RRA Records - ie. LEJOG Record Attempts

Gethin's solo record still faster. #damn

I have not got a clue about these things, do you have any info on how the solo records are so good in comparison, perfect conditions, superhuman effort?

Not perfect conditions but Gethin had a stonking tailwind for the first 24hrs apparently. He's also one of the fastest long distance cyclists the planet has produced.

Stunning ride but the reliance on the right weather (a stonking tailwind) takes the shine off these kinds of records (for me anyway).

All (well most) of the previous record holders were aware of the weather's part in matters. It's just how it works. You need to be ready to move fast and go when the weather is right. That's why it's tricky - it's hard to get a team where people can just drop work and head down to Land's End. I had a range of dates locked in and the weather (and my legs) proved to be 'meh'. Not a lot you can do... save for a fuckload of EPO ;)

As well as some LEJOG attempts this year, there's a Pembroke to Great Yarmouth record attempt planned:

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?/topic/125918-rra-pembroke-to-great-yarmouth-record-attempt/

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/lands-end-john-o-groats-break-unbreakable-cycling-record-379965

Two quite different approaches to this in regards to training and use of power meters etc. Be interesting to see what happens!

I wonder if To will calibrate his powermeter before he starts? :)

I remember him having a tantrum on TCR was that one of the issues?

No, he got psyched out when the road in Romania was banned not long before he would have ridden it. He wasn't flexible enough to cope with an unexpected change under pressure.

No, it's a dig at his power claims in that article.

"He says his 20-minute power is around 410W, and he weighs 72kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 5.7W/kg — a level of performance rarely seen outside of the pro peloton."

Ahhh i get it now! I would think his 20min FTP doesn't really count for much when your riding the length of the UK and back?

The higher your FTP, generally the higher your 'all day' power so he should totally smash this given his high power/weight numbers.

If I could undrink those 50,000 beers and be 20kg lighter maybe I'd have another crack...

"He says his 20-minute power is around 410W, and he weighs 72kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 5.7W/kg — a level of performance rarely seen outside of the pro peloton."

I also thought those numbers looked a bit toppy so a quick google gives a comparison:

*Froome’s peak power during the test was 525 watts, with a sustained power of 419 (a power he should hold for 20-40 minutes). It correlates to 5.98 watts-per-kilogram at his test weight, and 6.25w/kg at his Tour weight of 67kg.
He is reported to have been carrying around 3kg more weight when the test was taken than in the Tour (67 to 69.9kg) and had a body fat percentage of 9.8.
“I’ve seen a value of 5.8w/kg being spoken of as the upper limit of human performance for a 40-minute effort,” Swart told Esquire.*

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/chris-froome-described-as-close-to-human-peak-after-physiological-data-release-202644#kfiKoVOj0rAcK3KU.99

Did a bit of googling Wiggins did 440w for his hour record.

To is in the wrong sort of races!

Yeah but he's just a feeble Pro Tour rider. What about good riders?

Ian is starting 0600 Saturday.

What do you weather forecasters say about that and when you might start?

I will be riding track league tomorrow night, then turbo over the weekend and watching #1 child play football.

High pressure over these isles, innit.

To be fair to Ian, he may only have a short window of opportunity so it could be that his hand has been forced somewhat. Reading his messages, I think he's itching to go.

Yeah, but being keen to go and only having one opp to go are different things. I hope he's not making a rash decision.

Maybe he has to work on Monday!

Ian's LEJOG route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27443235

Anything particularly unusual about it?
Looks pretty standard to me, but then I've never contemplated doing this!

Depending on his timings, some of the roads around the Ballinluig - Pitlochry A9 part of this route are closed on Sunday from 05-30 to 14-30 for the Etape Caledonia, so that stretch of A9 could be very busy with local traffic from the closed roads all on the A9.

Its a very busy road at this time of year anyway, and tailbacks can be common. I hope he doesn't get caught in any jams and gets most of the A9 done over night.