NBBSTCX #4

Tried to do a hard start for half a lap then settle in and recover. Power suggests I only really managed to to a “hard start” until the tight chicane in dogtown, I got more watts out on other laps without feeling as screwed up. The perception of raised effort lasts way longer than you’re […]

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CJCX September 10, 2019

First race easier than last week, Second race a hair harder. Both went significantly quicker the second week, partly routing the course the other direction, partly swapped over to the PDX, and partly due to better driving. click to enlarge Adjusted the datafile to put the running portions at FTP (maybe too high, maybe too […]

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Taft Hill Two-Up Team Time Trial Number Two

This week: 36:25 duration, average power 339 Watts (+3.6%). Normalized Power™ (Peaksware method) 351 Watts, and Normalized Power* (my method) 354 Watts. V.I. increased from 1.027 to 1.035 which is aligned with my sense that I felt the recoveries were easier this week. Pacing across the race was really good, maybe even excellent. The only real critique of our pacing last week was that after a good solid start to get up to speed we kept that “start effort” going a bit too long. The first couple trades after the traffic circle U-turn are a bit low, but the speeds were incredibly high, I was locked into the 11-cog for a long stretch there and we got up past 40 miles per hour. Being a shade low on power when the speeds are that high is strategically ok.

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Normalized Power

What’s the best method to calculate normalized power? Thesis: There probably isn’t one, but the PeaksWare method certainly isn’t the best. Background: The objective of a normalized power metric is to report a value for relative ‘difficulty in output’ in executing an effort with a certain power profile. The specific desire is that this representative […]

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The Motherlode

‘The Motherlode’ is the name given to the 210 mile course variant at the Gold Rush Gravel Grinder. The event leaves from Spearfish South Dakota and heads up and into the Black Hills. Last year I raced the 110 mile ‘Gold Rush’ course and decided to go for the big one this time around, more […]

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Gold Rush Gravel Grinder – 2016

A lead group of a dozen formed on the first short steep hill and two climbers gapped the main pack on an early roller a few miles later. I sensed quite a bit of resignation from the pack as the duo included last year’s winner and I ended up doing more than my share of towing. I went solo just before the crosswind ended not super keen to do work for everyone else all day long. It took about ten miles before two more bridged up to me and then as a trio we soon caught the leaders making five rolling into Aid 1 at mile 32.

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