Okay I've found some motivation and dug for some files. Let's have a look, hopefully the resolution on the files is readable. Basically, I'm 64kg most of the season, am 172cm or 5'8" and skinny, no hips, no shoulders. I cut through the wind like a knife. I have arguably one of the fastest setups in triathlon. Felt IA, Zipp 808 NSW & Super 9, both carbon clinchers, GP4000sII tyres with latex tubes. I use Quarq power, which I believe is the most reliable power index.

Dubai, 2nd place, January 28, fresh at the strart of the season


CdA, 2nd place, 26th June, coming into good shape


Calgary, July 24, 1st, course record, coming off altitude block & feeling great pre-worlds


Xiamen, November 13, 1st, running on fumes as I've been racing since Dubai in Jan, literally no conditioning left. Already stated there was a massive slingshot effect advantage on lap 2 passing the sold out field of AG'ers. Big taper off power as the effort, heat & air took it's toll.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Outstanding...much appreciated.

I'm calling Thomas Gerlach a hack, because I know his agenda. I know why he wants my data because I know he's not asking for it to compliment me as perhaps Dev has. So sorry for the tone of my message, but it was a response to him, and not to those who want my data for genuine reasons.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Will post higher res pictures if needed, I just went with the 'message board' option. Need to run now, got a ton of stuff to do

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

I appreciate the opportuinty to come on here and talk about performance, in particular my own. I post quite a lot on the Australia 'Transitions' forum and quite often do a lot of spontaneous Q&A. I guess I go on Transitions mostly because I don't get prodded in the way I have been here, but I appreciate the different types of interest, and I most certainly am able to distinguish between the genuine and non-genuine. So I'm sorry for the frustrated response to Thomas before, I am more than happy to supply answers, and I'll get around to more of them soon. There was a swimming question that I will muscle in on too.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

I can assure you, you don't know my agenda. But if you really want to get into, again, fine. Why is that you don't post the WC 70.3 file? That is the one I am most interested in anyway.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

You do realize that technically slingshot is illegal correct? Just looking at Calgary, you do realize that Steve Mantell is like 5 feet 6 and maybe even shorter, and put out 267/273 and yet only went 2:04 mid. Do you have any idea how many extra watts it takes to go from a 2:04 mid => 158 high?

Steve Mantell: https://www.strava.com/activities/652494521 (267/273) (2:04:39)
Nathan Killam: https://www.strava.com/activities/652288125 (278/283) (2:07:09)

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

Bro. It has been well established what your agenda is here -- out of your own mouth. You started the thread on Frodo drafting in Roth two goddamn weeks before the race even happened. It's old and it's tired and we get it and everyone agrees and Thomas Gerlach of all people isn't going to win hearts and minds by poor attempts at underhanded manipulation.

It's patently obvious you have an alternative agenda on almost every other topic. Usually you want to browbeat providers or companies into sponsoring you, and presumably your criticisms are directed at those who have no interest in doing so -- from the A2 guys to Ventum. But in this case it's in throwing shade around an athlete who is just flat out faster and more talented than you. Stop.

Jeff.

A few comments:

#1) I have benefited from wind doping. Yes, I know it is rare for a pro to actually come and say it, I have benefited!!! I know the benefits exist and this isn't the first time I have talked about it on the forum

#2) Do you really think we can't get a enough data to start making conclusions? I mean heck, we could have WTC wind tunnel test every top-tier athlete at the start of the season and then make athletes ride with power, estimate ride time based on power, and then compare to actual times.

On the tangent, have you investigated how much time I lost to you on the turns.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

It would be nice if you didn't ruin this thread for everyone that is actually interested in what Josh has to say and his data.


..

Ok, I will bow out of the thread. I apologize.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

I told dogmile I would bow of this thread. I don't want to make this thread about me personally. I will give up the fight. I am not prepared to make this fight today.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

Thomas, in defence, of Josh, if he is lapping age groupers on loop 2, how can he possibly "not slingshot" in the sense that he and every pro lapping age groupers will get a benefit passing guys. Every age grouper riding a clean race who happens to start in a late wave gets that effect. I think if you look at his Xiamen file and just focus on first half data, you can see what watts were needed to go how fast when he was not passing anyone.

I promised I would bow out of this thread and I don't want to overstay my welcome.

I will say this briefly, I don't know if Josh and I have a different interpretation of the rules. Slip-streaming is strictly forbidden in the pro ranks. We have to pull left before we enter the draft zone of the person a head of us. Now yes, on lap courses, pros seem to always ride faster on the same watts, because all the age-groupers break a lot of wind, but we aren't supposed to ride up to the wheel and then move left to pass. We are supposed to move left well before hand. If we were allowed to do that we would go even faster IMO.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

OK, thanks for the clarification and we are in agreement. I assume he meant he was doing that you guys are supposed to do. But even when you do that, and you are riding 45 kph and the age grouper is riding 30-40 kph, there is a massive wake behind them especially if there are a few. I'd imagine that Josh would have had one of Jimmy's zebra guys right on him the entire time too.

IME, the officials follow usually the first pack of guys. So if Josh if off the front, I would suspect it would be just Josh. I would suspect the officials were with Justin, Tim, Stuart etc. Now, I know at least as some NA races they said this year they were more into roaming than years past. That did seem to be the case from my experience. Maybe Josh can clarify specifics for this particular race.

Lastly, I will say that the official moto plays a role in group dynamics. As the moto usually hangs around 1-2 of the group and to the left. As a guy make his way to the front of the group he will often find himself in the wake of the moto for a bit as he moves to the front. In addition, a lot of courses are pretty tight. I can think of Raleigh and Chattanooga being two this year like this, where you have oncoming vehicle traffic on tight roads at fast speeds. You think about that situation, and the moto doesn't want to hang too far out in the direction of oncoming traffic so they might tuck in. In that situation, you can benefit twice as a rider, once because you catch a bitch of draft, but also the moto, blocks "the wake" of the oncoming car.

---

---

Save: $50 on Speed Hound Recovery Boots | $20 on Air Relax| $100 on Normatec| 15% on Most Absorbable Magnesium

Blogs: Best CHEAP Zwift / Bike Trainer Desk | Theragun G3 vs $140 Bivi Percussive Massager | Normatec Pulse 2.0 vs Normatec Pulse | Speed Hound vs Normatec | Air Relax vs Normatec | Q1 2018 Blood Test Results | | Why HED JET+ Is The BEST value wheelset

I heard that Josh also was drafting the lead kayak in the swim. Makes sense, because there's no way someone his size can swim that fast.

---

Alex Arman

Strava

I will est zero on the turns. I don't go crazy on turns. in tt's my u-turns are amazingly slow

you are going to have to account for everyone's variability in CdA at yaw given the yaws experienced on course as well. a lot of stuff to try an tease out. going to be a WAG

Let me tell you the situation in Xiamen and you decide what is the lesser of two evils in regard to slingshotting.

There was two lanes for athletes on either side of the out and back course, for both two laps. I wouldn't go as far as saying the course was congested, it definitely wasn't. It was however a sold out field.

Consider now that I had a live TV camera bike that rode NEXT to or BEHIND me for all 2:03 minutes of the bike split. He is as far left as possible, almost in the gutter. Not unlike 70.3 Worlds, where it should have been clear on the coverage that when I was in the lead, it was riding at least 2-3m right of me (other side of the road in Oz). These TV guys in Xiamen had a huge amount of experience and conduct coverage for every professional cycling race and marathon in China. Now also know that the chase group of 4 had a bike with them the whole way as well.

So on the first lap, this was not a problem, because I had a huge amount of rode to keep right on. The first lap there was also a lead car, at least 300-400m ahead the whole way from my interpretation. This was driven by an Ironman staffer from the US. For the second lap, the lead car turned into a lead bike (because of less space on the road), and was manned by another Ironman staffer who sat watching my every move with his eagle eyes and torso turned towards me. This lead moto was essential because even though I knew the course, the lead moto keeps note of where the front of the race is, which is essential on a multi-lap course, and it also acts as a sweeper to the many hundreds of new and perhaps unaware Chinese triathletes riding anywhere they please on the road.

So what am I to do? Ride to the left and take a potential advantage from the TV motorbike, even though I would still be beside it, not behind it, all the while having the Ironman staffer watching me and risking my reputation? Or keep right and ride around athletes as I needed to.

Also consider that every one of my competitors behind would have been doing the same thing if they were not being blocked by a TV moto as I was.

I'm interested to hear from Brad how he approached this Xiamen. We quite often have 2 laps courses in Australia so I'm quite used to it, and I can pull up probably another 4 races I've won under the same circumstances, which show the same departure of power, but still the similar velocity on the 2nd lap.

I would be looking out for your reply Thomas but you're not going to write back, because you've already said numerous times that you're not going to involve yourself anymore. I feel embarassed that I took your bait, and I'm really sorry to everyone for the hostile attitude. I'd just stepped off a 11 hour redeye with no sleep.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

I'm probably only good enough for 17-17:30 minutes in the pool for 1,500m, if even that at all. At least, I haven't done time trials in the pool for a long long time.

I did my first IM this year in Port Macquarie (IMOZ) and swam 43 minutes. It was a wetsuit swim. I swam well but definitely not this well, so it would be easy to assume that the course was short. I think in general wearing a wetsuit for me will add maybe 30-45 seconds for a 70.3 swim, so I think even with a wetsuit the course was still short.

I'm a fast swimmer but a weaker runner. This is less advantageous than being a good swimmer but a stronger runner. Pack swimming make a huge difference to the outcomes in pro races. For instance, I swam 2 minutes into Tim Don on Sunday in Xiamen, but only 50 seconds into him at 70.3 Worlds. He led the chase pack around in the swim at Xiamen, but was able to sit in the pack at Worlds. It's never going to be a fair comparison because there was a strong current in Xiamen which would of had some impact, but it still goes to show that it's better to have a stronger run than a stronger swim in pro racing at the moment. It's just one needs to make the front pack, they don't particularly need to be any faster.

Sometimes I look at my competitors in the pool and wonder how they swim so well in races. SOmetimes, people are just are able to stubbornly hold on!

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Let me just say this. We all know there's varience in power meters. If you looked at my files from a few wins I had in 2014 (you can search my blog for Port Mac, Shepparton and Western Sydney), you'd see all my files are reading closer to 300np. Now they are all around 280w. The difference? I still ride Quarq, but it was a new Quarq for the 2015 season, which I'm still using now in 2016.

It caused a bit of frustration in my training at first, I would be riding wondering how I got so weak all of a suddern, but then it made sense that it was simply a variance between an older Quarq and a newer Quarq, and I've had to adapt to the new readings of this power meter.

I can show power files of some of the sessions I was doing before Calgary 70.3 if you want further proof of my effort. But really, maybe you should just ask some of our other peers as to my character on the race course. To me it sounds like you've just got a case of the old analysis paralysis.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Haha. Actually this is something that is really annoying, when a kayaker is not far enough ahead, and you get the slaps of water agaisnt you as they paddle along, actually pushing you back, not pulling you forward!

I could go on about lead kayakers. The lead kayaker at 70.3 Worlds this year did not know the course. 100m into the race, I had already broken clear after probably swimming sub 60 seconds, and he's there pushing me hard right to go around the sighting buouy. I had to push myself over his kayak to get back on th stright line to the turning buouy. I've also had kayakers and boats just run over me Alcatraz, obvoiusly being scared I was cutting too fine of a line to the swim exit in the bay currents.

You never really know what you're going to get in a swim. One year at St. Anthony's I had a huge manitee swim under me and it's flipper brushed my stomach!!!

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Okay here we go, I dug the file from 70.3 Worlds. First time I've looked at it, as initially I just didn't want to revisit it.

Here is my first 30 minutes, the 30 minutes I spent at the front of the race after leading out of the waterby 45 seconds. 294NP. Well above my threshold, there's no way I would of held this. Average speed of 44.5km/h.




Here's where the pack or 25 guys caught me, you can see the immediate drop once I am caught. Power drops down to 267np until the short steep climb




And the overall power number. Edit: If you can't read it's 281np. Seems to be my season mark, pack or no pack.

---

http://www.josh-amberger.com/

Congratulations on your win!

Thanks for sharing your experiences racing in China. I know many of us are curious how it would be.

I wonder how easy it is for Chinese folks to train do to the pollution, crazy roads with bad drivers and so much congestion, and not many swimming pools. I visited China quite a few times between 1995-2003 and found most Chinese didn't know how to swim.

Enjoy your off season!