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Old 06-06-09, 11:17 PM
  #9  
velotel
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Grenoble, France
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Originally Posted by rdtompki
Unbelievable! I just want to get to the point where I can climb decently at your same age! You're wise to joust with a statistic that's not dependent on pace. Are you both using identical cyclometers/gps or do you have a technology advantage?
It's my son with all the technology. Me, I don't even ride with a watch much less a gps or cyclometer. I then map out what I did using maymyride if I want to know the verticals or ridewithgps if I just want the distance (which I then have to convert to metric since they only work with the dead king's appendages. I also check the verticals that mapmyride comes up with against info from the 'Atlas des Cols' books I have plus from this site : http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/motore.aspx?da=az just to verify if the figures from mapmyride are looking solid. Mapmyride has become much better than it used to be for verticals while ridewithgps and the other sites I've used are totally whacky for verticals.
Your comment on pace is one reason why I enjoy this long distance competition with my son so much. I just go at whatever speed I can generate with no pressure whatsoever to keep up with anyone. And by the end of that ride my pace was way slow. Had to stop a number of times during the last climb to the col above my house. Even had to stop twice during the km that averages close to 13% with a long section at 16%; once at the bottom and once about half way up. Usually I can ride that climb non-stop but not this time. And the last 2+ km that average around 10% were a total grind with me wishing with every stroke that I had a 34/27 or even a 34/29 for my low gear instead of the 34/25.
On the other hand I was grinning from ear to ear even if it was only inside my head because I knew this ride was going to blow my son's socks off. Also because from the col back to my house was nothing but downhill (well, just a slight uphill into the village) and a fast one. Somebody in a car followed me down and was racing to clock me and when I got to the intersection to turn left to my village, this guy pulled up alongside and asked me if I knew how fast I'd been going. Which I didn't of course since I have nothing to tell me my speed. Apparently he was impressed as I was hitting over 80 kph on the straights and not all that much slower through lots of the turns. Great way to finish up a fine ride.
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