The "Argus" factor ?

[3wings]

I was chatting on the Bay City thread about average speed times at the recent Western Cape events and my expectations for the Argus - seems like I might have opened up a can of worms....

 

The way I see it, there must be a special 'Argus day' factor that makes us perform so much better than usual....there just has to be.....?

 

No traffic to worry about - the open road all to ourselves for a magical few hours - the atmosphere - the crowds - all that positive energy....

 

All that gives us basically two choices: Either we slow down to savour the experience and take it all in - or we crank it up a gear and let the occasion somehow carry us faster toward achieving our personal best.

 

Maybe its similar to the home-team effect, except that on Argus day the crowd makes us feel like we're all playing for the home team - that's gotta add up to something - surely ??

 

So do we really clock better km/hr averages on Argus day than any other ?

[TALUS]

I will need a lot of that, and hope the coming down to sealevel adds more magic.

[Cellar]

What a let down. I thought maybe Codpiece Cowell was riding.

[Johny Bravo]

Totally agree with you. Something about it. The crowds, the cheering, and lets not forget, EVERYONE you know is gonna ask you Monday morning what your Argus time was.

[Akon]

Not as magical as you think. With Baycity, you were still building for the Argus - probably had a hard ride on the Saturday and crammed intervals and hill training the week before as well.

 

You'll probably start tapering now already, with only 2 or 3 shortish rides next week, vegetating on the Saturday, to arrive at the Argus well rested.

 

Then, when you perhaps do get "dropped" on the Argus, you usually get sweeped up quickly by the next group - and they have no real interest in having you help in front - they are better than you after all

 

So, from there onwards you also travel faster for longer than you would in a normal funride.

[3wings]

I will need a lot of that, and hope the coming down to sealevel adds more magic.

 

Let's hope that you're one of the 'Few Good Men' who actually benefit from the 6000 foot drop in altitude

 

 

Not as magical as you think.

You'll probably start tapering now already, with only 2 or 3 shortish rides next week, vegetating on the Saturday, to arrive at the Argus well rested.

 

Then, when you perhaps do get "dropped" on the Argus, you usually get sweeped up quickly by the next group - and they have no real interest in having you help in front - they are better than you after all

 

So, from there onwards you also travel faster for longer than you would in a normal funride.

 

Okay, so that's another element of 'Argus magic' that I hadn't considered - all those extra groups coming up behind ready to sweep me up when I've hit the wall and carry me on their wings to the finish....

 

Yey !!

[Cheese]

Let's hope that you're one of the 'Few Good Men' who actually benefit from the 6000 foot drop in altitude

 

 

 

 

Okay, so that's another element of 'Argus magic' that I hadn't considered - all those extra groups coming up behind ready to sweep me up when I've hit the wall and carry me on their wings to the finish....

 

Yey !!

Yes this makes a difference, but for me I normally do worse speeds at Argus than other races. In Most races I sit in & work in the bunches, but seems like smitswinkel normally sheds me and then we are to far ahead and I do not really get picked up by other bunches. In other races normally stick with the bunch so my avg speed higher.

[3wings]

.....but seems like smitswinkel normally sheds me and then we are to far ahead and I do not really get picked up by other bunches. In other races normally stick with the bunch so my avg speed higher.

 

I've heard this before about Smitswinkel - its the first 'serious' climb after the long, relatively smooth, +/- 35km run from the top of Edinburgh Drive. There's a bit of a warm-up bump leaving Simon's Town, but Smits' does hit a lot of riders for some reason....after all the crowds cheering and whooping on the Muizenburg to Jubilee Square section, could it be that we all get a bit lonely/deflated out in the boondocks with only the baboons (and other riders ) for company ?

[Red Zone]

I have done better average speeds on other races, such as 99er, Tour de Winelands, west coast express etc.... But the Argus is quick, the climbs are over in no time and there are some long stretches where a good bunch leads to a fast average speed, think top of Edinburgh drive to Simon's Town, then from Smits to Ocean View, then from Top of Suikerbossie to the finish. Ride smart and its easy to get a "PB"

[3wings]

Okay, so here's the deal.

This will be my 6th consecutive Argus and I'm trying to break four hours.

My 'baptism' was the 2009 windy wonderland and I made it to the finish.

Perhaps I should point out that a couple years earlier I had open heart surgery and although I'd been a keen road runner in the past, wasn't expected to compete competitively ever again.

So I had to abandon running and took up cycling - and I love it !

Along the way I dropped a few kgs and now tip the scales at 80 which, being 1.86m tall, is about average.

I've been training hard since early summer, thrashing a WattBike at my local biokenticists for 75 minutes twice a week, hill training here in Somerset West where I live, lifting weights, rowing and following a healthy low-carb, protein rich diet.

Competed in every local race since Die Burger as well as long training rides to get in that all-important saddle time.

About the only thing missing is a winning strategy...... hence my quest for the magic 'Argus factor'....

 

I am a relative novice, so please bear with me, but the way I see it is this:

 

The Argus breaks down into basically three components.

1) Uphill sections/bumps/serious climbs; say total 28kms.

2) Downhill sections/fast descents; say total 11kms.

3) Relatively smooth long stretches; say total 70kms

 

Although approximations, if I average 15km/hr, 45km/hr and 35 km/hr respectively I end up with about 4hrs and 5 minutes - now that's not far off my target but still not good enough.

 

Come on guys, please help me out here, how can I plan/strategize better to achieve my goal ?

[StoneW]

Okay, so here's the deal.

This will be my 6th consecutive Argus and I'm trying to break four hours.

My 'baptism' was the 2009 windy wonderland and I made it to the finish.

Perhaps I should point out that a couple years earlier I had open heart surgery and although I'd been a keen road runner in the past, wasn't expected to compete competitively ever again.

So I had to abandon running and took up cycling - and I love it !

Along the way I dropped a few kgs and now tip the scales at 80 which, being 1.86m tall, is about average.

I've been training hard since early summer, thrashing a WattBike at my local biokenticists for 75 minutes twice a week, hill training here in Somerset West where I live, lifting weights, rowing and following a healthy low-carb, protein rich diet.

Competed in every local race since Die Burger as well as long training rides to get in that all-important saddle time.

About the only thing missing is a winning strategy...... hence my quest for the magic 'Argus factor'....

 

I am a relative novice, so please bear with me, but the way I see it is this:

 

The Argus breaks down into basically three components.

1) Uphill sections/bumps/serious climbs; say total 28kms.

2) Downhill sections/fast descents; say total 11kms.

3) Relatively smooth long stretches; say total 70kms

 

Although approximations, if I average 15km/hr, 45km/hr and 35 km/hr respectively I end up with about 4hrs and 5 minutes - now that's not far off my target but still not good enough.

 

Come on guys, please help me out here, how can I plan/strategize better to achieve my goal ?

Sorry not sure if you mentioned it before, what group are you starting with.

[Red Zone]

3Wings, its pretty much too late to do anything now that will make any major improvement come "race" day. I would hit some hills and some intervals this week, ride easy 3 - 4 times next week and then just stay at the front of your group and dont get dropped. If you do get dropped then sit up and wait for the next group to come through.

[kjind]

There's normally a split in the bunch at smithswinkel. Try to stay at the front end of the bunch when going through Simons town. The group that get away there normally work well together. Stick with them and hold on till the top of chappies.

Edited February 25, 2014 by kjind

[StoneW]

So this has always been my strategy when it comes to the Argus (regardless of what time I am aiming for that year) Sit in the bunch till Edinburgh drive then work as hard as you not to get dropped (if you get dropped, get in the next bunch), and sit all the way till Smits again work as hard as you can not to get dropped, Once you to get to the base of Chappies it’s a 90% effort to the top if you go to hard you will pop and go backwards, then the same 90% effort on Suikerbossie. The give it everything on the stretch home.

[3wings]

Sorry not sure if you mentioned it before, what group are you starting with.

 

I ride with "The Mad Bunch" - think we're looking at a 09.04

[StoneW]

I ride with "The Mad Bunch" - think we're looking at a 09.04

This does add to the diffuculty factor as by this time more than half the field are out there, so traffic becomes an issue.