Sunday, June 4, 2017

Challenger for Highest Average Speed

Today, Sunday was very similar weather conditions to last Sunday, so I prepped my Rotovelo ready to challenge the Baron's average speed on the ride to Baldivis.
There is a roadhouse at Baldivis, on the freeway cycle path, about 47 km from my house.

Kick off time was 5:30, however I added pressure to the tyres as they were not at their maximum. Last Sunday the Baron tyre pressure was at 100psi (28-406/28-559).
I set the Rotovelo's at 62psi for the fronts (40-406) and 55 for the rear (50-406).
I was carrying exactly the same amount of luggage by weight as I did for the Baron.

South Perth to Baldivis - 47km
Baldivis to South Perth - 47km.

I started strong after my 15 minute warmup, however this time, there were no roadies to draft.
I came up behind three riders right at Canning Bridge, but as this a slow point for safety reasons, I don't think it affected the average speed.
Twice I had to slow to walking pace behind pedestrians who chose 'rights' over safety.  It may have added a small amount of time but nothing too significant.

This course has many undulations of various sizes at the end of long straights of about 3km length.
The long straights may be flat or a slight up/down grade. Some of the tops of hills were beyond the range of my lights but I new them reasonably well to know how long they were.
The first part of the course is the hilliest with some on road riding. The second half was misty with a heavy dew and the inside of the RV was very damp.

I was powering away up the hills keeping a cadence of about 100 and then gearing up and cruising the downhills. The flats were hard work and at time it felt I was riding through mud. I think the tyre pressures were too low.

Two thirds of the way down I missed a gear change on an incline and really struggled over it. I realised how hard I must be riding for that to happen.

At the one hour thirty minute mark, I was between 5 & 6 km from the roadhouse. I kept going and made the roadhouse in one hour & forty minutes. An average of a little over 29km/h. This was the same as the return trip on the Baron. But I felt I rode a great deal harder in the Rotovelo than the Baron.

I had a break and was going to buy breakfast but the queues were so long I didn't bother. I ate all the spare food I had with me.

After 20 minutes I headed back thinking the return would be much longer as I felt very tired.
I continued to spin up the hills in the highest gear and get up to speed on the downhills and then coast until more power was needed to maintain speed on the flats.
The mist had gone. The sun was out. It was a beautiful calm morning. I was enjoying the scenery and the last of my food.

The time for the return trip was.... exactly the same as the outward leg. One hour & forty minutes.
I have never done and out and back and have the times the same.
It was also the same time as the return on the Baron last week. However the effort in the RV was great than on the Baron. So the Baron gets the win.

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