Power files for the Etape du Dales

[beowulf]

A buddy of mine has done this ride 4 years in a row and is trying to get a gold medal which means completing it in under 7 hours , does anyone have a power file of someone who completed it in under 7 hours to see what power output is required

 

[swampy1970]

No power files here...
... but Fleet Moss and Buttertubs aint the easiest of climbs. Go too hard (which would be a very easy thing to do on fresh legs) on those and you'll be paying for it the rest of the day.

I remember those roads being a bit rough back in the day - I hope they've been resurfaced in the last decade otherwise ya might as well put some cobbles down to smooth it out.

 

[beowulf]

I agree they are hard and he has experience having done it 4 times his FTP is 269 and he missed it by 10 mins and has consistently improved his times , with a lighter bike and starting training earlier but any other suggestions would be useful, including the power needed to do it under 7 hours his weight is 80 kg and he's 6 ft tall

 

[swampy1970]

80Kg (176lb).... that's too heavy. There's too many steep climbs to be dragging that weight up there. I used to think that those hills were bad enough and I was ~ 145lbs (5ft 11) and putting out more power. If the hills were more gradual then it wouldn't be so bad.

Unless your friend is under 8% bodyfat then I'd put more emphasis on losing weight than substantially increasing power. When you're going up 1in10 and 1in8 hills 1 lb is worth about 2 watts... even more on those short, even steeper, sections. It also significantly reduces the energy requirements.

Power is always nice - but sometimes you have to think about what's resisting your progress.

Speed

It's an interesting website that has some pretty accurate calculators. Speed is in m/s - but there is a conversion utility on there under Tools. Slope (0.1 would be 10% - or 1 in 10ish). There's also a section that will calculate how much time your save if you were 'x' kg lighter. You have to be brutally honest with the weight and dont forget about the weight of water bottles, little saddle bags, pump, helmet etc...

A lighter bike will only slightly help in the grand scheme of things. Using lighter wheels around that neck of the woods is a risky proposition. I've bent 32 spoke Mavic GP4 tubular rims in the Dales and those were 'effing strong - so strong that even Chuck Norris weeps when he sees them. Only Mavic SSC rims were stronger...

One thing I used to notice on those roads is that people always seem a little nervous on those descents. You just have to stick it in the big gear and try and keep the power up on the way down too.

 

[beowulf]

Hey Swampy

Thanks for that, he did weigh less than this , was down to 77 kg at one point but has recently come back from Club La santa and did an awful lot of training but seems to have put on a few K's on his tapering week.

He's getting a bit frustrated as he did a ride in March called the Cheshire cat which goes up some seriously steep rides and the Lakeland loop in April which goes up Hardknocke and Wrynose passes which are 25% and 33% in some places, so his issue seems to be more with hitting a peak at the right time. He rode the Fred Whitton Challenge last year and just about got a gold which is 112 miles in 7 hours 30 but this just seems to be eluding him

 

[Ade Merckx]

I agree they are hard and he has experience having done it 4 times his FTP is 269 and he missed it by 10 mins and has consistently improved his times , with a lighter bike and starting training earlier but any other suggestions would be useful, including the power needed to do it under 7 hours his weight is 80 kg and he's 6 ft tall

Oh man that's not so bad he's almost there. If like Swampy suggests he looses the weight, job done. Otherwise change his training approach. Perhaps he needs to cut out all the junk miles and train more intensively over a shorter period of time; or perhaps he needs to ride more often. etc. I've never done the Dales ride is there are chance to share the work in a faster group? Anyways Sweet Spot ides, 2 x 20's, VO2max efforts will all help. Good luck for next year

 

[beowulf]

Hey Ade

yeah you're right , he's just frustrated having come so close and wants to tick it off his list. He also wants to do the RAAM in 2012 as a team , nutter

 

[swampy1970]

Hey Swampy

Thanks for that, he did weigh less than this , was down to 77 kg at one point but has recently come back from Club La santa and did an awful lot of training but seems to have put on a few K's on his tapering week.

He's getting a bit frustrated as he did a ride in March called the Cheshire cat which goes up some seriously steep rides and the Lakeland loop in April which goes up Hardknocke and Wrynose passes which are 25% and 33% in some places, so his issue seems to be more with hitting a peak at the right time. He rode the Fred Whitton Challenge last year and just about got a gold which is 112 miles in 7 hours 30 but this just seems to be eluding him

Ah... Hardknott and Wrynose. Fine chain snapping steep climbs. I always used to be underwhelmed by the lack of big hills in the lakes - preferring stuff in the Peak District like Saddleworth and Holme Moss but there's no shortage of the b-stard steep stuff in the lakes.

In hilly events it's all about weight. Flatter rides you can get by just by riding pretty low and churning over a nice gear at a sustainable wattage. Sounds like your friend is pretty handy on a bike - but alas a bit too chunky.

As Ade pointed out - there's riding and there's riding. Piddling away for hours during winter aint gonna get the job done - 2 to 3 hour sessions and don't over do it on the carbo. I've taken the route of not taking any carbo supplements out on the bike and just ride about 70% of my FTP for two hours. Cut out the cr@p in the diet (if you can't tell where it originated from, don't eat it) then the weight will be going down faster than John Terry on female Chelsea fans.

I've got a wee event in a few weeks - 198miles, 8 passes, 21,000ft of climbing and you see why I've got to shed the pounds. Then again that's just a warm up for a two day event in Sept - The Everest Challenge, which funnily enough does 29,000ft of climbing in two days with a couple of the climbs going over 10,000ft. Climbs that make Alpe Dhuez seem like those little rollers on the A1. Just by cutting out the junk, the beer and the on the bike carbo I've been dropping about 2 to 3 lbs a week. That said, I don't train with quite the same intensity (~70% FTP) as I'd like but this way I don't have to deal with my stomach thinking my throat has been cut.

At the end of the day it all boils down to how much he wants it.