Tribars and uphills

Backache · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by andyB

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Backache

All that is being said then, is that if you put in more power you will go faster which is self evident.[?]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No that's not what's being said.
It about managing your effort(power) most effectively, on an undulating course, in order to finish in as shorter time as possible.

http://www.teamvelosportif.co.uk
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

With respect it is what is being calculated. Although the trip is being divided into two halfs by distance in the example the time taken for each half of the trip is different.
If you go uphill at 320 watts for approx 21 minutes and downhill at 280 watts for approx 7 minutes your average power over the trip is approx 310 watts as opposed to 300 watts if you keep the power constant on uphill and downhill. This is the reason for the difference in times from the mathematical example not the strategy of using the same amount of power in different ways.

I'm not saying the strategy is incorrect as you may be getting more bang for your buck going uphill than downhill due to the lesser effect of wind resistance. The mathematical explanation though is flawed.

BeaconRuth · May 2007

Well said, Backache, I can see what you mean now. What do the sums say when you use the correct powers, Andy T? And I'd still like to know how you're calculating the speeds?

andrewgturnbull · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BeaconRuth

Well said, Backache, I can see what you mean now. What do the sums say when you use the correct powers, Andy T? And I'd still like to know how you're calculating the speeds?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hi Ruth.

This is the link for wonderfully titled "Bicycle Speed and Power Calculator" http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

I found this to be pretty accurate when compared with real world power meter data. I do have to adjust a little to find a suitable drag coefficient figure which is somewhere between the presets for 'triathlon bicycle' and 'superman position'. I add a little tailwind to compensate for this. If you plug in your own data you can experiment to find your own personal fiddle factor.

Bachache is right in what he says, but I never claimed an equal energy cost in terms of joules burnt. As I said earlier our bodies don't work that way - the numbers were just for demonstration!

Cheers, Andy

http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk

andrewgturnbull · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ClaireV

<rushing to the rescue>
Andy, how did you get on in yesterday's race?
</rushing to the rescue>

I was going to ask you if it was the Gloucester Tri, which I did, but your comment about the laps on the bike course answered that one for me.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ah! I though you'd never ask... Hope you had a good race at Gloucester.

I had the race of my life at the British Sprint Triathlon Championships, which also incorporated the Scottish Sprint Champs. I managed to take advantage of a selective bike course which was full of power climbs to finish 2nd overall.

The guy in front was a younger English chap, so I got to go home with the title of Scottish Sprint Champion, and British Champion for the 30-34 age group. Plus I qualified for the GB team to go to the world age group championships this September - which was my main goal for the season.

So basically my feet haven't touched the ground since! It's absolutely amazing what can happen when all the right factors come good on the same day!

Cheers, Andy

ps Results on http://www.tri-scotland.org/racing/resu ... esults.xls

http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk

BeaconRuth · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by andrewgturnbull
Ah! I though you'd never ask... Hope you had a good race at Gloucester.

I had the race of my life at the British Sprint Triathlon Championships, which also incorporated the Scottish Sprint Champs. I managed to take advantage of a selective bike course which was full of power climbs to finish 2nd overall.

The guy in front was a younger English chap, so I got to go home with the title of Scottish Sprint Champion, and British Champion for the 30-34 age group. Plus I qualified for the GB team to go to the world age group championships this September - which was my main goal for the season.

So basically my feet haven't touched the ground since! It's absolutely amazing what can happen when all the right factors come good on the same day!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">WOW!! Congratulations Andy!

ClaireV · May 2007

Hey well done! That's brilliant! I came 4th in my race, so I was quite pleased with myself too given it was my first one of the season, the weather was horrendous, and I was chucking away time all over the place putting on gloves and armwarmers in T1 (yes, it was worth it!), being stupidly careful on all the corners for fear of crashing my shiny new bike in the wet, and having to stop for traffic a few times. Next weekend's Blenheim, and they're forecasting monsoons for that as well. I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get to do a triathlon in the dry - that'll be five out of five so far in the rain!

andyBcp · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by andrewgturnbull

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ClaireV

<rushing to the rescue>
Andy, how did you get on in yesterday's race?
</rushing to the rescue>

I was going to ask you if it was the Gloucester Tri, which I did, but your comment about the laps on the bike course answered that one for me.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ah! I though you'd never ask... Hope you had a good race at Gloucester.

I had the race of my life at the British Sprint Triathlon Championships, which also incorporated the Scottish Sprint Champs. I managed to take advantage of a selective bike course which was full of power climbs to finish 2nd overall.

The guy in front was a younger English chap, so I got to go home with the title of Scottish Sprint Champion, and British Champion for the 30-34 age group. Plus I qualified for the GB team to go to the world age group championships this September - which was my main goal for the season.

So basically my feet haven't touched the ground since! It's absolutely amazing what can happen when all the right factors come good on the same day!

Cheers, Andy

ps Results on http://www.tri-scotland.org/racing/resu ... esults.xls

http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Excellent result, Andrew. Congratulations.
You're obviously doing your hilly TT's/Tri's right then[:D]

http://www.teamvelosportif.co.uk

Garybee · May 2007

In agreement with some of the other posts but simplified.

As drag increases by the square of the speed you get an advantage by working harder on the slower sections of a course (the climbs). Also, due to the way that average speed works, you increase your average speed by more than if you made the same effort on a flat or downhill.

Hypocrisy is only a bad thing in other people.

Tribars and uphills

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