Swains Lane Challenge (North London)

rubertoe

jds_1981 wrote:

willy b wrote:

Only one way to sort this. We need to meet him

Think we all need to get out there for a race up - suspect I'd knock a few seconds off my time with some competition.

19 July

willy b

3 days after the Etape, don't think i'll be much competition!

jds_1981

Looks like BringMeMyFix has been getting some practice in..

okgo

He could be anyone!

And the power thing is absolute toss, no idea why anyone looks at that!

scarlettp

It's me. I'm not just anyone, I'm nobody in particular.

Not been practising. Just judicious use of gears gaining me 15 seconds over the time I did on an inappropriately tall fixed gear. Not sure if I'd go quicker with the right fixed gear choice. It would be close, I expect.

willy b

16.5mph av. Great effort, Kudos indeed!

jds_1981

okgo wrote:

He could be anyone!

And the power thing is absolute toss, no idea why anyone looks at that!

I've not quite been stalking him for a while.

http://leavalleycc.blogspot.co.uk/2005_ ... chive.html
http://leavalleycc.co.uk/hctt11.html

I suspect he's fairly well known in the perverted form of racing known as 'hill-climbing'

scarlettp

That 2011 Mott St climb hurt this year. Knocked a second off my course record in less than ideal conditions (on 70" fixed), but at 39, it's getting much harder to recover, or find any motivation *not sure which emoticon to insert*

I'm just trying to stay fit enough to keep up with my son should he get bitten by the cycling bug. He's only 5 now, but already pipped me during some intermediate sprints in local parks (I was tempted to appeal to the commissaire after the shocking way he came off his line for one of them!).

You two (^&^^) look like you'd both be pretty handy in a HC. Have you raced any?

willy b

To be honest I'd like to try some HC races, never done any though. Climbing is defiantly more suited to me than sprinting! Always like routes with plenty of hills.

To get that time on a Fixed, I just find very impressive! Once rode a fixed around a car park and will never do it again

scarlettp

It's probably just technique getting in the way of your sprinting. I'm more of a puncheur type - got a decent sprint which translates well on short 'power' climbs. If you can get up that bus stop segment in ~2min, you must have a decent power-to-weight ratio, so no doubt you could jump away from people on the flat; unless there's a horrible headwind which kind of neutralizes 'smaller units'

I'd recommend the Catford and/or Bec (sometimes you don't even need a cycling club affiliation for the Catford). Definitely something worth experiencing, if you're that way incilned.

Fixed is still the way to go on a constant(ish) gradient, and it feels so much better than climbing with gears, but the weight advantage doesn't really exist like it used to (although my geared bike is nowhere near being a weight weenie machine - it's not even anywhere near the UCI minimum).

okgo

A lot of hillclimbers used fixed. I remember seeing Pete Tadros win our club HC on what looked to weigh about 2kg (not to mention his tiny mass) was amazing. Although that was a 4 minute climb up Leith Hill!

I've not ridden with him but another wheeler is pretty hot on the hills (John Storms) and does pretty well in HC's (top 15 in Catford I think) not sure if his bike is geared or not.

scarlettp

I used to beat both of them on the shorter climbs, but Pete's continued to get better at everything, and John seems to have developed a taste for EPO or something as of last year, and suddenly improved a lot

I remember Pete saying he was thinking of getting a titanium fixed when he saw my Burls at the start of the Wigmore HC in '09 - lo and behold, he's been riding one ever since. John definitely uses gears.

I'm not really as serious about it all as either of those two. Just as well, or otherwise I'd have a hell of fight on my hands if I wanted to contest the vets category next year

okgo

They're both very good TT'ers too by the looks of things. Obviously opposite ends of the scale as Pete is small, and John quite a muscular rider, but his power/weight/vo2 are obviously very good as he really does put in some stonking times around the Surrey Hills. Given that a few pro riders use those hills on Strava too, he's beaten a them many times.

rubertoe

http://www.urbanhillclimb.com/2012/03/2 ... announced/

Anybody entered or going along?

Not me, I struggled up this Hill for the 2nd time yesterday and it was embarasing.

Still I will be going along to watch.

willy b

Excellent I'll be there. Although the day after I get back from the Etape Act II... So don't think i'll post a blistering time!

optimisticbiker

Keep meaning to go up there... might go along to spectate... wouldn't want to embarrass myself on the day

willy b

I wouldn't worry about that!

willy b

Entries are now live guys. Be quick it's limited to 80 places!

jds_1981

Hmm, that's the same week as the rapha rising challenge. I'll pass.

bigmat

Jeez, they didn't give much notice did they? Have emailed to see if there is a reserve list but not holding my breath. Shame.

willy b

Only found out entries went live today thanks to Twitter and ITboffin!

bigmat

They have now set up a waiting list and given they may be releasing more places later, its worth getting your name down!

willy b

What a good little race, some very quick riders indeed!

I had to leave early, when I left the quickest was Paul from London Phoenix at 1:42, so nice for a fellow club member to be leading... although not sure on the overall results.

I did a 1:48, which put me 11th, guess that's ok! Look forward to seeing the latest results and photos. Certainly be back next year!

bigmat

willy b wrote:

What a good little race, some very quick riders indeed!

I had to leave early, when I left the quickest was Paul from London Phoenix at 1:42, so nice for a fellow club member to be leading... although not sure on the overall results.

I did a 1:48, which put me 11th, guess that's ok! Look forward to seeing the latest results and photos. Certainly be back next year!

1:43.8 for me, made a bollox of my pacing going off far too quickly. Jelly legs at the end which I guess is good as it means I had emptied the tank!

phreak

That's a serious time. Think I was outside 2 minutes. Good fun though, if not something I'm trained for.

willy b

Great time Matt!

okgo

Who won? I see our club hill climb supremo was riding...John Storms...

willy b

Ben Simmons from Wiggle. Quick.

John came 2nd.

okgo

Ah fair play. What times did they do? John is an animal up the hills!

keyser__soze

Think Ben Simmons won with a 1:32 or something, tho didn't see the times. Pretty sure Natalie Creswick destroyed the women's field (and probably most of the non-seeded boys too!)