SBR Utopia Season II - OPEN (Page 101)

THAT is NUTS!  And totally awesome.

You both look pretty d@mn pumped-up.  Enjoy!

I recall reading some studies on running about this point (will see if I can dig up - was some time ago).  Something to the effect that as the distances/total race times get longer, women's performances come much closer to men's.  Could be underlying physiology (as in, our ultra-endurance systems are less dependent on absolute strength or such, and more similar than different - but that they only manifest as such at veeeery long duration events) or, as Arend says, that women are tougher than men.

I'm not betting either way, as it might well be both! 

As for the power/testing discussions, anyone upgrade on Strava?  They have a feature that shows your W or W/kg across all times.  You can set the chart to compare different time periods, as well (all of 2012 vs. all of 2013, for example, or a given ride vs. a period of time).

Doesn't take the place of other methods, but it's interesting to see and to correlate what you thought was a sufferfest with what you did on previous rides.

Matt

That's all I do Fred.  Spin the wheel, calibrate and go.

Have a good ride!

Ditto on Strava.  Matthew McManus

Follow only if you want to feel better about your own workouts. 

Matt

I spend the vast majority of my time in aero.  Honestly, I think sitting up on the horns is terribly uncomfortable.  I don't know if it's a fit issue or what, but my wrists and hands get so tired holding my body up.

Take it with a grain of salt though -- I live and ride in an area that's pancake flat.  I have zero issues staying in aero for hours on end, but start to get whiney when I have to be up on the horns for more than a couple minutes!

Chiming in on a topic up there somewhere...  On my old Planet X, when I was going thru saddle difficulties, I'd try to ride aero on the trainer as juch as possible, wasn't always successful although got to the point where I could do nearly the hour workout in aero.

On the BMC, which fits me much better, and a ISM attack - I think I am finally starting to realize why people like these saddles.   Still trying to dial it in, but I can do pretty much an hour easily, with a break here and there, and very comfortably, in aero.   1/2 hour intervals are no problem.  May have to stand up out of the saddle a few times (but staying in aero), and will get on the horns for efforts over 250, but my bike is more comfortable in the aero position than sitting upright (not uncofortable, there are just times in aero that are very comfortable).  Which I think is ideal.

Still dialing the fit in but getting closer.  I have found that my saddle can be further back on the trainer, but when I get on the road the saddle may still be a little too far back, and I am nearly falling off the front of it.  When things are clicking, it almost feels like (it's not, it's just perception), I am pushing the pedal backward on the downstroke, driving my upper body forward.

So, looks like there will be a sitero on the market soon. 

The others that actually have them may know better, but the folks I know don't seem to have any weather-related problems with them. From what I understand temperature and humidity will effect the reading just as much as any other power meter, and like any other power meter you account for that by reseting the zero offset occasionally. The cool thing about powertap is that it resets the zero offset every time you freewheel for 5 seconds or so, whereas a quarq you have to intentionally backpedal a few times to force an auto zero. So a power tap will reset the offset whether you want it to or not, the quarq only does it only when you (remember to) tell it to. While I prefer the crank based power simply because I have a rather large investment in wheel sets, I think this is a big selling point for powertap.

I had my older one (wired model) conk out in the rain once.  But I got caught out when it was throwing down buckets.  I let it dry out and everything was fine.

I will note that I have experienced "odd" readings once in a while with both my PT's, but I think this is because there was some drift over the course of a ride, and then I stopped pedaling and the numbers seemed different - it always occurred after I had stopped pedaling.  I have noticed better readings on my new PT vs the old one overall (and the old one had the guts replaced twice, before the torque readings went again and was fulling replaced with a wireless model).

As a quick note on Strava, the new ride page is actually a nice interface - unlike when they sprung the new run page on everyone.

With the premium account, it's actually useful (instead of just fun).  Just got back from a ride (best. coffee. break. ever.) and it was cool when I viewed in the "sneak peak at the new ride page" - many ways to disect the ride.

Now that they've worked out the bugs in running (mostly), it's 2/3 of the way to an awesome site. 

Matt

Thanks.  And I would highly recommend coming down one year even if it's just to hang out, volunteer, and spectate.  I'm already making plans to reserve a hotel room for next year to spectate.  Also want to bring my road bike to ride some of the great climbs they have here.

I had a great swim this morning.  Not sure what happened, but at an easy IMish type effort, I swam almost 1.5 miles at a 1:36 pace according to my 910.  Never swam below 1:40 pace for anything longer than a mile (in the OW) and that was trying to book it.

Underpants run was fun.  I took the bike out to ride the first 8ish miles in town since I'm already familiar with the Queen K and Hawi.  It's actually a lot of steady climbing in the first 4-5 miles into the wind and I can see how guys can go way overboard right out of the swim.  My FD wasn't working right, but luckily the Expo and Cervelo tent is right across my hotel so I dropped it off for a free full tune up.

Less than 48 hours!!!

To add to the USA vs. Canada Rivalry...

6 time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott and 2012 Giro d'Italia Champion Ryder Hesjedal.

(Jason and Dave Scott.jpg)

(Jason and Ryder.jpg)

I've ridden mine in some nasty weather, no problems so far.  Just carefully and tightly close the hub back up after doing a battery replacement.

On that note, make sure you get the silver-oxide batteries.  There are alkaline ones in the same size and they last like a couple weeks at most.  The silver ones will go a season.

And finally, talking about maintenance, the aluminum hub sleeve gets chewed up by your cassette pretty quickly.  If you need to replace that sometime down the line, order a steel one from powertap (~$40 if I recall).  They don't make it obvious, but they have them.

The steel free hub bodies are heavier, but it's worth it.

Interesting note on the silver oxide.  A recent batch of batteries I've bought were not lasting very long, where other batteries were lasting thousands of miles.  I have to check which ones I was buying.

Btw, not sure if I'll be around this weekend, so good luck in the big show!

Very cool - as a Cdn it would have been awesome to meet the first Cdn Grand Tour winner.

Sounds like you're having a great time!  Enjoy the race tomorrow....really take it in and enjoy it