I gave it a good go with a great warmup, but failed to crack 20 minutes by a slim enough margin that makes me think. There were a lot of different setups from all the riders.
Good news is that it appears as though this course at least will support any TT frame in a race so there’s reason to spend some drops should I wish to pursue better times on this course.
There are certainly a lot of different ways to approach this course as far as bike setup and when you lay the power goes. I’ve never been much of a short distance rider but I’ll give this one another go every once in a while, it was fun and good for my endurance legs.
You cant whole heartedly recommend something without doing it yourself, so I picked up the Specialized Shiv S-Works in the interest of karma. I’m sure it’s quicker uphill. Can I be quicker is a whole nuther question.
Anyone done this TT more than once to compare climbing road setup vs TT setup using the same approach power wise? Curious as to which setup is faster.
Without a doubt, a steady pace from start to finish is NOT the way to go. How to say… Same rider, same weight, same bike, same avg power but ridden differently:
steady pace from start to finish
sub avg pace for 6km, followed by above avg pace for 2km climb
In terms of power compared to FTP, I ended the second attempt with Zwift reporting an FTP increase to 251W (reported 248W at the end of the first attempt, up from 244W in my ramp test a few weeks ago). So I actually did the flat section at about FTP (248W) and the climb significantly over FTP (283W).
If I get another opportunity, I might try the Tron bike and riding a bit more below FTP on the flatter part.
Ideally, you go sub-threshold for the first 6km then hammer over threshold for the last 2km. How much under for the first 6km, I don’t know. H3ll, it’s so short that going threshold for the first 6km might be okay and then full gas for the remainder. I guess it depends on how one tolerates riding above threshold which will vary for two riders of the same FTP In any case, that steep 2km climb is where you will make or lose time.
I did an easy recon ride yesterday. I thought the course was going to run the duration of the Giro or at least the whole first week, but it looks like tomorrow is the last chance. Hopefully, I have time to give it a real push.
I’m beginning to think Bike/ Wheel selection isn’t much of a factor for this course. I did it 3 times, 3 different frames, all with lightweights. I was progressively better at doing the first 6km in the yellow and finishing the last 2k in the red, but I also put out a few less watts each attempt. So I’m calling it a wash at least with the lightweight wheels as a control.
1st attempt
Specialized Shiv Disc and Lightweight Wheels
20:27 avg power 256W
2nd attempt
Specialized Shiv S-Works and Lightweight Wheels
20:23 avg power 254W
3rd attempt
Trek Emonda and Lightweight Wheels
20:28 avg power 251W
What really burned me was the ride clock at the finish. I thought I had my sub 20 minute run in, only to find out seconds later looking at the results that I missed it by over 20 seconds.
You can see in the pic I had 8 seconds to cross the finish line, or so I thought. Same thing happened on my third attempt but I knew better. I must have forgotten that since Saturday’s first attempt.
My first try was ~300watt on the flat and ~300watt uphill, time was 18m31sec. (305watt total average)
Second try was ~270watt on the flat and ~340 watt uphill, time was 17m45sec (309 watt total average)
So pretty much the same average on both rides but a very different time.
What’s the reason for this - often happens in TOW events etc too, is there some pre-start line riding that counts as time on the event? Also was burying it for sub-20, just missed that but then up pops 20:39 in the event page and also Zwiftpower.
Bike: Specialized Shiv S-Workds TT w/808 Disc Combo
Helmet: Bell Javelin (no advantage, but why not? it’s a TT! )
I rode the flat reserved. Then pushed on the climb. Dropped my chain twice around 7.5km, costing a few seconds for sure. Can’t wait till the course is available for an event to give it
another push.
Zwift results and therefore ZwiftPower show the event time; which starts when the flag drops. That is the same with any event. The on-screen timer starts at the start/lap banner and should match the Bologna TT (Zwift Insider verified) time. You may notice on other courses this timer often starts just outside the Pens indicated by a mark on the road.
In any case, that steep 2km climb is where you will make or lose time.
), Shane Miller has some thoughts:
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