myWindsock exists in a “post social media” world and the blogs are dying. In order to reach a wider audience, we are adapting and overcoming… into podcast form. The plan is to release one episode a week with (and without) guests on a range of topics, some related to myWindsock directly and others more broadly in cycling and endurance sports.
This podcast will be available on YouTube for the episodes we film, as well as clipped up on our Instagram and you’ll be able to listen on all major podcast platforms.
The episodes will vary in length but probably won’t be much longer than 60 minutes so will be great turbo fodder or something for you to listen to on the bus…
This is the first of two individual time trials, and it’s the flattest, favouring pure time trial specialists. Expect to see these experts high up in the stage rankings. World champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) has likely targeted this stage due to his time trial prowess. Currently sitting second in the General Classification (GC), Evenepoel aims to reduce the gap between him and the leader. His recent form suggests a strong performance on stage seven. We took a look at who might perform the best between Pogacar and Remco here.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), holds a 45-second advantage over the Belgian in the GC. Pogačar, a formidable time trialist, showcased his abilities during the Giro d’Italia in May, winning one time trial and placing second behind TT specialist Filippo Ganna.
Olympic time trial champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) also seeks to leverage his time trial skills to close the gap on Pogačar. However, he will need to demonstrate improved form compared to his earlier performances in the race.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) are also strong time trialists. Vingegaard excels in Grand Tours, while Ayuso has shown consistent time trial performance early in his career. Although neither is expected to win the stage, they should maintain their positions relative to the other contenders.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) is a strong contender for the stage victory despite his inconsistent form. He is aiming for stage wins throughout these three weeks and will seize any opportunity to do so. Another potential stage winner is Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost), who finished second in the Swiss National Championships, an event of similar length.
The Swiss ITT national champion, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), will also be competing in this stage. Additionally, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) are also in contention for a strong performance in the first individual time trial.
How fast will they ride?
The TT is net tailwind, with the bulk of the climbing being done at “high pace” my prediction is Remco Evenepoel to take the victory today with a very slim margin over Pogacar.
The 111th edition of the Tour de France will kick off tomorrow on June the 29th, marking several historic firsts. For the first time, the race will start in Italy and visit the home city of Gino Bartali. Additionally, this opening stage will be the toughest in recent memory, featuring 3,600 meters of climbing.
Rimini, located by the Adriatic Sea and serving as a gateway to the flat Po Valley, may lack the star power of the renowned Florentine cyclist Gino Bartali. Despite its sprint-friendly terrain, evidenced by Arnaud Démare’s Giro stage win there four years ago, it’s likely that a rider with a skill set more akin to Giro and Tour champion Bartali, rather than the French sprinter, will emerge victorious on Saturday afternoon. Might be a day for Fred Wright? We can only hope…
For competitive cyclists, every second counts. Achieving peak performance on race day involves more than just rigorous training and top-notch equipment; it also requires a keen understanding of environmental conditions. This is where MyWindsock comes into play. By providing detailed weather and environmental data, MyWindsock equips cyclists with the information needed to strategise effectively and gain a competitive edge. In this guide, we’ll explore how to leverage MyWindsock for optimal race day performance.
1. Pre-Race Planning: Analysing the Route
Begin your race day optimisation by thoroughly analysing the race route using MyWindsock. Input your route via Strava, RideWithGPS or just upload the GPX file straight into Windsock to get a comprehensive overview of the environmental factors that will impact your ride:
– Wind Direction and Speed: Identify sections of the route where you’ll face headwinds, tailwinds, or crosswinds. Tailwinds can help you conserve energy, while headwinds require more effort.
– Elevation Changes: Pay attention to where the climbs and descents are. Plan your energy expenditure accordingly, conserving energy for challenging climbs and capitalising on descents.
– Weather Conditions: Check the weather forecast for race day. Temperature, humidity, and potential precipitation can all affect your performance and equipment choices.
2. Strategising Your Effort
Once you have a clear understanding of the route and conditions, use this data to plan your effort:
– Pacing: Adjust your pacing strategy based on wind and elevation data. For instance, push harder during climbs but work out just how hard you can go without blowing up using W’ Balance.
– Drafting: In windy conditions, drafting behind other cyclists can significantly reduce your energy expenditure. Use MyWindsock’s wind data to identify the best times and places to draft as well as checking wind direction data for cross-tailwind sections where drafting can be hardest.
– Equipment Choices: Tailor your equipment to the conditions. For example, choose aerodynamic gear for windy days and tires with better grip if rain is expected.
3. Race Day Execution
On race day, keep MyWindsock’s insights in mind as you execute your plan:
– Stay Flexible: While having a plan is crucial, be prepared to adjust based on real-time conditions. If the wind changes direction or intensity, modify your strategy accordingly.
4. Post-Race Analysis
After the race, use MyWindsock to review your performance:
– Compare Data: Analyse how actual conditions compared to forecasts and how well you adhered to your planned strategy.
– Identify Improvements: Look for areas where you can improve. For example, did you lose time in headwind sections? Did you push too hard on climbs?
– Refine Future Strategies: Use insights from your post-race analysis to refine your strategies for future races. Continuous learning and adaptation are key to gaining a competitive edge.
By leveraging MyWindsock’s comprehensive weather and environmental data, you can optimise your race day strategy to enhance performance and gain a competitive edge. From pre-race planning and effort strategizing to real-time execution and post-race analysis, MyWindsock provides the tools needed to maximise your potential. Embrace the data, refine your strategies, and watch as your race day results improve. Happy racing!
Is it possible to save minutes just by pacing optimally? Without getting fitter or more aero? Let’s take a look…
The aim – get as close to 40kph as we can…
Pacing your efforts is much easier with myWindsock. It’s the only place you can virtually test pacing strategies without having to ride them on the road. Pacing can make a bigger difference than anything, especially on rolling and sporting time trial or triathlon courses. It’s not just for solo efforts though, myWindsock can also help you spot the best place in a road race to attack! Sign up here.
Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates stormed to an impressive victory on stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia back in May, dominating the 40.6km individual time trial from Foligno to Perugia. His stellar performance not only extended his lead in the maglia rosa but also brought him closer to clinching the overall victory.
Filippo Ganna from Ineos Grenadiers initially set the pace with the fastest times at both intermediate checkpoints, hinting at a potential victory for him. However, as Pogačar tackled the final climb towards the finish line, the suspense escalated as Ganna’s substantial lead began to dwindle. By the finish, Pogacar took the victory.
What happened at the Dauphine – another reminder:
On stage 4 of the Critérium du Dauphiné, the European time trial champion, Josh Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers, delivered a scorching performance but fell short of surpassing the unstoppable Remco Evenepoel from Soudal Quick-Step. Despite Tarling’s impressive run, Evenepoel, the reigning time trial world champion, seized the lead with a remarkable time of 41:49 over the 34.4km course, ending Tarling’s reign in the hot seat.
Tarling set the early benchmark, finishing just 17 seconds behind Evenepoel in second place, while Primož Roglič of Bora-Hansgrohe secured the third spot, trailing the winner by 39 seconds.
The competition remained tense through the first two time checks, with Evenepoel and Tarling neck and neck within a few seconds of each other. However, it was the Belgian rider who made a decisive push for victory in the final kilometres, securing his dominance on the stage.
Who was better?
On the fifth of July, the first of two Tour de France TTs will take place over a 25.3km course with 300m of elevation gain and the course will likely take the riders around 30 minutes – so relatively similar to the TTs we are comparing in terms of energy systems used by the athletes. The way we will decide whose TT was better is to back calculate the riders watts and cda based on their performances and what information is available and input these performances onto the course for the Tour de France stage 7 TT on July the 5th. On the surface, Remco Evenepoel’s TT looks streaks ahead of Pogacar’s – however, I have Pogacar’s performance as around 5% “better” in terms of power output for the estimated cda (however, all of these are estimated as neither rider publishes their power and, as a result of this, 5% is within the margin of error).
What will happen at the tour?
During the grand tours, myWindsock is the place to be for TT predictions. We will provide predictions for the entire race and specifically, the two TTs for the GC top 10 as well as TT favourites.
We often neglect to highlight our own features here at myWindsock and one thing that we don’t talk about enough is our trends dashboard, what these charts mean and how to use it.
Temperature over time
Head wind vs Tail wind
The average wind speed plot
Cumulative “Feels Like” Elevation
Can you spot when I went to altitude?
For insights like these into the weather you train in, or to get ready for your next race, sign up to myWindsock here.
Taylor Knibb is a professional cyclist and triathlete from America. She has recently qualified for the Olympics for triathlon, which most people expected, but then won the USA national TT championships to punch her ticket to Paris for the TT as well – which less people expected, including Knibb herself who said, “I’m in shock and so is my whole team. We just wanted to go out, give a good effort, and see — hopefully improving on last year. But it just all came together.” She beat a double world TT champion in order to win, so she wasn’t racing any Mickey Mouse field. This isn’t the first time a triathlete has dabbled in time trialing in recent years, with Canadian Paula Findlay racing in Stirling at the UCI World Championships in 2023.
The nice thing about the USA National TT championships is all the riders take on the same course which means we have a larger pool of riders to pick from when calculating power numbers to figure out if Knibb can win in Paris. She also managed to top 20 the men’s race, which in a country as big as the USA, is quite impressive.
Can Taylor Knibb actually win in Paris? Three Olympic time trial gold medals have been won by American women in the past – all of which were Kirsten Armstrong, and there’s been a few others winning silver and bronze along the way. There’s most definitely pedigree and it should tell us that USAC aren’t sending her as a publicity stunt.
Figuring out whether Knibb can win in Paris is a question of working out how fast she could ride the course based on what she did at the USAC national championships then working out how fast the women’s winner of the Paris TT might go – a slightly more difficult task.
Estimating Knibb’s numbers
Triathlete Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing) secured the National Title in her second-ever Time Trial National Championship, finishing with a time of 41:54.69. Fixing this time, we’ve had a look at the various different combinations of power and cda required to achieve this time.
Is it enough to win in Paris?
There’s likely gains to be found in Knibb’s set up when it comes to aerodynamics. Purely because she has not been time trialing long – she has great sponsors and a manager who understands what it takes to win an Olympic gold medal (her manager’s wife is Gwen Jorgenson, winner of the triathlon in Rio). The woman’s TT is likely to be around a 40 minute effort in Paris – not dissimilar from the USA national championships. There are around 15 corners in the TT route in Paris and Knibb will have to improve technically between now and then to be in with a chance of winning.
The second individual time trial culminates against the stunning backdrop of the southern tip of Lago di Garda. Spanning 31.2 kilometres, the trial kicks off in Castiglione delle Stiviere, renowned as the birthplace of the International Red Cross. Following this challenging stage, the contenders vying for the top spots will likely require some TLC for their weary legs, making this segment pivotal in determining the overall classification.
The first TT featured a category 4 climb at the end, which you can read about here. In the first individual time trial of the 2024 Giro d’Italia, Tadej Pogačar from UAE Team Emirates delivered an impressive performance. He surged up the category 4 climb at the conclusion of the 40.6km route from Foligno to Perugia, seizing the stage victory.
Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers, who had held the lead for much of the day, expressed disbelief as Pogačar turned a 44-second gap at the foot of the climb into a 17-second triumph. Adding to Ineos’ success, Magnus Sheffield secured third place on the stage, finishing 49 seconds behind the leader.
How important is pacing?
The flip side of this is the physiological penalty for riding the small climb from kilometre three to kilometre six too hard and losing time in the second half of the race. It’s likely we will see a number of impressive time splits at check one, which sits 7.8km into the course. The second split is 23.2km in – is likely to be relatively final.
How much do conditions change during the day?
We’ve seen, over the last few years, conditions in Giro TTs change quite a bit over the course of the day.
If you want to check out the TT loop for the Giro TT – have a look here.