Cycling thread

Was on one of the new French courses last night on zwift, Les Casses Pattes. Thought it was nice enough, smallish climb (le petit KOM) prob 6-8 min depending how well you climb, some sprints.

But a load of riders managed to switch out and ride the Ventoux climb, which I didn't think was open until this weekend, 1480m monster. Sounds v simple to select:

 

Black Belt Jones said:
Was on one of the new French courses last night on zwift, Les Casses Pattes. Thought it was nice enough, smallish climb (le petit KOM) prob 6-8 min depending how well you climb, some sprints.

But a load of riders managed to switch out and ride the Ventoux climb, which I didn't think was open until this weekend, 1480m monster. Sounds v simple to select:

Click to expand...


Might give that a bash this weekend...
 
Disgruntledgoat said:
Might give that a bash this weekend...
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Probably set a PB that will be hard to beat if you do the event - you can barely see your avatar amongst the thousands of other riders.

Might get on the Ventoux but have just 'bought' a specialized shiv disc in the game, so want to put it through its paces on tempus fugit - Newbury Velo have a good TT event on Sat mornings.
Back in reality I actually entered a real TT early August up in Levens - super fast course on its day but very weather-dependent. Not sure if I'll get a place as they might need to be quite strict and keep it to local clubs.
 
Black Belt Jones said:
Probably set a PB that will be hard to beat if you do the event - you can barely see your avatar amongst the thousands of other riders.

Might get on the Ventoux but have just 'bought' a specialized shiv disc in the game, so want to put it through its paces on tempus fugit - Newbury Velo have a good TT event on Sat mornings.
Back in reality I actually entered a real TT early August up in Levens - super fast course on its day but very weather-dependent. Not sure if I'll get a place as they might need to be quite strict and keep it to local clubs.
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That's my old stomping ground Levens. Super fast course because (if I remember) you start and finish on a downhill. Bradley Wiggins caught me for 5 minutes on there in 2002. On a fixed gear. A week after his first grand tour with FDJ.
 

Black Belt Jones said:
Was on one of the new French courses last night on zwift, Les Casses Pattes. Thought it was nice enough, smallish climb (le petit KOM) prob 6-8 min depending how well you climb, some sprints.

But a load of riders managed to switch out and ride the Ventoux climb, which I didn't think was open until this weekend, 1480m monster. Sounds v simple to select:

Click to expand...


Did the Casses Pattes and then Ventoux this morning. Always nice to have a few new routes to occupy the mind.
 
Disgruntledgoat said:
That's my old stomping ground Levens. Super fast course because (if I remember) you start and finish on a downhill. Bradley Wiggins caught me for 5 minutes on there in 2002. On a fixed gear. A week after his first grand tour with FDJ.
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Big gift hill at the start and then right at the end you're down a slip road which helps. Road surface is pristine, as well, which is way faster than the potholed cart-tracks I usually go on around Cheshire.
Just the coastal location makes it a bit unpredictable with the wind - you can easily get a slow evening there whereas other fast courses in the country are more reliable.
 
Black Belt Jones said:
Big gift hill at the start and then right at the end you're down a slip road which helps. Road surface is pristine, as well, which is way faster than the potholed cart-tracks I usually go on around Cheshire.
Just the coastal location makes it a bit unpredictable with the wind - you can easily get a slow evening there whereas other fast courses in the country are more reliable.
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A66 ten mile over in Keswick/Cockermouth was my local as a teenager, that one saw some quick times too.
 
Bruce Wayne said:
Why would you have a time trial there that didn't include Whinlatter? :(
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There's 2 courses on Whinlatter. The Hill Climb goes up the Braithwaite side to the top, starts after the first steep bend at the bottom. That used to get run once in October in an open event. I had a really weird run on there of improving my time every year but still finishing 5th.

The other is about 8 miles, I think, and goes from Cockermouth to the top. Really good course as it has something for everybody. The first 4 miles are a nice Spoco type course and then you have the long (if not steep) climb. That runs as a VCC event every 2 months in the summer. Won that one a couple of times.
 

Disgruntledgoat said:
There's 2 courses on Whinlatter. The Hill Climb goes up the Braithwaite side to the top, starts after the first steep bend at the bottom. That used to get run once in October in an open event. I had a really weird run on there of improving my time every year but still finishing 5th.

The other is about 8 miles, I think, and goes from Cockermouth to the top. Really good course as it has something for everybody. The first 4 miles are a nice Spoco type course and then you have the long (if not steep) climb. That runs as a VCC event every 2 months in the summer. Won that one a couple of times.
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Sometimes forget you were pretty rapid.
 
Disgruntledgoat said:
I had the course record on the long one for about 15 minutes until they realised they'd messed up and I was given a time 1 minute quicker than I should have been. lol

The national HC champs were on Newlands once in the late 80s as well, I'm told. That would have been brutal.
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All of the HCs I've been in have been brutal tbh. Can generally accept emptying the tank on a short effort though, it's when the tank is already empty and you've got to grovel over a steep Alpine climb that I struggle. Yes, looking at you Mortirolo, you turd!
 
Bruce Wayne said:
All of the HCs I've been in have been brutal tbh. Can generally accept emptying the tank on a short effort though, it's when the tank is already empty and you've got to grovel over a steep Alpine climb that I struggle. Yes, looking at you Mortirolo, you turd!
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Never done the Mortirolo but putting a rutted 25% section at the top of an 18km climb just seems unfair.

HCs are evil, like. I always needed a longer one to get anything done. The 2 minute ones just don't suit my style. Hartside is another good one up there. One of the longest climbs in England and a real nice aerobic effort for half an hour.
 
Zwift have apparently taken over the running of zwift power - third party website (one of just two with access to the zwift api apparently) where all the real results went up.
See how it goes but could potentially be bad. The casuls want to race at their fantasy power of 5 wkg, and the racers want to do things legit. But what is the difference between the 15 quid monthly subscription paid by the two groups? Nothing at all...
 

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