"Well, as a substitute for my rain-ruined ramble around the park, I thought I'd post something bicycle-related: some of my ""numbers"" for 2002
distance: 6,311 miles
ascent: 179,265 feet.
top speed 68.3 mph (yes, I must be nutzen!)
I know, some have lots more, some less. Time at work, family, social commitments, injuries. Let's all hope for more and better numbers in '03"
Season's End Numbers
Mon, 11/11/2002 - 9:44am
Mon, 11/11/2002 - 12:17pm
#1
Where did you get up to 68MPH?
As I can't write you directly, in the absence of your having posted a real e-address, please tell me where you were able to get up to 68MPH. I assume this must have been a turn-free downhill and, at that, you were tucked in behind a truck or other vehicle. Please describe.
Richard
Mon, 11/11/2002 - 3:04pm
#2
Turnfree downhill and tucked, but no vehicle. No vehicles anywhere, thank goodness. Just me, a steep hill (18-20% in Virginia) and a tailwind. I knew I went fast, and when I later saw the 68 mph, I was surprised. BTW, there was no attendant spike for my HR, so I believe the 68 mph to be correct. I know I went faster than I ever had. It was frightfully fast and I have never equalled it, though I do hit 50-55 mph on 9W.
Tue, 11/12/2002 - 10:13am
#3
I can believe the 68 mph
In 1999 I did a ride from Nice to Paris over the French Alps and the Jura mountains. When we came out of the Jura mountains, we went down a long, straight descent on a beautiful road surace, which was one of the smoothest I have ever ridden on. I was too chicken and applied the brakes at 58 mph, but one of my fellow riders span out until he hit 50 mph, then adopted the classic aroedynamic (suicidal) position with chin on the handlebar stem and hands on the bars just either side of the stem, ie nowhere near the brakes and reached 67 mph, which was registered as his top speed on the bike computer and confirmed by our back-up van that was following behind him.
He almost certainly would have gone considerably faster had he not have had to brake for a roundabout (sorry traffic circle).
He was not in anyone's slipstream and the wind was virtually non-existant on that humid, still day and was 3mph or less and was actually a head-wind in the direction we travelled. I don't think the wind was strong enough to really have made much difference one way or the other. But, given that it was a headwind, it may have prevented Tom from hitting 70mph.
