Bike Forums - sub 5 hour Centuries.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Campag4life (Post 14119644)

I believe you hit on perhaps the keynote reason that guys latch on and don't pull. I am always amazed...well not really as the 41 is basically just a cross-section of the cycling public...when cyclists get so upset by wheel suckers. Even your opinion...they should admit their weakness...lol. Why? Anybody who has been doing pacelines for any length of time gets it. Wheel suckers are by and large harmless. Most decent cyclists get it. If a guy sticks on the back and doesn't pull, he likely doesn't have the strength to do it. So what. There is nothing wrong with a weaker rider wanting to part of the group. The guy sucking the back of a pack may have more social redeeming value than the whole pack combined but that doesn't stop those from hating on them.

I think this is what I think I think. What's the problem with a wheel sucker, as long as he/she is just sitting back there? They obviously realize you are stronger, that might just be why they are latched on. I suppose if showing your strength is important, then drop em. Other than safety or ego concerns, I don't see a problem. But then I am older than average, fatter than I should be, and make up for those two deficiencies by being slow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caloso (Post 14114449)

5 hours solo is impressive. In a group, not so much.

I think recumbent riders may be a little bit more diciplined when it comes to longer distances. Since there are so few of us out there and never other recumbent riders to draft in large recumbent pacelines, we must do all our centuries solo if we want to do it fast. I've done a 104 mile time trial solo with a 4:15 and a couple years later in 2010 a 4:06 This year on a different bike I'm shooting for a sub 3:50 solo. Feeding and hydration management will be critical to reach my goal. All the club race rides in the area consist of riders taking short pulls in pacelines. That is not the way to train if you want to do a 40 k tt up to a 12 hour non drafting event. Any type of riding is beneficial, but intervals alone in a paceline isn't going to prepare you for 4 to 5 hours of full tilt effort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian416 (Post 14124944)

The climbing stuff was riding pretty hard. Mostly me sucking wheel behind really strong riders. For sure climbing within a group is harder than a flat century. On those hills I was hammering up them and when you're in the saddle for 5+ hours, it hurts to do those really hard efforts

Well done Brian and thanks again for the info...figured it was in the 180-200 average watt zone for 5 hours. I agree with the poster that said the average BF'er ain't gonna be able to do that. Doing it for 2-3 hours is one thing...riding that hard for 5 hours changes things a bit in my experience :)
Cheers.