Team Blog

With our new Michelin order going out soon, I thought it would be a good idea to look at some date regarding tire/tube combinations and wheel weight vs. aerodynamics data. Chris Burnham supplied me with the articles here. In this first review article, it appears that in comparing clincher tires/latex tubes to tubular tires, the clincher tire/latex tube combination seems to have comparable to superior rolling resistance charachteristics vs. tubulars. I know Lance is going to say that tubeless tires have the least rolling resistance, and that's probably true, but tubeless wheelsets still haven't taken the industry by storm... yet...

Think your lightweight climbing wheels are better on climbs vs. an aero wheelset? Maybe not... Here's some data that suggests that on inclines of less than 8% grade, you're still faster on an aero wheelset vs. a lightweight climbing wheelset. Finally, I've also got an article comparing the aerodynamic drag of various wheelsets. Yes, Zipp wheels are faster than Mavic R-Sys.... I know we already know that, but it's nice to see it in a graphical comparison.

What's this mean? Since we're doing a new Michelin order soon, you may want to think about ordering some latex tubes if you're interested in achieving low rolling resistance. I've been using them since our last order, and aside from having to pump up my tires more often, (latex doesn't hold air as long as butyl), they've been working out great. I haven't had a flat tire on them yet, and they're a lot easier to install than the tubular alternative. One disadvantage is their price. They will run more than double the price of the regular tubes, but hey, we're getting a team discount, so it's not that expensive, and it's still less than purchasing tubular tires. Also, the other data suggest that you could probably use your aero wheelset on a fairly hilly course and still get an advantage over lightweight wheels. Reserve your lightweight climbing wheels for those races that exceed 8%, or have a lot of cross wind.

So, last week nobody picked the Tour of Flander's Champion, but Ken and Tom did have Flecha as their picks, so I guess they'll have to share the Clif Bloks. This upcoming Sunday is Paris Roubaix, which is my favorite of the classics. We're having the same competition for the Paris-Roubaix. Submit your top two picks via the "comments" section of this blog entry. Whoever picks the rider who does the best on Sunday, wins. If there's a tie, we'll use the second pick as a tie-breaker. The winner will again get a box of Clif Bloks, and in addition will get a Nuun waterbottle and a Nuun tube of electrolyte tabs. Once again, anyone can try to pick a winner, but the prizes will only be awarded to an MBRT member.

We have all tried it once or twice, it never works, but we are always tempted to do it anyway. Our urge to recreate the winning solo pro moves of Stijn Devolder or the always underrated Karsten Kroon, leave us trying and failing. In this weekend’s local criterium up in Santa Cruz, I found myself in the Cat 3 race with great legs and contempt for the field; a sure recipe for disaster. Ken always reminds me that we are fast fish in our little fishbowl, but I always forget about the rest of the ocean despite his words of wisdom.

            About halfway into the race, I was feeling great and a $10 prime went out, so I decided to take it and see what would happen. After I won the prime, I found a large gap and decided “what the hell, those guys all suck anyway…. right?”  What a cherry I am! Long story short, I held the break for three and a half laps and came back to the pack only to have lost my snap with no shot at the final podium after the effort. I finished 12-15^th and wasn’t even able to lead out Ken after the final corner. In fact I couldn’t even get around him. So, my break not only screwed up my chances, but it indirectly hurt Ken’s race as well.

            So why doesn’t this type of thing work? What went wrong? When I am training my junior officers, I often preach about tactical patience and setting conditions before the decisive point of the battle, It seems I should listen to myself. Another wise lesson is never underestimate your enemy. A win is a win, minimize the risk in getting it. I often do better in the 1,2,3 races because I have a healthy respect, even a little intimidation, for the riders and never do anything too aggressive. As a result, I have much more snap when that critical time comes.

(breakaway power file, click to enlarge)  

            From a technical aspect, it seems pretty obvious why it doesn’t work. I just got a power meter and it becomes very clear how much energy this type of thing wastes. If you look at the power file above, you can see the entire breakaway, from start to the catch. The biggest problem is the initial jump. As you can see from the file, I went totally anaerobic, jumping up to 1317 watts and 183 bpm (6 below my max HR). I tried to settle in at a sustainable 400 watts, but the trick is to do that while recovering from your initial hard effort. Too hard to do. To really recover you need to go back below your threshold for a bit, then settle back up to your max sustainable rate. That is why you need a companion in your foolish endeavor or you must be close enough to the finish that your quickly decreasing power curve will get you to the finish first.

            Don’t underestimate how much this type of effort will cost you later. Prior to my break, my average HR was 158bpm and the race was easy as can be. After the break, my average HR was 165bpm and I was struggling to get back up to the front. It also had 300 less watts in the final sprint than from my prime lap, and that could be the difference between 12^th and 1^st.

           

1. Don’t underestimate your competition.

2. You have to recover if you go anaerobic. It’s science; you can’t suspend it.

3. Think hard about the decisive point of the race and save your energy for that moment.

4. Be patient, most of us only have the power for one crazy effort, choose it wisely and see 3 above.