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View Full Version : 1.21 Gigwatts to win Flagstaff Mountain!


54ny77
08-26-2012, 02:30 PM
I'm not very familiar with power stuff, but I know that a guy doing over 1k watts to break away, holding 533 watts for a few minutes to stay away, then 460 watts for 14 minutes to seal the deal, well.....good lordy them thar's alotta watts!

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/08/news/power-analysis-sutherlands-1049-watt-attack_236344

"The riders didn’t do the “full” climb on Saturday but they did complete half of it. You could estimate a grand tour-level time then as being 15 minutes up the section they rode today. Sutherland did even better! When Sutherland reached the base of Flagstaff, he had already racked up 4,292 kilojoules. Then he climbed Flagstaff in 14 minutes — a time definitely worthy of a grand tour victor!

This was not an easy stage by any means. Sutherland’s threshold power is right about 400W at this elevation, and he rode for an hour while climbing up to Nederland at 372W. He was really under pressure on that climb early on, just to stay in the breakaway. Once over the climb to Nederland, he had to survive the Left Hand Canyon/Lee Hill climb. Near the top of Lee Hill, Rory put out 472W just to stay with the front riders. Many in the breakaway were dropped at this point.

With Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) going on attack near the base of Flagstaff on a solo move to win the day, Sutherland knew he had to wait until the very base of the climb to make his move. Sutherland attacked hard, sprinting away at 1,049W and then averaging 533W for three minutes in order to create a race-winning separation from the remnants of the break. His effort was also aimed at catching George Bennett (RadioShack-Nissan) and Fabio Aru (Astana), who were still off the front. He caught them easily, then powered to the finish, averaging 461W (6.2 w/kg) for 14 minutes, to a beautiful and well-deserved victory salute."

thenewguy11
08-26-2012, 08:03 PM
Knowing what my powermeter says going up climbs like that makes reading that even more amazing. Those guys are flying.

dauwhe
08-26-2012, 08:15 PM
A gigawatt is one billion watts, or a million kilowatts, or a thousand megawatts. Even EPO can't give you that kind of power :)

Louis
08-26-2012, 08:23 PM
Even EPO can't give you that kind of power :)

This thread is the cycling equivalent of an ESPN "NFL's Greatest Hits" video. You know it's not right, you know it's not good for the participants or the sport, but you just can't look away.

gavingould
08-26-2012, 10:13 PM
some very impressive numbers. I always enjoy seeing what kind of stats the pros put up since I've gotten into power.
I've cracked 1500W a bunch of times at peak sprint, but anything over a minute or so is far below what they're capable of. no wonder I climb like crap...

Vientomas
08-27-2012, 01:55 AM
Ronald Regan, the actor?

mike p
08-27-2012, 06:11 AM
I can hold 550 watts up an hour long climb by my house then hit 2100 watts in a field sprint to the county line sign.....then I wake up and go to work! There really is a world of difference between us mortals and pro's and I don't need a power meter to prove it to me!

Mike

MattTuck
08-27-2012, 06:30 AM
I think a power meter would only serve to quanitfy how much I suck.

Glad I don't have one.

SPOKE
08-27-2012, 07:05 AM
I think a power meter would only serve to quanitfy how much I suck.

Glad I don't have one.

Same conclusion I came to a few years ago.......I gave my powertap to a talented junior racer here in the area.

cloudguy
08-27-2012, 10:53 AM
Didn't BikeSnob say something like: unless you're a pro, buying a power meter is like hiring an accountant to tell you're poor...

Steve in SLO
08-27-2012, 11:11 AM
Is it just me or would it have read better like this:

"The riders didn’t do the “full” climb on Saturday but they did complete half of it. You could estimate a grand tour-level time then as being 15 minutes up the section they rode today. Sutherland did even better- he climbed Flagstaff in 14 minutes — a time definitely worthy of a grand tour victor!

This was not an easy stage by any means. Sutherland was really under pressure on that climb early on, just to stay in the breakaway. Once over the climb to Nederland, he had to survive the Left Hand Canyon/Lee Hill climb. Near the top of Lee Hill, Rory put out a big effort just to stay with the front riders. Many in the breakaway were dropped at this point.

With Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) going on attack near the base of Flagstaff on a solo move to win the day, Sutherland knew he had to wait until the very base of the climb to make his move. Sutherland attacked hard, sprinting away in order to create a race-winning separation from the remnants of the break. His effort was also aimed at catching George Bennett (RadioShack-Nissan) and Fabio Aru (Astana), who were still off the front. He caught them easily, then powered to the finish to a beautiful and well-deserved victory salute."