steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
55:09 for Stage 7. Didn't really go to plan, but still somehow ended up with a decent time.
First lap was 30 seconds slower than the second, I think because I didn't get as good a draft as I was anticipating. Normally I've hung on to a group about halfway down the field (at least until the climbing starts), but on this stage everyone just flew past me early doors, leaving me around 450th out of only just over 500 after just a few miles. I can only guess that either it was a much faster set of riders taking part compared to the ones I'd done all the other stages with (midweek vs weekend riders?) or possibly because that first long straight is mainly uphill, so my extra weight puts me at a disadvantage early on compared to other courses where the start is mainly flat.
I did find myself in a small group just before the big descent, but then stupidly lost them at the bottom of the hill - I'd stopped pedalling for a few seconds to grab my water bottle, not realising that there was a small uptick towards the bottom which would take me out of the supertuck - the rest of the group were still pedalling, so started to pull ahead/away and once they'd gapped me, I couldn't pull them back, even when I tried putting out 1 w/kg more than them.
I also think I made a bit of a mess of the KOM first time round - just couldn't find a smooth rhythm and my watts were fluctuating all over the place - 350 one moment, 150 the next. Second lap I got it a lot more together and picked up the pace, especially in the latter stages, plus I got really lucky with the powerups - two feathers and an aero helmet all at exactly the right times for me to make full use of them.
First lap was 30 seconds slower than the second, I think because I didn't get as good a draft as I was anticipating. Normally I've hung on to a group about halfway down the field (at least until the climbing starts), but on this stage everyone just flew past me early doors, leaving me around 450th out of only just over 500 after just a few miles. I can only guess that either it was a much faster set of riders taking part compared to the ones I'd done all the other stages with (midweek vs weekend riders?) or possibly because that first long straight is mainly uphill, so my extra weight puts me at a disadvantage early on compared to other courses where the start is mainly flat.
I did find myself in a small group just before the big descent, but then stupidly lost them at the bottom of the hill - I'd stopped pedalling for a few seconds to grab my water bottle, not realising that there was a small uptick towards the bottom which would take me out of the supertuck - the rest of the group were still pedalling, so started to pull ahead/away and once they'd gapped me, I couldn't pull them back, even when I tried putting out 1 w/kg more than them.
I also think I made a bit of a mess of the KOM first time round - just couldn't find a smooth rhythm and my watts were fluctuating all over the place - 350 one moment, 150 the next. Second lap I got it a lot more together and picked up the pace, especially in the latter stages, plus I got really lucky with the powerups - two feathers and an aero helmet all at exactly the right times for me to make full use of them.
Bonkers. The soonerZwift lose this sticky draft 'feature' the better.
