Do headwinds affect your speed more than tailwinds?
- Thread starter Osiris
- Start date
I don't understand why anyone cares about KOMs nor do I get the angst when an XERT user gets a breakthru but the software glitches and doesn't award a gold medal onto the user's performance chart. I am sure someone figured out how to use e power on Zwift. I can think of a way and I am not a Swifter. It is probably easier to just self identify as the fairer sex...a svelte one.
I find that Strava lets me compare and trend my performance against myself very easily, whether on known climbs or TT sections. On the shorter TT sections, I perform ABBA testing for final testing of aero changes. If done multiple times, it is a good validation plus you get training effect unlike the tedious (but precise) Chung method. The only two metrics that currently excite me are beating my own personal bests on one of my 5 minute climbs or lowering my 10 mile TT time.
I find that Strava lets me compare and trend my performance against myself very easily, whether on known climbs or TT sections. On the shorter TT sections, I perform ABBA testing for final testing of aero changes. If done multiple times, it is a good validation plus you get training effect unlike the tedious (but precise) Chung method. The only two metrics that currently excite me are beating my own personal bests on one of my 5 minute climbs or lowering my 10 mile TT time.
Balor
Zen MBB Master
If you really think about it (thought you might be better off not doing it, if you have the choice) - neither strava KOMs, nor your personal bests have any extrinsic meaning or value, only intrinsic ones. And what it comes to your own personal values - anything goes.
It might be prudent not to have your sense of achievement reliant of external factors, though... but again, you may not have a choice in that matter as well.
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
People are competitive by nature. If someone getting a higher score than you gives you that added impetus to train harder, why not use it? Before I got "fast", I would always try to beat my previous best performances on Strava. After a time, those personal bests in many cases also happened to place me at the top of the Strava leader boards.
There's a bent rider I often ride with who has made it her goal to win every QOM in the area. She retired from racing in 2005, but she hasn't lost one bit of her competitive drive. Unlike me, she will deliberately race certain segments when she's helped by a tailwind, or draft faster male riders to improve her times. I've told her that completely disagree with that approach because the results are not a true measure of her ability, but her response is that in actual races, one makes use of whatever opportunities are available to win, so she sees nothing wrong with it.
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
I thought Strava tracked you by the GPS.Balor said:
Balor
Zen MBB Master
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
Balor is a genius! Before I go on Zwift I am getting a magnet on every spoke. Nyaaaahahahahaha!
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
There's something very strange going on. Another rider beat three of my Strava records, though I managed to take one of them back recently. I don't recognize the name, but he seems to be a very strong cyclist, managing to top the leader boards ahead of most of the best racers around. I did some research on him, but what I've managed to dig up makes no sense. For starters, he's an old guy -- at least my age or older, and he rides fewer miles per week than I do. He's also fat, outweighing me by about 80 lbs, judging by his Facebook photos. He rides a diamond frame, which should be significantly slower than my V20, yet his power numbers on the same segments are only slightly higher than mine. If I were to go that fast on my diamond frame, I would need to generate at least 100 watts more than he does. Stranger still, he also holds KOM's on many hill climbs. How does an old fat guy who only rides on weekends manage to beat all the young racers on the climbs? Something's not right here. 
jond
Zen MBB Master
There's something very strange going on. Another rider beat three of my Strava records, though I managed to take one of them back recently. I don't recognize the name, but he seems to be a very strong cyclist, managing to top the leader boards ahead of most of the best racers around. I did some research on him, but what I've managed to dig up makes no sense. For starters, he's an old guy -- at least my age or older, and he rides fewer miles per week than I do. He's also fat, outweighing me by about 80 lbs, judging by his Facebook photos. He rides a diamond frame, which should be significantly slower than my V20, yet his power numbers on the same segments are only slightly higher than mine. If I were to go that fast on my diamond frame, I would need to generate at least 100 watts more than he does. Stranger still, he also holds KOM's on many hill climbs. How does an old fat guy who only rides on weekends manage to beat all the young racers on the climbs? Something's not right here.
It hurts to lose a kom I know much nashing of teeth wringing of hands with incredulity.
Obviously your nemesis is not human. That and a battery e assist will do the trick.
I’m thinking late night motorcycle. When a two year plus kom falls to a rider whom rides little with no metrics it’s time to cheat too. Surely he cheated. Right. Must have.
But....... I can’t do it despite losing said kom s to a likely cheat (I can’t have been beaten I clamour echoing every other former kom holder Noooooooooooo!)
and another kom to a bunch group of df young twits on df poseur brand faggot bikes I can’t afford. How dare they. Lol.
Nah I’m inspired to have another go with the v20 super cheater aero miracle kom loving machine and keep my sandle wearing street cred and integrity fast and unsullied.
One day anyway.
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
It is such a nice feeling being passed by some twit on a Trek. It makes me so happy! The good news is that I can still overtake the Dutch bikes and the folders and the old woman on the trike with the crate over the back wheels.
I am not getting an e. At least, not until she overtakes me.
I am not getting an e. At least, not until she overtakes me.
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
He definitely rode a bike. I can see the lightening symbol right beside his power output numbers, which means it's also equipped with a power meter. So unless his power meter is malfunctioning and seriously under-reporting his power output, something else is going on. On one of his hill climb KOM's, he somehow managed an average speed of 24.6 mph with an average power output of only 311 watts. On a diamond frame.
Balor
Zen MBB Master
He definitely rode a bike. I can see the lightening symbol right beside his power output numbers, which means it's also equipped with a power meter. So unless his power meter is malfunctioning and seriously under-reporting his power output, something else is going on. On one of his hill climb KOM's, he somehow managed an average speed of 24.6 mph with an average power output of only 311 watts. On a diamond frame.
Hear about 'digital epo'? A very simple (for a programmer) GPX file tampering will get turn you into a veritable powerhouse - fast, powerful, and even with believable power and HR numbers. *shrugs*
But otherwise nothing prevents one from using front or rear e-wheel AND crank/pedal based PM.
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
Oh yes, I once knew someone who used that software, but only as a joke. He would post outrageously high speeds, winning every KOM in the area, and then delete all his records after people began to complain about it. It's possible that this guy could be doing something like that. I found another local rider who knows him, so I'll get to the bottom of this soon enough.
There's something very strange going on. Another rider beat three of my Strava records, though I managed to take one of them back recently. I don't recognize the name, but he seems to be a very strong cyclist, managing to top the leader boards ahead of most of the best racers around. I did some research on him, but what I've managed to dig up makes no sense. For starters, he's an old guy -- at least my age or older, and he rides fewer miles per week than I do. He's also fat, outweighing me by about 80 lbs, judging by his Facebook photos. He rides a diamond frame, which should be significantly slower than my V20, yet his power numbers on the same segments are only slightly higher than mine. If I were to go that fast on my diamond frame, I would need to generate at least 100 watts more than he does. Stranger still, he also holds KOM's on many hill climbs. How does an old fat guy who only rides on weekends manage to beat all the young racers on the climbs? Something's not right here.
How dare you.
I am not 80 pounds overweight unless you are counting my 48V 1 gigawatt battery pack.
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
Did you ever make it to the West Orange trail?
No. I am north in Tavares for a 200k on Saturday and 300k on Sunday. Today, I am probably going to ride out to that big mountain. I am looking at the map and it appears the Apopka terminus is only 15 miles away. Maybe that is a better option than Sugarloaf because I get to do it twice Saturday. Is the trail really good? I just want to do an easy 30-35 miles
Osiris
Zen MBB Master
It's my favorite trail, though it does get a bit congested on weekends as you pass through the Winter Garden area. The greatest distance I've ever traveled on this particular trail was a 55 mile loop, but I'm told it goes at least 10 miles further. My favorite parts of the trail tend to be pretty deserted and flat, making them ideal for fast bents. Here's a portion of it filmed from my drone:
I rode from the Northern end to the Southern end and then onto the Southern Lakes (?) trail. Around 50 miles. I agree, the section from Winter Park past the golf course is the best with few other riders and nice trees. The left turn after Winter Park going north by the wooden bridge has some incredible old oaks that must be 400 years old. Only downside were lots tricycles riding side by side (several groups were 3 riders spread across the trail) and of course, the stop signs. Great pavement.
