I’m stuck in a hotel near a large well known airport and planning a nice ride looks too difficult so I’m going to do some sprint training and see how well I can do against the local Strava champs.

I’ve identified a 1.4km segment with a record of 1m39. That seems pretty damn fast to me, but I reckon I can get on the first page,

Molgrips later this evening:

😆

Now stalking following you on Strava, I will be watching for results 🙂

Presume all KOMs are achieved with storm force tailwind.

The KOM’s time is a bit silly, average 52kph, but it was done as part of a fairly long commute. Either he had a big tailwind or he’s a pretty handy cyclist.

I know it’s not particularly fair to target KOMs in sprint workouts, but this is Strava, and consequently no holds are barred.

I know it’s not particularly fair to target KOMs in sprint workouts, but this is Strava, and consequently no holds are barred.

I found a segment near my Mum’s house in London just by chance when I rode up into town one day and found that, without really trying, I was 3rd on it.

So I went back the next day and battered it. Still got that one.

Yes, I am that tragic. 😉

Can you take your gps on the plane?

Breeze has picked up a bit though – against the direction of most of the segments. Need to find one running E-W.

A circuit of the perimiter road would make a great segment I reckon – it’s about 9 miles and fairly quiet iirc, but if I set it I’m unlikely to be coming back to defend it if it gets taken, and I’d have nothing to aim for first time out.

I got a KOM on the wiggle tour of the Peak on Sunday, I was 1st of three. It was a newly created segment which was nearly identical to another on which I am 503rd. Imagine my disappointment. Still got a crown for a while though, so I say knock yourself out.

newly created segment

odd – newly created segments still get populated by backdated data.

Strava Tourism.

Is that a thing? If so, brilliant.

Well I assumed it was newly created. I wasn’t pushing on because I still had more than a hundred miles to go. And I don’t know how these things work 😳

Which airport please? I want to know if mine are at risk of being lost 😀

52kph – thatll put him in the actually rides his bike category then.

But really dont think its that impressive , presuming its not uphill its not all that difficult to hold those speeds for 1.4km on your own , and you can get to silly speeds in a group.

Which airport please? I want to know if mine are at risk of being lost

Ive been going through all my airport located ones making sure i dont have any 1.4 km long and timed at 1.39! 😀

Don’t know how quick you are trail rat, but to ride at over 32mph for nearly a mile is quick. It would get you the majority of flat kom’s around S.Wales. Its the realm proper racers not the recreational cyclist. Most cyclists can barely get over 30mph in a short sprint let alone hold it.

Is this place not the realm of proper racers?

Which airport please?

Heathrow – looking at segments on Bath Road 🙂

presuming its not uphill its not all that difficult to hold those speeds for 1.4km on your own

That’s what I’m hoping, but I’ve never really tried this before. I used to hold 40kph easily on the flat for my hour commute in Germany, and except for this guy most of the leaderboard is in the mid 40s kph.

Of course, now I have to go out and do it after I’ve built it up 🙂 No excuses!

But really dont think its that impressive , presuming its not uphill its not all that difficult to hold those speeds for 1.4km on your own , and you can get to silly speeds in a group.

bollocks. your superiority complex has gone into overdrive on that one trailrat.

Inspired by MrGrips’s intrepid adventures I too Strava’d an evening ride around Town, have to say if was shite riding amongst all the flotsam on the roads but hey I hit Victoria Park in a breath and got my phone out to find it’d lost gps and I was gutted, no more than gutted, distraught thems the word.
I continued to sob all the way down the canal towpath and pondered throwing myself in on more than one occasion.

There will be a little splash if my phone looses gps signal again. 🙄

Have you exploded yet molgrips ?

Please tell me your trying to do it on a folding bike 🙂

Assuming the “bollocks” part refers to doing it solo! Not hard to do that behind a group/lorry/with a good tailwind.

The KOM guy did it as part of a commute so I’m assuming it’s solo. Just fitting my lights to my bike now and checking the segment start and end…

Good luck mgs, but you live near me and looking at some of your rides, I’m predicting a valiant attempt but ultimate failure.

The KOM guy did it as part of a commute so I’m assuming it’s solo.

Generally, if I see speeds of more than about 30mph on flattish sections (especially longer ones) I assume it’s either tailwind assisted or the rider happened to find a convenient lorry to tuck in behind… Certainly there’s a few segments near me that can only have been achieved through drafting buses or lorries, the speeds are too high for all but the best time triallists to have done unaided.

I’ve just returned from a lovely 2hr road ride. About 2 weeks ago I lost a KOM that I’d had for nearly a year. Got it back tonight. 🙂

Well, that was crap. I’m far less fit than I was hoping, it seems. 2’11 on the way out (the Strava direction) and 2’04 on the way back, 37.9kph and 41.2kph respectively. I’ve got a lot of work to do!

Good luck mgs, but you live near me and looking at some of your rides, I’m predicting a valiant attempt but ultimate failure

Yeah, it’s been shit lately. Especially last Friday, that was awful.

cant see it on strava yet . not bad effort though .

Molgrips later this evening:

Evening film sorted. Thanks.

Upload failed, will try again in a bit.

In my mind, tailwinds, sprinting for segments and drafting vehicles (as long as they aren’t driven by mates) are all fine for strava. The KOMs I’ve had on my commute have usually just been from the fact that I ride every day so the day that there’s a massive tailwind I go fast (except when it’s broken me going the other way).

But the best KOMs are the ones that were “accidentally” gained just as part of the ride, even if there’s only one other person recorded on the segment 🙂

Chapeau anyway. Unlike most people you put it on the line in front of everyone, can’t fault that at all 😀

Never mind grips, just tell yourself he’s doping. That’s what i do. I got 2 prs and 2 top tens tonight, all their koms were doping too.

5th overall! I’m going to have to book this hotel again in a few months just to have another go!

To be fair, I was shifting. I think you’d have to be a very good rider on a hard effort to do that on a normal ride.

Hmm. Well with a cursory search around Heefrow for this segment, it seems that not only has the KOM ridden it 10s faster than 2nd place, but he’s done it from a standing start. I smell a rat!

Seems to stop around 20.7km…

Ragged cadence suggests it’s behind a truck to me.

Hehehe.. trial by STW 🙂

KOM eastbound by a big margin, 52kph; westbound is only 41.2kph.

Definitely a truck I reckon.

Even allowing for the prevailing westerly winds
The guy averages 32kmh on a 50km, pan flat commute, so he’s just got lucky with a truck

That’s some good stalking detective work. Looks like he was properly going for it!

If i steal a truck i reckon i could be there for about 4am. What do you reckon?