The Italian Grand Tour boasts 68.2 kilometers of individual time trials and culminates in a final-week mountain showdown. However, compared to recent years, there is a decrease in the amount of climbing and the stages are shorter.

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The official unveiling of the 2024 Giro d’Italia route in Trento has revealed a 3,321km journey starting in Turin on May 4 and concluding in Rome on May 26, encompassing 21 stages and two rest days. This course was aimed to attract Team UAE’s Tadej Pogacar to the start line and the Giro have achieved that, with the Slovenian sensation recently announcing his attendance at the race.

A distinctive feature of this edition is the emphasis on time trials, with a total of 68.2km spread across two tests in the first two weeks. Although slightly shorter than the 2023 total, the absence of mountainous terrain in the final time trial favours the capabilities of versatile riders. Slightly less mountains and more TT kilometres might see Wout Van Aert challenging for the GC. The final time trial will be super important, and likely conditions will play a role in the final standings. Something we will be covering here in depth.

While maintaining its reputation as the most time trial-friendly Grand Tour, the 2024 Giro sees a reduction in mountainous challenges, featuring six summit finishes. The overall elevation gain is 42,900 meters, compared to 51,000 meters in the previous two years, indicating a move towards a more balanced course. While almost 43,000m of elevation over three weeks is still an insane amount of climbing, it’s a course that will suit GC contention from a wider range of riders than previous editions.

Further building on this theme, with a total distance of 3,321km, this Giro is the shortest since 1979, contributing to a perceived lighter touch compared to the extreme dimensions of the 2023 edition. However, challenges are still prevalent, particularly in the demanding opening week, which includes tough climbs around Turin and a summit finish on stage 2. Pogacar will look to build a time buffer from the start and will likely be aggressive in the first week making for a tantalising race to watch.

Although the climbing may be less intense, the route boasts spectacular mountain stages, with three summit finishes in the first half and a challenging 220km stage with 5,200m of elevation on the Swiss border in the second week. The mighty Stelvio serves as the Cima Coppi, marking the highest point of the Giro, and the final week presents challenging double ascents of Passo Brocon on stage 17 and the formidable Monte Grappa on stage 20.

Sprinters have five clear-cut opportunities, including the final stage in Rome, while puncheurs have chances to shine with scattered small hills in the initial two weeks, adding an extra layer of excitement to the race.

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The time trials – let’s take a closer look

If you want detailed coverage of the Giro stages that will be crucial then be sure to keep your eye on our blog. If you want to prepare like World Tour riders, Olympic champions and professional triathletes for your next TT or bike split, sign up to myWindsock here.

As I write this, 2023 is coming to an end. I’ve received my Spotify Wrapped, Strava year in sport and other such annual data reports from various apps and thought it was time to check out some annual myWindsock stats. These are some of our favourite charts to look at in the context of the year…

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Air Pressure

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How windy was 2023?

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Turning up the heat…

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Rainfall

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In 2024, cyclists can maximise the benefits of myWindsock in two ways. 

Firstly, by leveraging its advanced weather forecasting features, cyclists can plan rides with precision, taking into account real-time wind conditions to optimise routes and enhance performance. 

Secondly, myWindsock’s community-driven data sharing fosters a collaborative environment where cyclists can exchange insights on local wind patterns, creating a dynamic network of information. 

Ultimately, myWindsock becomes an indispensable tool for cyclists, offering strategic planning and community engagement to elevate your riding adventures in 2024.

Sign up to myWindsock here.

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Step 1: Figure out your current fitness, strengths and weaknesses 

In order to do this, there’s two approaches you can take. Firstly you can just do a critical power or 4DP test, some means of testing your anaerobic system and your aerobic system or you can go to a lab and check your VO2 max, VLA max and lactate thresholds. The former is more accessible to most riders. Critical power is typically assessed using efforts of different durations. Common durations include 3 minutes, 5 minutes, /and 20 minutes. The goal is to choose durations that span the range from anaerobic to aerobic efforts in order to assess the effectiveness of both these systems. 

Interpreting the results of these tests will allow you to understand what kind of rider you are – punchy, diesel, sprint-type etc. This will give you an idea as to how you should train, if you’re extremely good at anaerobic efforts then you’ll likely want to do some sweet-spot training to reduce VLA max, if your anaerobic capacity is poor then you might want to work on VO2 max for example. 

Ultimately, many riders are limited by their ability to put out power over certain durations and training is the only way to address this. 

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Step 2: Get aero 

Calculating the energy lost to air resistance when cycling at a certain speed involves several factors, including the cyclist’s frontal area, coefficient of drag, air density, and the square of the velocity. The formula for air resistance force includes a term with velocity squared included – this means as the speed increases, the drag force contribution increases by the square of the speed increase.

Aerodynamics are extremely important for time trial performance, this is known. Seeing how aero you currently are is another factor. Premium members with power meter data can easily access Aero field testing within myWindsock by either reviewing their Strava Activity Weather or uploading a TCX file. Even though we provide an aero field testing feature, this can be tricky in winter (as it requires a calm day) so you might want to head to a wind tunnel or a velodrome.

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Step 3: Pick a fast course

A fast time trial course is characterised by flat or gently rolling terrain, straight roads, and smooth pavement. Favourable tailwinds, wide turns, and fewer elevation changes contribute to a faster pace. Familiarity with the course aids effective planning. Essentially you need a relatively flat course, on a good day with few turns. The problem is, this combination is actually surprisingly rare. If only there was a tool that allowed you to inspect the topography and weather of every course that’s available on Cycling Time Trials…

All cycling time trial courses are available to view on myWindsock! We also publish regular blogs and social media posts looking into the details of individual courses so keep your eyes peeled. Sign up here.

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myWindsock has gone on tour. This week, we are in Belgium (in fact, I’m here over the entirety of Christmas thanks to the wonderful sport of cyclocross) and as we all know – Belgians love a bit of windy cycling. I thought this would be a good chance to use myWindsock to try and take a segment or two while I’m out here and write a mini guide as to how I’m going to try and take a Belgian segment.

I have found a segment on my first ride here – which I carried out on the day of writing this blog.

The segment – Sint Martinus

With 6,374 Strava entries and the fact that it’s been used in World Tour races I thought this nice 1.32km ramp with an average gradient of 2.5% might be a nice climb to have a go at. I did a 2 minute effort on this climb today (with unfavourable wind conditions) and managed to squeeze out a little over 500W for this period. The KOM is 1:53 and it’s a high speed climb with an average of around 42kph. 

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How does the segment break down?

The required wImpact and setting up a segment Windsock

Through the research required to write this, it’s become clear to me that I need some wind assistance. On a neutral day I’m barely cracking the 2 minute barrier for this segment but myWindsock has me covered so I’ve set up a segment windsock. If you want to learn how to do this, check out our guide here. I’ve set the sensitivity to high, as it seems the prevailing wind direction on that hill is headwind so any opportunity I’ll want to be aware of.

It seems the chances of my Belgian KOM are low, keep your eye on the myWindsock socials and blog for an update when I’ve had a couple of attempts at the segment.

To snipe some Strava segments of your own – check out myWindsock and sign up here.

Anyone who’s gone down to a coastal town in the hopes of a fast Parkrun time only to be blown to bits by the wind will be familiar with the fact that cycling is not the only sport impacted by the wind. It’s that time of year too, where cyclists collectively put their running shoes on and we all go out and run a slightly underwhelming series of 5ks and proceed to not be able to walk for the two weeks after. That said, myWindsock might be able to help us be a bit more selective with our Parkrun courses to chase those PBs…

Parkrun Courses

Beyond the weather – running power…

The running power meter industry caters to the needs of runners seeking advanced tools to optimise their training and pacing strategies. These devices, designed to measure the power output generated during running, offer a comprehensive metric beyond traditional metrics like speed or heart rate. By quantifying the actual force applied to the ground, runners can gain insights into their efficiency, form, and fatigue levels.

These running power meters typically use advanced sensors and algorithms to calculate power, considering factors such as stride length, cadence, and incline. As with cycling power meters, these devices take many forms including sensors built into watches, clips for the waistband of your shorts and foot pods with accelerometers in them.

However, it’s crucial to acknowledge certain limitations associated with running power meters. Calibration and accuracy can be influenced by variables like terrain, footwear, and running technique, potentially leading to variations in readings. Additionally, the interpretation of power data may require a learning curve for some users, as the concept of running power is relatively new compared to more established metrics like heart rate or pace. This is true of us too, there’s more variance on running power measurements which can make predictions using myWindsock difficult based on running power.

Despite these limitations, running power meters provide valuable information for dedicated runners aiming to fine-tune their training plans and enhance overall performance. As technology continues to evolve, advancements in sensor accuracy and data interpretation may address some of these challenges, further solidifying the role of running power meters in the world of distance running. myWindsock’s use of running power is also evolving, as more runs are uploaded we generate data which can be used to train and refine our algorithms.

Aerodynamics and running

Aerodynamics plays a significant yet often overlooked role in running performance, especially at higher speeds. While it is not as pronounced as cycling, where air resistance is a major factor. At moderate running speeds, air resistance is a minor contributor to the overall force opposing forward motion. However, as runners approach faster paces, particularly in elite competitions, aerodynamics become more influential. Proper body positioning, streamlined posture, and minimising air resistance can contribute to improved running economy and reduced energy expenditure.

Runners can optimise their aerodynamics by adopting a forward-leaning posture, tucking in elbows, and reducing frontal surface area. This minimises the resistance encountered as they move through the air. The impact is most noticeable in sprints and middle-distance races where milliseconds matter, but marathon runners also benefit from efficient aerodynamics over the course of long races. Apparel and equipment choices also play a role. Tight-fitting clothing and advancements in fabric technology help reduce drag, contributing to improved aerodynamic efficiency.

Typical cda values for runners are between 0.4 and 0.6, which is quite high (as frontal area when you’re stood up is higher than when you’re scrunched into a TT position). The effects of drafting are also important in running, since 1980 studies have reported energy savings between 2 and 4 percent at some realistic running speeds. At Eliud Kipchoge marathon pace, drafting a runner in front of you is essentially worth 1s every 400m (12.5s per Parkrun if you’re quick…).

I’m a runner, how should I use myWindsock?

Now, I do quite a bit of running and am well known to be a keen advocate of myWindsock’s usefulness in a number of scenarios. Every time I take a crack at a running PB, I do with the help of a few key charts in myWindsock…

myWindsock is used by runners already, and our Parkrun map can tell us where to go for best results. If you’re a runner and you’re interested in using myWindsock, sign up here.

It’s fair to say that racing feels somehow in the distant past and a long way away into the future but as we all know, champions are made in the winter. Mywindsock has long been a tool used by champions and many have utilised our platform to achieve their success. Plans are often made long in advance, for example professional cycling teams often have a rough idea of who they’ll send to various races in December such that they can begin preparing them specifically for their role. It should be similar for you, at this point many events are already in the calendar for 2024. Having an idea such as “I am going to target an Ironman in June” or “I’m going to try and set a 10 mile PB in August” is all you need to start thinking about achieving success. 

Success for users of myWindsock, especially those interested in improving their performance who I am primarily speaking to here, breaks down into two sections. Optimising aerodynamics and equipment and training. We will start with training… 

Training Approaches

Traditionally, coaches have had their athletes focus on their “aerobic base” during the offseason then gradually increase their intensity as the season approaches. This works fine for many athletes, but it’s also worth mentioning that there are many ways to skin a cat here and that different approaches work differently. 

Working on weaknesses: This approach is simple, it just deals with setting out a hierarchy of issues holding you back from performing as you’d like to and approaching them one by one. For example, if your one minute power is holding you back in a race he hen perhaps it’s time to work on this first, then move on to other things once your weakness is at a level that no longer inhibits you reaching the performance goals. Working on limiters is a common approach to improving in general. 

Training based on phenotype/muscle fibre typology: This is something popularised relatively recently. I first considered adjusting training prescription on phenotype from Louis Delahaije (coach of many Olympic Champion cyclists and triathletes including Annemiek Van Vleuten) and he essentially breaks it down as “if you are naturally fast you probably need less of this training”. 

 The “Norwegian Method” of lactate threshold training: The Norwegian Triathletes deserve a little more credit here I think, they don’t just train all the time at threshold but the idea here is you control intensity sessions at threshold/LT2/FTP/Critical Power etc – however you want to measure it, then you spend as much time here as you can sustainably manage in a training week. This nudges your threshold up slowly over time. 

We have only spoken about three potential approaches to training here but the reality is there are an infinite number of potential approaches you can take. The approach you choose may depend on your event, for example a ten mile TT takes between 20 and 30 minutes for most time trialists where working on your VO2 max and maximum lactate steady state might be best immediately before your attempt to peak. This means that traditional periodisation would suit you, however if you’re trying to peak for a 100 mile TT or an Ironman, you might wish to do this kind of work in winter. 

We’ve seen many times on myWindsock that even pacing is rarely the fastest way to perform at the best of your ability, even in hill climbs but especially over a hilly time trial. Check out our blog on pacing a hilly time trial here but you should train to allow your physiology to meet the demands of your performance goal which is rarely doing a smooth power for a given duration… 

Aerodynamics and Equipment Optimising

myWindsock can help with pacing, but primarily our function is to calculate how much a change in cda will impact your performance. myWindsock can be used to estimate these changes through our aero testing but we’ve utilised it at the wind tunnel – which you can read about here.

If you, like many time trialists around the UK, repeat your efforts along the same time trial courses around the UK each summer then you can use myWindsock to see how your cda is trending over particular courses. 

In the winter this can also be done, for example if you are able to get out on your TT bike how is your cda trending across particular Strava segments? Personally, I like to head down to Goodwood and do a couple of tempo laps every couple of weeks on the TT bike just so I don’t forget how to ride the thing. This is something that many local racing circuits offer and is a good chance to see what sort of ballpark cda you’ll be working with in upcoming TTs as well as testing the rideability of any winter bike fits you’ve had done.

Winter is a difficult time to aero test outside, wind speeds are higher and this makes testing outside using myWindsock trickier but it’s a great time of year to get used to a testing protocol so that you can take advantage of any still days. 

If you’re looking to maximise your performance on the bike, you can explore our selection of articles on pacing strategies, aero testing and check out all the features in the app.

Cyclists often daydream about conquering impressive mountains, inspired by professionals navigating legendary ascents in major races. Our goal, among many, is to help you explore the world’s iconic cycling segments, find the best day and give you the information you need to snipe the KOM .

Based on thorough research (some Googling and asking around), we present our initial list of four of the UK’s Strava Classic Segments. myWindsock is perfect for segment whacking on Strava! All segments are available to view in the app.

In this context, a classic segment is defined by historical significance. Exploring the study of past events, especially in human affairs, unveils narratives tied to these climbs. Our aim is to traverse routes that have witnessed the achievements of cycling heroes.

Another defining criterion is difficulty. The challenging nature of these segments is embraced by great cyclists who understand the value of enduring hardship. Conquering notoriously tough segments strengthens resilience, providing a sense of triumph upon reaching the summit. We do not include any easy segments here – sorry to the fans of Surrey who were expecting Box Hill to make another undeserved list of climbs or segments in the UK. 

Without further ado, we present the preliminary roster of Strava Classic Segments, each embodying the rich history, challenging difficulty, and picturesque scenery that characterise these iconic cycling challenges:

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Hardknott Pass 

Riders navigate a narrow, single-track road extending from Eskdale in the west to the outskirts of Wrynose Pass in the east, offering an experience of both challenge and scenic views. On the western side, Harter Fell stands tall, accompanied by the remnants of Hardknott Roman Fort at 660 feet (200 meters) above sea level.

The Hardknott Pass, reaching a maximum elevation of 393 meters, leads to a steep descent with a gradient of 30% (1 in 3) into the Duddon Valley. At the eastern end of the pass, you’ll find Cockley Beck farm, built in the 1860s and owned by the National Trust. The route from Hardknott extends eastward, guiding cyclists toward Wrynose Pass and Ambleside.

Recognised as one of the more demanding cycling routes in Britain, Hardknott Pass features a series of challenging hairpin bends, often affecting visibility. The road surface is known for its poor condition. Winter closures are common due to impassable icy conditions. Following the Highway Code, ascending traffic (including cyclists) should given priority.

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The Great Dun Fell 

Great Dun Fell, standing at 848 meters (2,782 ft), is the second-highest peak in England’s Pennines. Positioned two miles (3.2 km) south along the watershed from Cross Fell, its higher neighbor, it, along with Little Dun Fell (reaching 842 m or 2,762 ft), serves as a landmark on the Pennine Way’s ascent from Dufton. Located within the historical county boundaries of Westmorland, it falls within the ceremonial county of Cumbria and the modern unitary authority area of Westmorland & Furness.

The climb itself is a long one gaining over 600 meters of elevation as you ride up. In order to take the KOM a rider must maintain a VAM of over 1600m/hr – this is perhaps slightly more achievable for more riders, at least compared to Feather’s time up Hardknott. EF Education’s Lizzie Banks holds the QOM.

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Bealach Na Ba 

Bealach na Bà is a winding single track road through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross, Scottish Highlands. The Bealach na Bà is just one feature on this road, being its highest point and site of several corries.
The historic mountain pass was built in 1822 and is engineered similarly to roads through the great mountain passes in the Alps, with very tight hairpin bends that switch back and forth up the hillside and gradients that approach 20%. It has the greatest ascent of any road climb in the United Kingdom, rising from sea level at Applecross to 626 m (2,054 ft) in about 6 km (3.7 mi), and is the third highest road in Scotland. In typical fashion, the segment is longer than the ‘climb’ with a false flat “fake news climb” couple of km at 1-3%.

The name is Scottish Gaelic for “Pass of the Cattle”, as it was historically used as a drovers’ road. The road is so steep, twisty and windy that learner drivers are encouraged not to drive up it. How anyone ever drove cows up here is completely beyond us but we can be sure they didn’t do it as fast as Feather who, once again, seems to have the KOM…

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Buttertubs Pass

The Buttertubs Pass, situated in the Yorkshire Dales, England, is a high road that winds north from Simonstone near Hawes to Thwaite and Muker, passing by 20-meter-deep limestone potholes known as the Buttertubs. Legend has it that farmers, en route to market, would rest there and, during hot weather, lower the butter they had produced into the potholes to keep it cool.

Locally recognised as a challenging climb, the road gained prominence as the second and highest of three categorised climbs in Stage One of the 2014 Tour de France. German cyclist Jens Voigt led the race over the climb, earning the polka dot jersey as the leader of the mountains classification.

I bet you can’t guess who has the KOM…

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myWindsock allows you to check out any Strava segment, just star it and then plan your assault on the segment. Next week we will do a step by step guide on trying to take a Strava segment making use of myWindsock, Strava and a live segment head unit feature all at once.

If you want to get the best out of your segment whacking, sign up to myWindsock here.

It’s cyclocross season. That time of year when we see cross riders grace our screens and the inevitable conversation of why they’re running deep(ish) section wheels, aero helmets and aero socks comes up. The question of “does aerodynamics matter in cyclocross” comes up a lot but the answer is more complicated than you might think. Basically, it’s yes but not at the expense of other things.

Cycling fast is always the same thing, ultimately it comes down to minimising the things slowing you down. The difference between CX and time trialing is there’s a lot more trying to slow you down on a cyclocross course which makes the distribution of speeds experienced in a CX race relatively wide.

A very simple example

Physics becomes extremely complicated any time that something remotely interesting starts to happen – let alone sliding around in mud, jumping over hurdles and all the other things they do so let’s just imagine that (rare) moment in a cyclocross race when they’re moving along a flat section of the course at a constant speed…

We can re-write this in terms of power by doing a little physics and a little bit of algebra which tells us the power needed to ride at a given speed for some rolling resistance, weight, air density and such.

The key thing to look at here are the speed related terms, we have one which is linear (ie, just speed) and another which is speed cubed. This means at high speeds, the term containing speed cubed (without rolling resistance included is much larger. What this means in practice is that air resistance becomes more important the faster we are going. If we split the terms up and plot power needed with speed we can see this…

So far we have used maths to show us something most of us already know. Aerodynamics becomes more important at higher speeds but does this matter in a cross race? Cyclocross average speeds are highly variable and the likelihood is optimal equipment choice will depend quite heavily on the race. myWindsock in this instant is not going to perfectly predict your cyclocross performance. A (reasonable for road racing and time trials) assumption that we make is that rolling resistance stays static but in cyclocross this assumption goes out the window completely. It’s so variable that predicting it would be pointless but that doesn’t make myWindsock useless in this scenario.

Many cyclocross courses are in open fields, which makes our wind forecasting particularly reliable with fewer buildings in the way to mess up predictions. This means you’ll have a windspeed prediction if you can get close to estimating your own average ground speed. This means you can make better wheel selections as well as decide whether or not to wear aero socks – something I recently found was quite controversial at cyclocross.

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myWindsock can be a powerful tool in its own right, especially on the road. It really comes into its own when it’s paired with a good understanding of physics. If you want to have a go at optimising your preparation for your next race, sign up to myWindsock here.

You can tell it’s November, every marketing email in my inbox is telling me to buy this season’s latest raincoat which is finally going to be the one that actually works but then, after 3 hours of a storm following you around you’re wet, the contents of your pockets are wet and your feet are soaked and freezing. Imagine if there was a way of being a little smarter than this though. There are a couple of approaches for this readily available without our help.

The weather radar guy 

I have a couple of mates like this, they have every weather radar app available (except us for some reason) downloaded onto their phone. They have a constant image in their head aggregating the latest satellite imagery and mentally overlaying the route they have planned out trying to figure out how wet they’re going to get, where it might rain and how to avoid it. Sometimes, this person will even look up a wind map on top of this!

The ‘no such thing as bad weather guy’

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices”. This is not true. There is such a thing as bad weather and these people are kidding themselves. This person never checks the weather, has a raincoat on every ride and was probably a member of the Scouts. They are often found making smug comments when it does rain unexpectedly as they’re always prepared.

The myWindsock guy

Everyone knows an optimiser. The person that tends to get things right, whenever they plan a route it’s always a tailwind home. They will plan to leave at 3:07pm as the rain stops at 3:06pm and there’s still time for an hour provided the traffic lights are on your side on the way back to town as they will be. You don’t know how they do it, but they seem to get everything right, well let us show you how they’re doing it…

• They sign up to myWindsock.
• They head into myWindsock and hit “add to planner”
  

• They check our collection of charts and information.

• They have a perfect ride – armed with all of this information the optimisers go ahead and ride round dodging rain showers and headwinds like they have a sixth sense.

myWindsock has developed a reputation amongst time trial specialists and triathletes for being a performance aid. This is true, we help people pace and use the weather to get the most out of themselves but winter is where myWindsock truly comes into its own. To keep dry this winter – sign up here.

This past weekend saw Britain’s finest hill climbers congregate in the town of Ambleside to launch themselves up a rather famous climb called “The Struggle”. We wrote a segment analysis here as well as a piece with pacing advice here (which I completely ignored and went out way too hard but that’s a story for another day). 

In the men’s race, the big showdown was between Ed Laverack and Andrew Feather, where Feather came out on top taking 18s on Laverack. Both riders put out amazing performances being well in excess of 7W/kg for the climb. 18s is a bigger margin than people expected from talking to riders and fans on Sunday and, based on how important pacing is on rolling climbs like this, we thought it would be interesting to look into where Feather made the time up on Ed Laverack. 

Where was the time gained?

In order to do this, we will make use of Strava segments. The Struggle has a series of sectors and is a rolling climb (in the sense that there’s a reasonable amount of descending involved along the way) and the segments we will use are ‘3 min’, ‘National HC sector 1- (no flat)’, ‘Struggle… sec2..the kind of flat bit!’, ‘Struggle Climb Descent’ and ‘Struggle To The Line’. Broadly speaking these segments represent the steep start, the flattish rolling bit in the middle, the descent and the final wall.  

We will look at the progress of four riders, Feather, Laverack, Gabe Dellar and me. These represent two great hill climbers, a very powerful cyclist who is not a hill climb specialist and an 80kg triathlete who’s just spent a week off the bike due to the off-season. 

‘3 min’ 

This is the first segment, it’s just shy of 700m long with an average gradient of 12.7% and it gives us a good idea of who started the hardest. 

‘National HC sector 1- (no flat)’

This sector includes the one featured above but extends further to 2.38km with an average gradient of 10.8%.

‘Struggle… sec2..the kind of flat bit!’

This is the most interesting segment to see the time gaps as it will show the differences in pacing strategies being employed. 

‘Struggle Climb Descent’

This segment tells us who’s been doing their research and riding the course first. There was no need to touch the brakes on this descent portion of the course and riders who had done the climb a couple of times would know this.

‘Struggle to the line’

Could Ed Laverack have won and a brief discussion about the model of Critical Power?

The critical power model would have Laverack and Feather with similar CP values and Feather with a larger W’.  

What this essentially means is that both Feather and Laverack have similar aerobic capacity but Feather has a greater access to glycolytic power. The question becomes how does Laverack win on a climb which is essentially made for Feather? The only path I see is for him to pace it harder at the start and descend faster with more focus on aerodynamics for the flat bit. The reality is, given Feather’s physiology, Laverack may have been fighting a losing battle though. 

The critical power model is a valuable tool for assessing sustainable power output, but it has several limitations. One key limitation is that it assumes a linear relationship between power output and duration, which may not accurately represent the nonlinear nature of fatigue. In reality, fatigue can accumulate at different rates depending on various factors such as intensity, environmental conditions, and individual variability. The model also simplifies the complex interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, making it less precise for athletes with varying strengths in these systems. It’s probably the case that Andrew Feather is such an outlier and the CP model underestimates his ability to produce high powers.

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Next time, we will go through Illi Gardner’s performance that won her the women’s British Hill Climb championships. If you want to plan your next race with the precision of the best riders in the world, head here and sign up to myWindsock.