What do you consider your greatest strength as a cyclist?
10-29-16, 04:21 PM
#78
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Holding it in for long periods of time when I have to take a leak.
10-29-16, 07:49 PM
#79
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Cherry picking straight shot Strava segments with massive tailwinds and finding segments that fewer than 10 people have done and which have low hanging fruit KOMs.
Seriously. I have written out a list - a list, I tell you - of wind directions and associated segments (over 150 segments in all) and I always check the forecast days ahead to see when would be good days to target certain segments. I'm somewhat known in the area for my Cat 6 tailwind shenanigans. I've even been taunted on Strava comments when there was a 20 mph tailwind and I failed on a segment.
But my view is that it's a sin not to hit it hard when there's a massive wind at your back. It's fun to go fast. And segments don't mean very much anyway unless they're state level (or above) out-and-back time trials or well-known hill climbs, so what's the problem with catching a tailwind? People do these same segments in group rides all the time, which probably boosts the speed even more than a 20 mph wind does. One KOM in my town was set by a guy who admitted to drafting a bus (no, it wasn't me). And if anybody cares that much that a KOM was done with a monster tailwind, they can just wait until there's an even bigger tailwind to knock the KOM out of the park, right? Or find a UPS driver to pace them. And how much tailwind is "cheating"? Are we supposed to do segments into a headwind? Methinks not. I'd bet nearly all of the straight shot KOMs are wind aided, not wind hindered.
Actually, when I go hard, I prefer doing loops or out-and-backs with very low winds. It's a more true test. But when it's windy for several days in a row, I'd rather plan ahead accordingly for my hard rides and go easy into the wind to warm up and then have fun headed back rather than struggle and burn all my matches on the way out.
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
Seriously. I have written out a list - a list, I tell you - of wind directions and associated segments (over 150 segments in all) and I always check the forecast days ahead to see when would be good days to target certain segments. I'm somewhat known in the area for my Cat 6 tailwind shenanigans. I've even been taunted on Strava comments when there was a 20 mph tailwind and I failed on a segment.
But my view is that it's a sin not to hit it hard when there's a massive wind at your back. It's fun to go fast. And segments don't mean very much anyway unless they're state level (or above) out-and-back time trials or well-known hill climbs, so what's the problem with catching a tailwind? People do these same segments in group rides all the time, which probably boosts the speed even more than a 20 mph wind does. One KOM in my town was set by a guy who admitted to drafting a bus (no, it wasn't me). And if anybody cares that much that a KOM was done with a monster tailwind, they can just wait until there's an even bigger tailwind to knock the KOM out of the park, right? Or find a UPS driver to pace them. And how much tailwind is "cheating"? Are we supposed to do segments into a headwind? Methinks not. I'd bet nearly all of the straight shot KOMs are wind aided, not wind hindered.
Actually, when I go hard, I prefer doing loops or out-and-backs with very low winds. It's a more true test. But when it's windy for several days in a row, I'd rather plan ahead accordingly for my hard rides and go easy into the wind to warm up and then have fun headed back rather than struggle and burn all my matches on the way out.
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
Last edited by Zuzus pedals; 10-29-16 at 07:58 PM.
11-02-16, 12:24 PM
#81
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Greatest strength: I fire off a pretty fair snot-rocket, right side. Left side needs work though.
11-02-16, 12:49 PM
#83
Recusant Iconoclast
11-02-16, 01:03 PM
#84
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My ability to crash violently in public in front of other riders and get up dirty and bloody and continue to ride while they stare at me thinking WTF**********
Seriously, I crash about every 18 months in a way that makes people wonder how I got up and walked away let alone pedaled away (sometimes with only one side of my bars or only one gear) and aside from road rash and nasty bruises, I escape unscathed and none the worse for wear. And there is always a freakin audience when I do.
Aside from that, I can pull pretty good, not the fastest puller in the group but I can stay up there forever into the wind since I do the majority of my riding alone and I am used to it.
Seriously, I crash about every 18 months in a way that makes people wonder how I got up and walked away let alone pedaled away (sometimes with only one side of my bars or only one gear) and aside from road rash and nasty bruises, I escape unscathed and none the worse for wear. And there is always a freakin audience when I do.
Aside from that, I can pull pretty good, not the fastest puller in the group but I can stay up there forever into the wind since I do the majority of my riding alone and I am used to it.
11-02-16, 01:22 PM
#85
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What aspect of your riding to you consider yourself to be your best...or better than most of those around you?
Climbing
Downhill
Endurance
Racing
Sprinting
Agility
Staying Aero
Encouraging others in your group?
Add your own - I'm sure I'm not covering it all here.
Me? I've noticed (at least in the group I ride in) that I tend to be a good down-hiller. I'm able to make up a lot of ground in a short amount of time on the downhills...which isn't bad, considering I'm only about 155 lbs.
You?
Climbing
Downhill
Endurance
Racing
Sprinting
Agility
Staying Aero
Encouraging others in your group?
Add your own - I'm sure I'm not covering it all here.
Me? I've noticed (at least in the group I ride in) that I tend to be a good down-hiller. I'm able to make up a lot of ground in a short amount of time on the downhills...which isn't bad, considering I'm only about 155 lbs.
You?
I enjoy suffering
encouraging others; for some reason, i always end up pulling a club members wife/girlfriend when they get dropped or are lost
Maybe i'm more patient than their SO
Last edited by TexMac; 11-02-16 at 01:29 PM.
11-02-16, 02:16 PM
#86
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Cherry picking straight shot Strava segments with massive tailwinds and finding segments that fewer than 10 people have done and which have low hanging fruit KOMs.
Seriously. I have written out a list - a list, I tell you - of wind directions and associated segments (over 150 segments in all) and I always check the forecast days ahead to see when would be good days to target certain segments. I'm somewhat known in the area for my Cat 6 tailwind shenanigans. I've even been taunted on Strava comments when there was a 20 mph tailwind and I failed on a segment.
But my view is that it's a sin not to hit it hard when there's a massive wind at your back. It's fun to go fast. And segments don't mean very much anyway unless they're state level (or above) out-and-back time trials or well-known hill climbs, so what's the problem with catching a tailwind? People do these same segments in group rides all the time, which probably boosts the speed even more than a 20 mph wind does. One KOM in my town was set by a guy who admitted to drafting a bus (no, it wasn't me). And if anybody cares that much that a KOM was done with a monster tailwind, they can just wait until there's an even bigger tailwind to knock the KOM out of the park, right? Or find a UPS driver to pace them. And how much tailwind is "cheating"? Are we supposed to do segments into a headwind? Methinks not. I'd bet nearly all of the straight shot KOMs are wind aided, not wind hindered.
Actually, when I go hard, I prefer doing loops or out-and-backs with very low winds. It's a more true test. But when it's windy for several days in a row, I'd rather plan ahead accordingly for my hard rides and go easy into the wind to warm up and then have fun headed back rather than struggle and burn all my matches on the way out.
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
Seriously. I have written out a list - a list, I tell you - of wind directions and associated segments (over 150 segments in all) and I always check the forecast days ahead to see when would be good days to target certain segments. I'm somewhat known in the area for my Cat 6 tailwind shenanigans. I've even been taunted on Strava comments when there was a 20 mph tailwind and I failed on a segment.
But my view is that it's a sin not to hit it hard when there's a massive wind at your back. It's fun to go fast. And segments don't mean very much anyway unless they're state level (or above) out-and-back time trials or well-known hill climbs, so what's the problem with catching a tailwind? People do these same segments in group rides all the time, which probably boosts the speed even more than a 20 mph wind does. One KOM in my town was set by a guy who admitted to drafting a bus (no, it wasn't me). And if anybody cares that much that a KOM was done with a monster tailwind, they can just wait until there's an even bigger tailwind to knock the KOM out of the park, right? Or find a UPS driver to pace them. And how much tailwind is "cheating"? Are we supposed to do segments into a headwind? Methinks not. I'd bet nearly all of the straight shot KOMs are wind aided, not wind hindered.
Actually, when I go hard, I prefer doing loops or out-and-backs with very low winds. It's a more true test. But when it's windy for several days in a row, I'd rather plan ahead accordingly for my hard rides and go easy into the wind to warm up and then have fun headed back rather than struggle and burn all my matches on the way out.
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
11-02-16, 05:01 PM
#87
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Cherry picking straight shot Strava segments with massive tailwinds and finding segments that fewer than 10 people have done and which have low hanging fruit KOMs.
...
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
...
Well, that's what I'm good at - using tailwind to make myself seem faster than I am. And maximizing tailwind advantage is a skill, like being a magician. It requires intimate knowledge of the segments and knowing the little details like how the tiniest variation in wind direction can create "canyon effect" winds that prevent getting the most benefit from a tailwind, or exactly where the dead spots in a segment are going to be and how much slowdown to expect there.
Now it's not like I sit around and calculate this stuff - I've just developed a feel for it. People do the very same thing in mass start races, of course - they anticipate where the wind will be on parts of the course and try to position themselves to be in the most advantageous spot (all the while taking into account their place on the inside or outside of a bend, which wheels they need to be close to if a move is made, etc.). Basically, we all try to get the most return for our efforts. I take no shame in turning Cat 6 into an art form.
Nothing stopping anyone else from getting out on those windy days with you.
11-02-16, 05:32 PM
#88
Non omnino gravis
But my view is that it's a sin not to hit it hard when there's a massive wind at your back. It's fun to go fast. And segments don't mean very much anyway unless they're state level (or above) out-and-back time trials or well-known hill climbs, so what's the problem with catching a tailwind? People do these same segments in group rides all the time, which probably boosts the speed even more than a 20 mph wind does. One KOM in my town was set by a guy who admitted to drafting a bus (no, it wasn't me).
I have a couple of other KOMs brought courtesy of pure dumb luck, where a 3-5 mile long segment is interrupted by 15+ stoplights, and I just happened to make most (or all) of them one day. A bit of luck can go a long way.
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