Road Bike Racing - Shelled (but not dropped) at the "Weekly World's"

Did anybody else read that article in Bicycling mag this month? It was interesting as the author travels around the country, participating in the various rides that have a reputation for being hammerfests and race training.

We had our version today in Jacksonville and I thought I'd share my pain..or relive it. Any stories of your local equivalent would be cool, so I know which rides to avoid when I travel, at a minimum! :)

There were perhaps 100 people at the FCCJ Kent campus for the start of today's ride. Pretty much everyone I know who's a bike racer in town was there, including past and current state road race and time trial champions.

After about 10 miles of winding out of town, it was on like Donkey Kong. The pace cranked up to ridiculous levels, and stayed there. Highlighting random blocks of the Powertap download, I see one 45 minute block where we averaged 26.3 mph, and I was putting out 232 watts average to do it..in the pack. We averaged nearly 25 mph for two hours. Yes, before anybody asks..it's flat here. :rolleyes:

I am proud to say that I came back into the parking lot with the last 15 or so survivors. I didn't pull much; I was just gasping and trying to survive. I nearly went out the back once and another local triathlete traded pulls with me to get us back in the group. The pace in the group wasn't so bad, it was the accelerations. You'd come around a corner, talking to somebody for a sec..then look up and everybody's standing up, sprinting at 30+ mph and you've got a hundred yard gap that takes 10 minutes of gasping time trialing to make back up. :o

Anyway, it was a good ride, and I'm cooked now.

For any fellow geeks who think this is fun, some numbers from CyclingPeaks:

Peak 60min (226 watts):
Duration: 1:00:04
Work: 814 kJ
TSS: 110.8 (intensity factor 1.052)
Norm Power: 252
VI: 1.12
Distance: 25.609 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 715 226 watts
Heart Rate: n/a n/a n/a bpm
Cadence: 29 141 99 rpm
Speed: 14.3 31.6 25.6 mph
Pace 1:54 4:12 2:21 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 258 66 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1058 196 lb-in

Did anybody else read that article in Bicycling mag this month? It was interesting as the author travels around the country, participating in the various rides that have a reputation for being hammerfests and race training.

We had our version today in Jacksonville and I thought I'd share my pain..or relive it. Any stories of your local equivalent would be cool, so I know which rides to avoid when I travel, at a minimum! :)

There were perhaps 100 people at the FCCJ Kent campus for the start of today's ride. Pretty much everyone I know who's a bike racer in town was there, including past and current state road race and time trial champions.

After about 10 miles of winding out of town, it was on like Donkey Kong. The pace cranked up to ridiculous levels, and stayed there. Highlighting random blocks of the Powertap download, I see one 45 minute block where we averaged 26.3 mph, and I was putting out 232 watts average to do it..in the pack. We averaged nearly 25 mph for two hours. Yes, before anybody asks..it's flat here. :rolleyes:

I am proud to say that I came back into the parking lot with the last 15 or so survivors. I didn't pull much; I was just gasping and trying to survive. I nearly went out the back once and another local triathlete traded pulls with me to get us back in the group. The pace in the group wasn't so bad, it was the accelerations. You'd come around a corner, talking to somebody for a sec..then look up and everybody's standing up, sprinting at 30+ mph and you've got a hundred yard gap that takes 10 minutes of gasping time trialing to make back up. :o

Anyway, it was a good ride, and I'm cooked now.

For any fellow geeks who think this is fun, some numbers from CyclingPeaks:

Peak 60min (226 watts):
Duration: 1:00:04
Work: 814 kJ
TSS: 110.8 (intensity factor 1.052)
Norm Power: 252
VI: 1.12
Distance: 25.609 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 715 226 watts
Heart Rate: n/a n/a n/a bpm
Cadence: 29 141 99 rpm
Speed: 14.3 31.6 25.6 mph
Pace 1:54 4:12 2:21 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 258 66 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 1058 196 lb-in

nope. how about cutting and pasting it here, so we can read it. :D

nope. how about cutting and pasting it here, so we can read it. :D

yeah, I'm ready for another round from the IP lawyers, how 'bout you? :D

yeah, I'm ready for another round from the IP lawyers, how 'bout you? :D

believe me when i type this: IP is not easy to protect. i say: GO FOR IT.

- someone who's lost a chunk of change after having their IP stolen.

believe me when i type this: IP is not easy to protect. i say: GO FOR IT.

- someone who's lost a chunk of change after having their IP stolen.

What can possibly be "intellectual" about anything in Bicycling?:)