting in a fractured pelvis. My back is still suffering 18 months later
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
I went out and rode my TT route this morning at 6am and shot this video.
I am not nearly as powerful or fast at Marco so probably not as much fun to watch
, but at least you see what I see (and deal with) every week:
I do have a 360 camera packed away somewhere - I'll try and find it for the next one - better than just watching my feet pass by.
I am not nearly as powerful or fast at Marco so probably not as much fun to watch
, but at least you see what I see (and deal with) every week:I do have a 360 camera packed away somewhere - I'll try and find it for the next one - better than just watching my feet pass by.
Cadence is an interesting topic. From a physics standpoint, lower cadence would be better, but there is so much more to consider. When pushing for a PR on the V20, my legs were most comfortable in a narrow RPM range, 98-105. Trying to make time up hill I would spin at 110-115. Since the accident, I have been riding the V20 on an indoor trainer when the weather is crap, and a trike outside when the weather is good. Now, my comfortable RPM range is 85-90, both on the V20 (on the trainer) and the trike. I don't get it. I do not know what changed. My speed on the trike is approaching that of the V20 on the same (outside) course, so I am putting out about the same amount of power at lower RPM. I can't explain it, it just is.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
How interesting - that your comfortable RPM is now lower. But, yes it is true - A lower RPM gives your legs "more" to push against so it "seems" easier to push more power that way (kind of like climbing a hill allowing you to push more power), then spinning at higher RPM. The low RPM works until your muscles are fatigued with pushing hard. I think you have to train your aerobic system to deal with higher RPM so it can handle it without you getting winded.
Have you been spending more time on the trike over the V20? Amazing your trike speed is the same as your V20 speed. My wife has an ICE "Sprint" trike which is no slouch, but there is no way I can even come close to my V20 speed on her trike. However I have noticed that it is harder for me to have as high a cadence on her trike. Might have to do with body and leg angles.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Cruzbike 2020 TT Results - week #5
Hi Everyone!
Another fantastic week by everyone!
This week we had a total to 54 riders!
Some Stats:
Most improved over PB:
Congrats to Ben Gesch who for the 2nd week beat his previous PB: by 105 seconds this week!
Points Podium:
1st - Neal Brooks: 195
2rd - Jim Parker: 185
3rd - Rob Lloyd : 175
There were 31 new PB's this week - Wow again! - how long can everyone keep this up - and huge gains too!
Jason P and Chris C are tied at total power on Zwift with 321 watts - how amazing is that! The chase is on!
Looking forward to everyone's results for week #6.
Please remember to "name" your ride for me in case I have to search for it in your Strava feed - helps me out a lot.
Ride Hard and Stay Safe!
Larry Oslund
p.s Don't forget to check out a couple of videos that were posted on the Cruzbike forum this week:
Hi Everyone!
Another fantastic week by everyone!
This week we had a total to 54 riders!
Some Stats:
Most improved over PB:
Congrats to Ben Gesch who for the 2nd week beat his previous PB: by 105 seconds this week!
Points Podium:
1st - Neal Brooks: 195
2rd - Jim Parker: 185
3rd - Rob Lloyd : 175
There were 31 new PB's this week - Wow again! - how long can everyone keep this up - and huge gains too!
Jason P and Chris C are tied at total power on Zwift with 321 watts - how amazing is that! The chase is on!
Looking forward to everyone's results for week #6.
Please remember to "name" your ride for me in case I have to search for it in your Strava feed - helps me out a lot.
Ride Hard and Stay Safe!
Larry Oslund
p.s Don't forget to check out a couple of videos that were posted on the Cruzbike forum this week:
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Great video Rob! - Loving these videos - wish we could see what everyone is experiencing!
Rob Lloyd
Well-Known Member
My camera mounting is too flexy. Got some new parts coming to hopefully improve the picture so it isn't so jittery. At least I've improved the sound the last couple weeks. Week 1 is almost unwatchable without turning the volume all the way down.
No camera at the moment, but would love to get a video up here when I can. Interesting to see that most courses seem to be out and back so far, whereas mine is quite twisty, hard to avoid where I am.
Tonights effort, better than Sunday but still not back to that pace-setter, shows no sand-bagging by me! Today was far calmer than last week, and may be about the best day this week, so not ideal to be two days after the last hard effort. It was dry and there was a breeze, just enough to keep my speed down on the section where I can make up most time in flat conditions. I also managed to screw up my last turn taking a wide route and losing speed vs close into the corner - there is a drain cover to avoid.
Cadence at 90 again, my problem is that the legs are not quite trained enough to operate much above 95 for long at the moment, tending to be in a sweet spot between about 88 and 95. I think it will be an advantage to me if I can manage to work higher as my CV system is comfortable - average HR today of 163 / max 173, whereas my musculo-skeletal system fatigues much earlier.
I might get one more attempt in on Saturday, well rested. It's been a hard couple of weeks on the bike, so I may drop a ride this week in favour of an extra yoga session.
EDIT : 43 secs down on the PB, it'll come
Tonights effort, better than Sunday but still not back to that pace-setter, shows no sand-bagging by me! Today was far calmer than last week, and may be about the best day this week, so not ideal to be two days after the last hard effort. It was dry and there was a breeze, just enough to keep my speed down on the section where I can make up most time in flat conditions. I also managed to screw up my last turn taking a wide route and losing speed vs close into the corner - there is a drain cover to avoid.
Cadence at 90 again, my problem is that the legs are not quite trained enough to operate much above 95 for long at the moment, tending to be in a sweet spot between about 88 and 95. I think it will be an advantage to me if I can manage to work higher as my CV system is comfortable - average HR today of 163 / max 173, whereas my musculo-skeletal system fatigues much earlier.
I might get one more attempt in on Saturday, well rested. It's been a hard couple of weeks on the bike, so I may drop a ride this week in favour of an extra yoga session.
EDIT : 43 secs down on the PB, it'll come
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markciccio
Active Member
According to Larry, I have changed my Strava segment. It was because the old one was quite dangerous (I think you saw that in the video). I have found a closed 400m circuit near my house, it is safer and always open. I have made a video about some tests so I can share with you how it is. The overall performance is very similar to the old one so I think nothing significant has changed.
That would be a great circuit to have Mark, I'm envious. If you saw Larry's videe with the garbage truck pulling out, thta's what happened to me on my first circuit, except the road was only just wide enough for the garbage truck and it stopped to make a pick up. Where I am, I have roundabuts, busy roads and rail crossing all around, so any circuit is a compromise, but you look to have found the perfect one, as long as you can have it to yourself. There is an old airfield near me that would be ideal, but I don't think you can do a full circuit of it, I might take an easy ride out later in the week and have a look, perhaps for next year?
I went out again yesterday, really good conditions, a bit like Tuesday, sunny, quite humid, light wind but still in the wrong direction. The thing that changed was my mindset. I decided to go out with a view that cadence was the important thing, keep it above 95 on the flats, not let it drop too much on the uphill either and let the speed do what it does. Hopefully that woudl shift the balance away from my chicken-legs to my much better CV system. I also tweaked the gears a bit as the shifting had got a little off, need to work on that this week.
Three days this week: Sunday, rainy and very gusty winds, Tuesday and Saturday, sunny, dry, light winds.
Day / Time / Ave speed / Max speed / ave cad / ave HR / Max HR / delta to PB (34:19)
Sunday 36:19 / 31.8 / 40.6 / 90 / A 165 / M175 / 2:00
Tuesday 35:02 / 32.9 / 45.9 / 90 / A 163 / M173 / 0:43
Saturday 34:24 / 33.5 / 50.1 / 94 / A165 / M175 / 0:05
Sunday the clear outlier because of the weather, but interesting on the Monday vs Saturday comparison. Might be that my legs were fresher yesterday as well, but it seems fairly conclusive that keeping the cadence up suits me better for not a lot of impact on the CV side. I was regularly above 100, and ching down gears if I dropped below about 92 on the flat, let it drop to mid-80's uphill. I do it on long tours and audax, I used to do it for club TTs on the upright, so why had I stopped doing it on the CB?
I'd also be interested to see what biked everyone is using, from a perspective of absolute times? I'm on a stock S40, rigged for touring, with rear rack and rack pack (I can't call on the sag-wagon so need the get-me-home kit), rear dynamo hub and dyno lights, and no magic hat like Mark above.
I went out again yesterday, really good conditions, a bit like Tuesday, sunny, quite humid, light wind but still in the wrong direction. The thing that changed was my mindset. I decided to go out with a view that cadence was the important thing, keep it above 95 on the flats, not let it drop too much on the uphill either and let the speed do what it does. Hopefully that woudl shift the balance away from my chicken-legs to my much better CV system. I also tweaked the gears a bit as the shifting had got a little off, need to work on that this week.
Three days this week: Sunday, rainy and very gusty winds, Tuesday and Saturday, sunny, dry, light winds.
Day / Time / Ave speed / Max speed / ave cad / ave HR / Max HR / delta to PB (34:19)
Sunday 36:19 / 31.8 / 40.6 / 90 / A 165 / M175 / 2:00
Tuesday 35:02 / 32.9 / 45.9 / 90 / A 163 / M173 / 0:43
Saturday 34:24 / 33.5 / 50.1 / 94 / A165 / M175 / 0:05
Sunday the clear outlier because of the weather, but interesting on the Monday vs Saturday comparison. Might be that my legs were fresher yesterday as well, but it seems fairly conclusive that keeping the cadence up suits me better for not a lot of impact on the CV side. I was regularly above 100, and ching down gears if I dropped below about 92 on the flat, let it drop to mid-80's uphill. I do it on long tours and audax, I used to do it for club TTs on the upright, so why had I stopped doing it on the CB?
I'd also be interested to see what biked everyone is using, from a perspective of absolute times? I'm on a stock S40, rigged for touring, with rear rack and rack pack (I can't call on the sag-wagon so need the get-me-home kit), rear dynamo hub and dyno lights, and no magic hat like Mark above.
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nobrakes
Well-Known Member
I had a dismal fail this week. Too many weeks at full gas and then 2 weeks of crazy hours at work and a double century - fell apart after the turn and had to abandon with 3 miles to go. I have been tweaking the M5 more instead. My raised return idler disintegrated during my double century so I’ve gone to a standard over/under setup. Then the chain was catching on the seat bolts so I put some spacers under the front seat mount points. I didn’t think it would make much of a difference but the seat feels significantly flatter even though the front was only raised about 5mm.
Then I thought I would try a more aero hand set up. I’ve been riding with my hands on the brake hoods right by the stem which gets the elbows out the wind. I put the bar end shifters on the end of two bar ends and now I have more of a gunner set up. Feels really comfy but a bit twitchier. The TT R2C shifters work really well with this position. Previously I had them on the end of the bars which was also great but was a bit of arm movement to get from aero position to gear changing position.
problem I have now is with the flatter seat I’m staring through a pile of brake cable. I’m going to order some reverse brake levers and see how that works out.
Then I thought I would try a more aero hand set up. I’ve been riding with my hands on the brake hoods right by the stem which gets the elbows out the wind. I put the bar end shifters on the end of two bar ends and now I have more of a gunner set up. Feels really comfy but a bit twitchier. The TT R2C shifters work really well with this position. Previously I had them on the end of the bars which was also great but was a bit of arm movement to get from aero position to gear changing position.
problem I have now is with the flatter seat I’m staring through a pile of brake cable. I’m going to order some reverse brake levers and see how that works out.
Attachments
What are "reverse brake levers"? It seems both types of TT bar end levers would work with your setup (internal & external cable). I drilled my handlebars and am now using the internal cable type & really like how clean the setup is on the bars - no cables screwing up the airflow.
That was my preference also but I wanted to keep my twist shifters, so I drilled the bars. 8^(
