I decided to have a go at Stout's Hill... I haven't had a go up there since I purchased the power meter so it was a trial for a few reasons... see how the new gear performed... and see how I performed.
I'm 5 weeks into my next phase of training... it's not going very well. Think I have missed about 20% of prescribed training sessions due to lack of motivation, low sugar levels and Stag weekends. I've also increased my body weight by about 5kg to help reduce the risk of illness through the 'off season'. I'm also 15-20W down on my FTP.
I went out with an open mind in terms of my performance. I have not completed a VO2 Max effort for a good few months... as a result of that, I have become 'weak' minded... it's been too easy to give up. It takes a special kind of mind to power through a long threshold session... even more so, to hold a VO2 Max effort. I decided to not ride on power... more so on perceived effort.
The expectation of the new bike and wheels on the other hand... that was high... very high!
The Helium SL20 is supposed to be one of the best frame's for hill climbs. Ridiculously light... and ridiculously stiff. The frame itself is 800g (1050g including the fork) without sacrificing the integrity of its strength.
The wheelset, although not specifically designed for hill climbs, are the lightest I have ever owned and are also considered the stiffest rear wheel on the market. The RCC 2.0 Disk wheel is just remarkable... manufactured by the carbon Gods at Lightweight and perfected with DT Swiss hubs this is the best disk wheel on the market... I almost can't believe i'm riding it!
I'm not going to see the true potential from the wheelset until I complete a 10 or 25 mile time trial... but even if there is no aerodynamic benefit... the psychological benefit will be massive! They feel awesome! They look awesome! They sound awesome! They are just... awesome!
So there I was... half way into my first hill climb effort on the new kit... riding on pro spec equipment... wheezing like true wannabe! The pro's make it look easy... the truth is you are far from feeling pro when you are on the limit like that. Dribble hanging from your mouth... not enough energy to wipe it off. Face looking like someone has just slapped you. I also make the sound of a woman during labor... its not pretty to say the least. I'm just glad that, on this occasion, no one was around to witness it!
I was coming into sight of the start of the final corners and I could feel the power draining from my legs. Without the crowds cheering on... without family watching... its difficult to dig deep at this stage... I just tried to carry on to the finish. The end was tough and I certainly realised I was no where near peak fitness!
I had no idea what my time was or how I performed. I remember looking at the power reading a few times and seeing 350W on there a lot so was hopeful.
I got back and loaded the ride to find a 3rd fastest time (on Strava) with a time of 5:44... only 14 seconds behind my PB. Not bad considering it is the start of the seasons training and I'm 5kg overweight!
And it was only on those final corners did I lose the time:
I thought I would have a play around on Bestbikesplit.com to see what potential it would predict.
So Bestbikesplit predict my time as being 5:40 based on my current bike, body weight and power output. By changing the power output and body weight to my (optimistic) predicted levels (141lb and 400W) the magical software thinks I will get up there in a rather impressive 4:51... the club record is 4:58... I don't want to jinx anything... and 400W for 5 mins rather ambitious... but how awesome would that be!!
Time will tell I suppose... all I know is... I can't improve the equipment any more than I have... I just have to put in the hard work now and see what happens!
