Talk to me about the course you use for Chung testing

Triathlon Forum
1

I want to invest time to do Chung testing, but I can’t figure out where to do my loops. Can you explain yours? How long is your lap?

Maybe it’ll spark some ideas for me

I live in a neighborhood w ~20 miles of road situated in loops, and i ride early in the morning, there’s no traffic at that time. It feels like I should find a good spot but I can’t think of one

My issue is don’t think I can consistently stay in aero position / take turns at speed or a high power around these loops. If I’m going 15mph, sure … but not 25mph. Do I need to be going race pace to test?

I have loops with good elevation gains, but those exacerbate the problem of turning at a very high pace, without leaving aero or touching the brakes.

2

try searching for the platypus thread… it has all things virtual elevation there as well as the real Dr. Chung comments.

3

I still can’t figure out how to do 90degree turns, in aero, while not hitting the brakes =)

4

again, I suggest (though it is a very large topic) scanning through that thread. There is a lot of excellent info on the topic. If you are at the turn about point then it is not an issue and will serve as a clear marker of the turn point. There are numerous ways to set a course, it does not have to be an out and back. It can be a circle. Strangely it has been quiet since 2023…
link to thread: Platypus Thread: Aero Virtual Elevation Testing Protocol

5

There’s an outdoor velodrome right in my backyard. If you even have one within driving distance it would be worthwhile.

6

Yup, I went back and reread.

It like I can do an out and back, but need to manually manipulate files. Seems like too much work? Maybe I don’t realize how easy it could be tho

Otherwise I need a loop. Mark the road where I go / into out of the turn, steady power, and hold thr same position the entire time. Right?

I can’t think of an area I can ride on, and take 90degree turns in aero at speed very confidently. On my road bike this isn’t an issue

7

are you using the aero test in golden cheetah? I think it has improved a lot since I last tried it. Also Dr R Chung has neat hacks like hitting the brakes at certain points to mark or even a bump to mark a lap. When done to his level of precision, he can even see a bump in the road… as he often says for him it is not to find the perfect route, he would rather fix it at home when doing the calculations with a nice cup of coffee. (not an exact quote :wink: )I suggest the big thing is wind or traffic. If those are not a factor then you can see how reproducible your results are on various laps to see if you have thing under control. It is not easy but it is a lot less expensive than a wind tunnel and more real world. Another person who has a lot of experience on the forum is @marcag.

8

Maybe signs of a failing economy in my region. TT venues:

-New but undeveloped housing developments. We have one that’s 1.8 mi with no houses, great concrete pavement, developed landscaping, ponds, walking paths, and sidewalks.
-Old or lightly used mall. Get there early in am. Ride the outer road around the parking lot.
-Large HS. Same as mall.
-Old Air Force Base
-Ask a local trucking company where they test/train their students out for CDLs

I apologize that I’ve turned the technical unto the sociological, but this is how I do it.

9

Another option is to do one-way hill climbs at different speeds/powers. Don’t have to turn, don’t have to brake, but you may have to snip the data file – but sometimes snipping the file is easier than trying to turn while in aero.