Zone 7: the road to Winnats

Ben6899

Just seen you're riding the WinNats21, @ugo.santalucia ! Very best of luck!

ugo.santalucia

Yeah, thanks... weather forecast deteriorating... not that it matters in a 5 minute race, it just spoils the rest of the day... oh well

diplodicus

Best of luck for Sunday, Ugo

ugo.santalucia

It was biblical up the hill yesterday... the rain grew in intensity throughout the morning and so did the SE wind, a very favourable direction, that allowed for very fast times. I caught my half-minute man just before the line and clocked 5:02.8... would have been nice to go under 5 minutes, but a bit ambitious. I finished 168th, leaving only 11 riders behind, more or less where I belong... I was lucky to be there on the day to be honest.
A National that will be long remembered, I think and I am glad I played a small part in it


Photo courtesy of Ellen Isherwood

norvernrob

Awesome, well done Ugo. I was going to spectate (I live in Sheffield), but working nights then seeing the awful conditions when I got up meant I gave it a miss!

I’ve only had a couple of goes at Winnats and got it wrong each time, either too hard at the start or too much in the tank at the end and sprint up the final part. I’ll have to have another go at some point.

MattFalle

Top work that Ugo - v well done in utterly appalling conditions.

diplodicus

Well done, Ugo

ugo.santalucia

The weather wasn't actually a problem in the race... more of a hassle before and after... trying to stay dry and avoiding making a total mess of the car. An HQ close to the bottom of the climb would have helped, but you can't have everything. It was a memorable race

Ben6899

5:02 is seriously impressive up Winnats. Chapeau!

The winning time of 3:01 absolutely blows my mind.

ugo.santalucia

Ben6899 said:

5:02 is seriously impressive up Winnats. Chapeau!

The winning time of 3:01 absolutely blows my mind.

It's kind of cattle grid to cattle grid... yes, 3 minutes is bonkers!

Ben6899

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

5:02 is seriously impressive up Winnats. Chapeau!

The winning time of 3:01 absolutely blows my mind.

It's kind of cattle grid to cattle grid... yes, 3 minutes is bonkers!

Which is Winnats proper, tbf. Pretty flat before the first and after the second.

focuszing723

https://my.raceresult.com/183676/results#3_E2911A

https://veloviewer.com/segment/1976323/Winnats+Pass+Cattle+Grid+Climb

Yeah, Tom Bell. Averaged 11mph/14.4% gradient.

Incredible.

DeVlaeminck

Do you know your power and w/kg Ugo ?

MattFalle

https://youtu.be/U6vsp1KD0dI

it looks quite moist.

ugo.santalucia

DeVlaeminck said:

Do you know your power and w/kg Ugo ?

340 Watt, 65 kg, so 5.2 over 5 minutes. I can do 6.1 W/kg over 3 minutes (time of the winner)... I think both Feather and Bell were around 9 W/kg

ugo.santalucia

this is nice... I did catch no. 70 and 72 didn't quite catch me...

mrb123

ugo.santalucia

mrb123 said:

Simon Warren,
he is actually incredibly passionate about hill climbs

ugo.santalucia

Rumours are next year's National will be held up the "Old Horseshoe pass" road... unlike the shallow A road up the pass, it's a fairly disused lane, gets very steep, I did it once in an Audax and I remember it being hard... should be another good one!

https://www.strava.com/segments/1499120

DeVlaeminck

ugo.santalucia said:

DeVlaeminck said:

Do you know your power and w/kg Ugo ?

340 Watt, 65 kg, so 5.2 over 5 minutes. I can do 6.1 W/kg over 3 minutes (time of the winner)... I think both Feather and Bell were around 9 W/kg

Decent w/kg there Ugo.

ugo.santalucia

oxoman said:

They ought to do the Litton road to monsal head Hill, its horrible. They used to do local hill climbs on it but not sure if they still do.

Monsal head is a classic in the calendar and a very busy event... I have never done it, it's too short for me, I'm not good at these 2 minutes at 500 Watt things

norvernrob

ugo.santalucia said:

oxoman said:

They ought to do the Litton road to monsal head Hill, its horrible. They used to do local hill climbs on it but not sure if they still do.

Monsal head is a classic in the calendar and a very busy event... I have never done it, it's too short for me, I'm not good at these 2 minutes at 500 Watt things

The Monsal hill climb organiser’s wife is a friend of mine, I keep saying I’ll have to have a go but my feeble output would need some serious fettling, even then I’d be fairly terrible. My only plus point is I’m not heavy!

davebradswmb

Monsal Head is much more of a sprint, the record is held by Malcom Elliott at 1:14 way back when I was a lad. A hillclimb is run on it every year with a virtually unbroken history going back to 1939. The list of previous winners includes some big stars from cycle racing, not just hillclimb specialists. https://monsalhillclimb.com/past-winners/

DeVlaeminck

Monsal is a good day out on the bike, ride out, spectate, ride to a cafe, ride home. Haven't been able to do it for a few years due to coaching football but worth a trip out if the weather is not too bad.

feelgoodlost

davebradswmb said:

Monsal Head is much more of a sprint, the record is held by Malcom Elliott at 1:14 way back when I was a lad. A hillclimb is run on it every year with a virtually unbroken history going back to 1939. The list of previous winners includes some big stars from cycle racing, not just hillclimb specialists. https://monsalhillclimb.com/past-winners/

Adam Blythe won a Hill Climb?!

ugo.santalucia

feelgoodlost said:

davebradswmb said:

Monsal Head is much more of a sprint, the record is held by Malcom Elliott at 1:14 way back when I was a lad. A hillclimb is run on it every year with a virtually unbroken history going back to 1939. The list of previous winners includes some big stars from cycle racing, not just hillclimb specialists. https://monsalhillclimb.com/past-winners/

Adam Blythe won a Hill Climb?!

Monsal is one for the power trolls... doesn't necessarily reward the skinny blokes. Average speed is quite high, which means aerodynamics play a more significant role than in other hill climbs... and of course the light blokes are not any more aero

simon_e

Great ride on Sunday Paolo. Chapeau to everyone who rode and huge credit everyone who helped make the event happen.

ugo.santalucia said:

Rumours are next year's National will be held up the "Old Horseshoe pass" road...

It's not a rumour. 30 October 2022 on the Old Horseshoe climb, the single track lane from Pentredwr to the Ponderosa.

I suspect this segment is closer to the 2022 course, it's one of Simon Warren's Cycling Climbs of Wales.

https://www.strava.com/segments/19678779

1.5km, 206m of ascent, average 12.5%.

ugo.santalucia

... or the one I created...

https://www.strava.com/segments/30302514

DeVlaeminck

I don't know that climb - almost Winnats type gradient but substantially longer?

ugo.santalucia

DeVlaeminck said:

I don't know that climb - almost Winnats type gradient but substantially longer?

I did it once in an Audax... my recollection is that it's steeper than Winnats in the steep bit, but it's not steep all the way.
Most importantly, it is significantly longer... the winner's time will be around 5:30 and I might be able to do 8:30-8:45... that means that the difference in power will be less, as you do lose a lot going from 3 minutes to 5-6, but not very much going from 5 to 8... I think my best 5 minutes is 350W and my best 8 is 320 W.