Reversed Route 94.7 2018

[Tabula Rasa]

79 Km/h on downhill to Cosmo City

That was a lekker descent, the road was so smooth.

[CAAD4]

No....nobody cares.

 

But there is a sense of accomplishment if you complete it by yourself without help.

This motorized crap takes a lot of that accomplishment away.

But it's also getting more people out on bikes. Enjoy your finishers medal.

[Frosty]

2017 Avg HR 169 & Avg Power 204W

2018 Avg HR 155 & Avg Power 220W

 

????? Not sure how that work unless you way fitter?

 

 

It helps when you only weight 60kg and know how to hide in the bunch

Fitter? Yes, probably due to the +900km of running I’ve done this year. Climbing strength has taken a beating, but fitness is definitely up.

 

As for weight, hmm, 78 + a steel frame means a bit more work required on the ascents.

[Bbbbbbbb]

3h32....

3:48 on a spark with nice 2.35 knoblies...

[Bbbbbbbb]

3h32....

3:48 on a spark with nice 2.35 knoblies...

 

Oh and a 1x11 so ran out of gears on every diwnhill

[s14phoenix]

I pedaled as fast as I could and still only hit 79kmh with 53/11 gearing and aero tuck and aero bike... I think my problem is weight or the lack thereof at 66kg on race day. Some places I actually had to keep pedaling as I lost speed...

[keithbe]

Good point. Never considered cadence. 1x great for MTB and definitely isn't the most friendly on longer distance road rides. Guess I'll need to try out a road bike to get a feel for it. Do you use 2 or 3 rings upfront?

 

That and your ratios are just too far apart for real cadence efficiency.

[MudLark]

Good point. Never considered cadence. 1x great for MTB and definitely isn't the most friendly on longer distance road rides. Guess I'll need to try out a road bike to get a feel for it. Do you use 2 or 3 rings upfront?

 

Most modern roadbikes only have two chainrings. I changed my cassette from standard on my roadbike to give me a slightly wider range and a bit more climbing ability but the ratios are still quite close. FWIW, ratio spacing is also why some riders prefer 2×10 for the Cape Epic. But I like the simplicity of 1x12 on MTB but on road 2x11 is best IMHO - you need the close ratios to keep your cadence in the right range all the time. For me its around 85 or so.

[scotty]

Apparently this guy rode with Aero bars, I thought they were not allowed.

 

 

[Jase619]

Well not many complaints about goodie bags, but quite a few about E Bikes. Really? Some take the fun ride world Champs so seriously. Just get on with it man. Do you think people care whether you came 7429th or 7430th??.

 

That's in Cape Town in March, please fact check yourself. . . 

[Frosty]

Garmin on my stem recorded 92Km/h, while my wrist watch measured 87km/h - both down Cedar.

[Blue Monster]

Garmin on my stem recorded 92Km/h, while my wrist watch measured 87km/h - both down Cedar.

The difference must have torn you apart

[Blue Monster]

I feel that the reversed route is more honest.  I am a world champion wheelsucker, so in 2016, my best result I sucked VD wheel all the way to Witkoppen.  Lost the group there and about 9 min on the leaders to the end.  Make no mistake, the wheelsucking to that point had me in redline all the way.

This year you had to be strong & light to keep with the front runners in most of the fast start groups.  Needless to say, 6kg heavier than usual (3 months off the bike due to injury, did not help my weight goals), and I moved to the end of the A batch train through Steyn City.

By Cedar road climb I was well of from the front of the group.  Rode hard for the first half of the race with a NP of 250 for the 1st Hour, with a tested FTP of 230 a few weeks earlier.

I do prefer the new route, and will have lost the extra weight for next year.

[Blue Monster]

Anyone hit more than 90km/h anywhere on the route?

I hot 83.5km/h down Cedar & 77km/h at the finish.  Too much traffic at the finish to risk higher speed, it was like threading a needle blindfolded through the traffic down Mnandi road.

[Frosty]

The difference must have torn you apart

It might have been when I tried pointing out a hazard... the arm goes backwards when coming off the handlebars. That, and the arm was then exposed to the wind (the drag effect).      

[Spinnekop]

3h32....

2:44 back in the day on this. 15kg with STI shifters.