Would love to watch the people slagging the course try to ride it.

Well we have a rider in the Mens, we have a woman thats capable, but didnt score enough qualifying points.

But yes, this is far from the domination we show in road/track.

Several factors really, you could almost write a book about it.

Starting with the media who only write articles about shredding and kicking up roost on their enduro sleds. Doesn’t attract riders into XC.

Then we can move onto the lack of decent entry level racing which discourages a lot of people from taking part. No matter how slow you are, you should be able to race others of your ability level within an hours drive from home twice a month should you want to.

And then at the top end, there’s lack of BC support for our best riders as they channel all the funding into the best medal chances.

Also not as much money to be made in XC as there is for road, so its more difficult to go live some place with weather more conducive to regular training.

Anyone else notice in the slow-mo’s that shock on Rissveds bike seemed to be doing almost nothing? Wondering why you’d take weight penalty over a hardtail if you are going to lock out (or crazy high pressure) the rear even on downhill sections.

Bikehike.co.uk

Where to get the MTB? red button channels not active here, and not showing on BBC sport app yet :(

Edit, scratch that, on the app now

Got to say i actually prefer non bibs, but generally cant get them in higher end stuff. Gore Oxygen are about the best non-bibs i know of.

Another vote for dhb aeron then for what you need them for.
Got 2 sets i use for day to day riding. Pad is good for about 3hrs worth imo.

No reason why you shouldn’t for XCtype riding. Its basically a really agressive ralph and XC racers have been running ralph front and rear for years

No need for theories, its the only way they can get some KOM’s. Yes, people really can sink that low.

@mrblobby, seems lotto have been active signing climbing support afterall. Van Den Broek signed today as a super domestique.

Think you need to be a bit more specific with requirements.
Half decent for a 1hr mtb blast after work and half decent for a 6hr road ride are massively different.

Nino in the mens.

Womens should be a great race, so many potential winners.
Rissveds is the favourite for me.

Again, money no object, i’d be looking for boots.
Otherwise, just accept feet are going to get wet and combine any old windproof overshoe with good merino wool socks. Should stay warm even when wet that way.

You will never get the girls roadies

Seemed to work out OK for Cav :wink:

Depends on the exact method you used to set your zones, and which zones you are using (BC’s zones don’t match Friel’s for example), but you should pretty much be able to ride near the top of Z3 for most of the ride, letting it drift into low Z4 on climbs and drop to low Z3 on descents. Once into the last 20-30mins its time to use up everything you’ve got left.

The thing I find most difficult to believe in the original post is the bit about the OP having a girlfriend.

And on the off chance that its true, where do you go to find one that can average >21mph.

One loop I’ve peaked at 19.7 and I can’t get past that. I will, one day.

Based on the info you posted you could do it tomorrow by pacing yourself better using HRM. Get rid of the 40 mins in Z1/Z2 and the 6mins in Z5 you’re sorted.

Edit Also, if that is the typical intensity distribution of most peoples rides, no wonder they post such high ave speeds.

If you can read and understand it.

Are you suggesting that people can do neither?
[/quote]

Go spend a few 100 hours online gaming.
It will beat any optimism you have about the general population right out of you.
Reading – maybe
Understanding – not a chance

Reserved for good efforts. That could be a 10 mile commute for someone new to biking to work, a good interval session or a weekend epic.

Olympic athletes are training 5 hrs a day 6 days a week, they can afford the odd indulgence. Get our kids doing 30hrs exercise a week and we won’t have a national obesity epidemic anymore.

A surefire way for you to get faster is to follow a proper training plan.
Pick up a copy of Friel’s training bible (not the most modern thinking, but a great starting point), make yourself a plan and do your best to follow it.

Taking it very easy looking at those power numbers!

Christ look at his heart rate!

Exactly the point i’ve been trying to make. Anyone can find some nice smooth flat roads, stick on the aero wheels and ride till they vomit to give themselves an impressive ave speed.

But the trick is to be able to go fast without going hard.

This thread makes me feel a bit better!
Monday, 24 miles at 18.3mph Av. door to door with 1600ft ascent.
Weds, 27 miles at 18.5mph Av with 1500ft ascent.
Both rides were solo & going eyeballs out.
I always thought these 22+mph rides posted by others were solo efforts too.

This will make you feel much better then – you didn’t go quite as far, but you are faster than a pro!
https://www.strava.com/activities/612883518

Cubicboy’s examples look like they live in the flatlands. My typical rides are similar distances (40-60 miles) but 3500-4500ft of climbing. Descents rarely compensate as they’re too short or twisty.

Flatlands AND they go around smashing it all the time

cubicboy – Member
……………
POSTED 4 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

So your club has Cat2’s who average faster than a Giro podium contender.
Cat 2 races must be pretty fierce where you are!

Kinda pointless thread, as some people only go out and smash themselves and others ride most of their time in specific training zones.

Loads of folks on here claim they can average 20+mph, but what they aren’t telling you is that’s for 1 ride a week fully kitted up with their Zipp 303’s going absolutely eyeballs out.
I follow Steven Kruijswijk on Strava (https://www.strava.com/pros/3056059), and he spends the VAST majority of his time rolling round in z1/z2 at 19mph – i’d suggest much as they might like to think so, most members of the forum are not quite as quick as Steven.

Why don’t all these super competitive riders who can drop people at will and ride sportives at 23.8mph actually race?
Plenty of amatueur TT / crit / 4th cat / CX races about..

Because in some areas of the country there aren’t plenty of races, and the ‘entry level’ races are broken to the extent that ‘only’ averaging 23.8mph would see you dropped by the main group before half way. Same deal with ‘sport’ in MTB races.

Until BC (or someone else) introduces proper entry level racing then there’s going to be loads of folks whose only outlets for their competitive side are sportives and strava.

Take some personal responsibility rather than feeling like its someone else fault you or your kids drink 3 cans of fizzy pop every day

This. Personally i’m massively against a sugar tax as it penalises everyone else that enjoys these drinks responsibly. Absolutely nothing wrong with that can of coke when you are half bonked and 30 miles from home on the bike.

And if any tax extended to cover isotonic sports drinks you’d be actively punishing people at the opposite end of the spectrum to those you are targeting.

I think most road tyres are prone to this to some extent or another.
I’ve been riding krylion carbons or pro4 endurance (same thing rebadged) and currently on my 4th set. Yet to fully wear one out as they always get really squared off and noticeably draggy after around 2k miles. Tend to rotate front/rear at this point and run until 3k miles, at which point both are square, draggy and have numerous minor cuts.

Why golfers can’t carry their own clubs?
Why tennis players spend half the match sitting down having a rest?
Downhill/Bmx pyjamas.
Why heptathletes cant do 10 events?
Why people pay money to watch overpaid footballers underperform?
Why so many people hero worship F1 drivers when they are in vastly superior cars?
And yes, dancing horses…

I have driven along there and wondered why the cyclists aren’t using the cycle lane, cant be pleasant on that stretch of road.

I can’t speak for that particular section of road/path, but in my experience 95% of cycle paths are not fit for purpose. They might be fine for a tourist ambling along at 10mph on their touring bike, but 20+mph on a road bike is a different kettle of fish entirely. More often than not cycle paths are gravelly, bumpy, covered in leaves/twigs/glass etc etc. And that’s before we get to shared use paths and having to dodge pedestrians and dogs every 50 yards.

Weight limit of 95kg. Use the same rims as the dura ace version aparantly just laced to an ultegra level hub.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rs81-c35-carbon-clincher-wheelset/%5B/url%5D

Bertie’s gone to Trek too. Cancellara must have freed up a fair chunk of budget!

Trek have lost a couple more riders that will have been earning much more than they were worth.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-cyclingnews-guide-to-2016-2017-rider-transfers/%5B/url%5D

Roche to BMC, seems like a move from glorified bottle carrier to glorified bottle carrier. He should go back to being a team leader at a small team imo.

Vanmarcke to Cannondale

Can’t find confirmation, but saw rumour that Diego Rosa is heading to Sky

i40 Tourer?

Funnily enough, I was looking at SUV’s, but ended up with one of these – a better fit for my needs.

I like mine a lot. Not the most exciting drive in the world, but not helped in my case by the skinny tyres on the blue drive version. LOADS of space, road bikes can go in boot with both wheels on, long enough to take a 29er with wheels on, but handlebars are too wide for the roof clearance. Front wheel off, then no problem.
Very civilised and comfortable, certainly a long way removed from Hyundai’s earlier offerings

Over the 3.5yrs i’ve had it, has needed parking sensors, rear camera and fuel filter replacing, but all done under warranty with no fuss.

Can certainly relate to a lot of that.
Sometimes life just feels like an endless cycle of Work, Train, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. Luckily no item no4 for me, would have driven me over the edge long ago.

And it’s not even what I would call ‘proper’ jobs like decorating a room, replacing our side gate, painting all the garden fences……it’s just finding time to cut the grass, do a bit of weeding, put the washing away etc….

Yep, that’s exactly where i’m at. House looks like a bomb site. On holiday next week and a good part of it is likely to be spent catching up on that stuff, then right back into the endless cycle without actually having the feeling of having had a holiday.

Depends on what i’m riding as to what lights will be used.
Got a choice of ~4yr old Exposure Race (~625lm), a Fluxient 1xXML-U2 (~1000lm) and a Beema AS-2000.
Beema probably won’t see much use apart from Relentless24 as its overkill for most of my night riding, and beam pattern is guaranteed to blind drivers on any road sections.

Use all 3 at once and I can crank out ~3600lm for 3hrs which seems plenty :D

@everyone,yes, constant channel switching is infuriating.

Trott look super strong.

Cav should be happy with his Silver, he said himself Viviani was the strongest

I’d be more worried about miniature wheels than the dent

Fifeandy…. Snow? Not likely. I’m in Oz!

Ahh, i should be so lucky.

No amount of talking to or persuasion will make her feel safer in a car that’s ‘lower down’.

Well if safety is the name of the game why not go the whole hog!

I’m glad i’m not the only one suffers from this affliction :D

Are you getting a 4WD version?
Otherwise get an estate car instead, more space and more fuel efficient.
Nothing (other than a man bag or run/walking a marathon) makes you look quite as stupid as being stuck in the snow in a 2WD version of a SUV.