I wonder if they are reporting that as AP or NP as they call it "average normalized power". And can someone translate "my power meter packed in"? Regardless, those boys and gals over in England do fly on low power.

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"packed in" = broke

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Drawing out the power duration curve back to a single hour, most certainly either there is time not counted or the power meter was reading high before "packing it in" altogether.

There are a few flat roads heading east here in NC that even with bad pavement and only 5mph tailwind, you can get over 30mph on like 260w on a TT bike. We have a predominately NW wind in NC most times of year, and a LOT of those east heading roads down east run that direction.

With the kind of tail wind and the motorway wind of the vehicles passing and the motorway good pavement......I don't doubt at all he could have done that in "sweetspot" on 250w or so.

I even think 285 sounds high from a logical standpoint looking at the elevation profile and purported wind that day.

But, this topic has been on here already I believe.

It's an achievement, just not the kind I closely follow.

That's one heck of a tail wind. It's only .5 mph (.8 kmh) slower than the hour record

hmm, possibly a better comparison would be the best hour behind a derny (66.6km) or somewhere between a normal hour and that... to kind of "make up" for the traffic assist.

Still a blistering performance, the planning is the real amazing feat. Well planned, well executed.

He's also on the Timetrialingpodcast, last two episodes I believe.

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Thanks. I figured that's what they meant it's just really weird phrasing.

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I went and looked at segment from a ride I did with a ~25mph tailwind and net elevation loss. I managed 32.9mph for 1.4 miles and while my PM was "packed in" and I have no wattage, I was drilling it. I figure between 330-350 average for the 2:34. Granted this is 32.9 and not 30mph which is a huge power delta.

My "aerowatts" calculator puts a 0.189 rider needing 280 watts just to overcome the air resistance at 30mph. Then you have drivetrain loss as well as CRR. If 5mph means measured windspeed then that is next to nothing at groundlevel. I'm guessing those west to east roads are downhill? ;-)


See my above, but I don't think 250 and 33mph avg is possible even with massive tailwind and traffic assist. Shoot, I'm not even buying 285.

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he does say in the interview his cda is roughly .17, and effective cda on the road that day was .13 (that's counting traffic) fwiw.

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Yeah, I recall seeing the .170 and the .130 is silly. I guess the math is easy at this point to figure out approximant power.

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I can never get the terminology right. There's wind speed, then there's the actual effect at the ground. Like ground effect or something.

You can have a flag flapping going crazy but at ground level not get as much.

I guess I meant the actual wind speed at like a flag or something is like you almost need to remove the flag from the pole! But at the ground, the wind is pushing you an extra 5mph or so.

Wind just rips down there sometimes. I can't really quantify the actual speeds. I've gotten KOM's on the road bike at near 30mph on like 240w. The headwind back sucked though, going like 12mph or less home.

I've seen roadie groups do the Raleigh to the coast ride average only like 120w to 140w at over 20mph avg. Recently a guy did a ride when a front came through and logged 40mph for a mile, with power and heart rate, on a popular segment.

So I don't doubt wind can make or break the ordeal.

Gotcha. That jibes, then. I should have known you'd know better.


My neighborhood and some of the surrounding areas get a ton of wind due the immediate topographic makeup. Also, how the homes are situated tends to funnel wind down the roadways amplifying the effect. So, I know the effect you describe very well. I'd love to see those KOMs you mention if you don't mind. Near 30mph and like 240 is just a touch to qualified for me. ;-)



I have a buddy that loves to do that on his Time Trial bike. https://www.strava.com/segments/8315007 That is with wind gusts in the low 40s and sustained in the low 30s. He's nuts!!!

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Not sure I got this right, but what I figured is 256 watts to do 33mph if his cda on the day was 0.130. That seems like not enough power when you figure CRR and drivetrain.

ETA: if you can't tell I am bored out of my mind

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yep, tough to say (especially for us in the USA that don't have a full grasp on the traffic assist / roads / etc)
My rough guess is high 200's... but just a guess. No reason not to take his word at face value though

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yeah, I don't think you're far off. I was thinking 285 was light but close to the mark. I mean, it is close enough to be plausible.

BTW, along the coast in Delaware/Maryland one can get a feel for the traffic/wind assist. And i'm sure there are other areas, this is just the one I have experience with. On an out and back segment I avg'd 25.8 for 20 miles on "only" 200 watts....pretty efficient, but no .130.

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Watching the video's of the attempt, it wouldn't be for me. At least in TN, a road like that would be a death wish, shoulder or not. :D

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Yeah, just watched the video. You're right on the death wish aspect. The road I was describing has a very wide shoulder, a rumble strip, and two lanes of traffic for each direction. It's actually a bike lane. In the summer there is plenty of vehicle traffic doing 55+ to help you along, but one can still feel pretty safe on the shoulder. It's the safest place i've found to ride in that area.

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That doesn't look too bad.
The TN State TT course (or at least the last few years) is on a stretch kinda similar.
It's desolate smack dab in the middle of nowhere though, so no traffic (and of course, plenty of hills, because TN hates TTing)

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Well, looks like 28mph and 218w: https://www.strava.com/...93559517#60407290483

Similar road, same direction......doing 4km pursuit intervals......30mph and 307w with a helping wind. Not a major wind at all. Oh, that's from a standing start too. Not rolling through. Rolling speed was about 31mph.
Just a light breeze: https://www.strava.com/.../4190020860/overview

Man, you discount tenths like they don't matter. The difference between 27.8mph and 28mph may seem insignificant enough to round up, but in terms of extra effort to bridge that gap you're talking 6 watts for a rider that is rocking a .221, which would be really aero for a road bike. To the 30 you were rounding to earlier it's more like 67 watts (not including CRR or DT friction). Hence you can understand my curiosity. That being said, that's a healthy tailwind to go with that negative slope. And I guess that is where you were coming from. Most roads in that area of NC heading west to east you're losing elevation and if you add in a tailwind it's quite easy to make speed on low watts.

On a total aside do you drive to segments to try and KOM them or was that just a trimmed file?

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There's a new insulin plant off a service road you can't see on the map there. I used to kit up and leave the parking lot and use my badge to get through the vehicle gate. I kept getting harassed by the security guards (despite them being warned otherwise). So decided to just drive the one mile off site and park on a service road to go ride at lunch.

I created those segments myself for aero testing and training purposes. I could care less if I've got the KOM on them or not really. I would have made them private, but figure it'd be cool to see if someone comes along and smokes it!

I'm pretty slippery. My 25mi PR is 58:38 on 252w on an 8mi loop out that way. Including losing time waiting on a mail truck, turd.