Hill Climbs

I have been my club hill climb champion which is obviously ridiculous.

Own it, put it on LinkedIn and your CV

I'm still paying for a bus to drive around announcing the last time I won it...

Does the bus also act as a real life reenactment?

Big red bus = almost exactly the same view from behind. Tricky to recreate the snot, sweat and grunting although the tired diesel does a decent job of this.

I was rubbish today. Possibly even worse than Leith.

You didn't look too happy coming over the finish line!

Haha I was thinking on the drive back that you probably have a very skewed perception of me.
Just didn’t get it right. Trying to take some positives I feel that I’m maybe better at Hollingbourne type climb, today and Leith the flat sections show my lack of experience maybe.
It’s annoying that I can’t seem to replicate my power curve in a race, some of that may be to do with not knowing the hills.
Pretty bummed at the moment though.

Mott St is really one that benefits from knowledge of the course. I've beaten stronger riders in the past almost certainly down to having ridden and raced Mott St for years.

Don't be too dispirited. I don't really know what a power curve is - just ride the hill as hard as you can without blowing up!

If it's any consolation (and I feel in a similar place) I'd rather be trying to work out how to deliver the power I have in a race than find power I don't have!

Where you getting the power curve from other outside rides? Indoor racing?

There's def a skill/experience/mental thing to hill climbs thats seems to me is as least important as the numbers.

For what it's worth, here's you above and me below.

I probably start off a bit hot, but in general I save the power for the steep bits and try to finish strong. I have no experience of power files or race analysis, but it looks like you've tried to ride a constant power, aimed a little high and faded towards the end.

I have the huge benefit of course knowledge and race experience, but I reckon the lesson here is ride the hill not the PM.

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Interesting insight into my bookmarks bar too.

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Through Strava (not sure if it’s a premium feature) yeah outdoors, mainly from all out efforts. Or looking at averages for segments I’ve done on a ride.

Yeah think I went off too hard.
Top 30 second power was 780w.

I think you are right on the knowing the hill.

I’m riding at quite a bit higher cadence too, not sure what to make of that if anything.

Any luck with Brighton Mitre?

No response either way :-( have they posted a start list?
As grumpy as I am I’m also quite stubborn so will persevere.

Not yet. Organisers can be pretty slow on email. Like timekeepers, they're of a different generation.

I've not had my entry accepted either yet, which should be good news for Goat I presume

13th out of 19

I think a key thing to think about HC is this:
what will I look like in my photos at the end?

This sounds glib and facile, but you want to look like you're smashing the fuck out of it and putting on a show for everyone watching. There's no point smashing the fuck out of the hill at the bottom where nobody has the cameras/nobody is watching. The cognoscenti might be at the first slopes watching and judging your steez, but the big show is at the top. Let the see you doing damage.

I’ve decided in my infinite wisdom (and because the live segments didn’t trigger yesterday) when I have my second race up Steyning next weekend to have the three different parts of the hill as live segments and try and match my PR on the first bit but make sure I don’t over shoot and so I look badass on the final bit!

I never looked badass. I always looked like I was about to cry.

My best picture so far is where I look like I’m scaring the life out of a Sunday rider.
The angle only exaggerates how much bigger I am adding to the effect.

Richard Cartland got 2nd, they've got a write up here but not the full results https://www.sussexca.org.uk/2020-results­.html

Interestingly, while the results show David in second, the write-up still has Richard Cartland in second. I reckon a strongly-worded letter of complaint is in order. :)

Well done, David!

Looks like I have a place in Brighton double header, @Kelvin what are your times up the two of them?
Hopefully your new fancy bike won’t be ready ;-)

Great! Always worth asking. Bring your HC rig for Steyning Bostal and your deepest wheels for Mill Hill. I’ll be using my brother’s disc and trispoke.