Pro cyclists — they’re just like us. Well, not exactly, but many riders in the WorldTour peloton are uploading their rides and races to Strava, giving us a window into what it takes to be a factor in Europe’s hardest races.
On Sunday, Wilco Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo) rode his way into a late-race attack that had some serious firepower, including such riders as Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick-Step). Unfortunately for Kelderman, a crash on one of the course’s characteristically narrow and twisty roads knocked him out of the group, although he did manage to keep it upright as he rode off-course into a field. He ended up finishing 62nd, but he certainly worked hard for it.
Over the 159-mile, six and a half-hour race, the Dutchman did 5,718kj of work with a weighted power average of 291 watts. Yes, he’s one of the few pros who’s willing to upload actual power data online. The winner, Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-Quick-Step) left us guessing with Strava’s ‘estimated power’ data. Not surprisingly, Kwiatkowski set a new KOM for the Cauberg finish segment, but it’s safe to say that he was likely more concerned with winning the thrilling sprint finale in Valkenburg, Netherlands.
Kelderman also hit a peak power output of 1,120 watts. Although he climbed 11,093 feet on the day, the 24-year-old rider maintained a brisk average speed of 24.3mph and maxed out at a frighteningly fast 57.7mph.
The post Wilco Kelderman’s Amstel Gold Race power data appeared first on VeloNews.com.
View the full article
