Is riding 24.4 miles in Prospect Park roughly equivelent to riding 24.4 miles in Central Park for purposes of the speed self-test?
Thanks for any input,
Craig
Speed Test in Prospect Park
Mon, 08/28/2006 - 8:54pm
Tue, 08/29/2006 - 5:56am
#1
I don't see why not... I don't remember any 3-4% climbs in Prospect Park; though I might be wrong (CP has a couple).
Tue, 08/29/2006 - 6:50am
#2
Pretty close
It's pretty close. Assuming you're riding counterclockwise, there's one moderate climb near the north end of PP. It's longer, but less steep, than Harlem Hill. I can maintain a slightly faster average lap at PP -- but only slightly.
Also, four laps of CP is almost exactly 24.1 miles -- not 24.4. That extra three-tenths at PP could cost you almost a minute!
--DvB
Tue, 08/29/2006 - 7:24am
#3
PP is 3.35 miles around, so 7 laps is 23.45 miles compared to CP's 24.1 for 4 laps.
The terrain profile is roughly the same in both parks.
I do better in PP because there are generally less people using PP, milling around, etc. Also, I don't know if it is because I ride PP more often, but picking up a group in easier if not in fact welcome by other riders. It seems more social. And some of the packs really turn on the gas - not so social :-)
Tue, 08/29/2006 - 8:16am
#4
Speed Test in Prospect Park
For me, it's different. I'm a big rider so I'm much faster on the long, sloping descents in PP and slower up Harlem Hill. So i think the answer depends on what kind of rider you are.
Fitness or speed tests should, in a perfect world, be done on the same course, at the same time of day, every time.
Wed, 08/30/2006 - 2:45pm
#5
PP seems a fair bit easier.
Not knocking Prospect Park (or its riders) here, but I've ridden and raced in both it and Central, and PP seems (besides being a more enjoyable ride) to be a good bit easier. Its hill's not as tough as Harlem Hill in Central, and that one hill's the only real uphill it offers versus Central's westside rollers following Harlem Hill. Prospect's pavement's in much better condition (nice and smooth), has less users, and its downhill isn't nearly as treacherous (in a race, that is) as the s-curve in Central and can be taken a good deal quicker and be pedalled throughout due to its sweeping nature.
This all makes Prospect, I feel, a much quicker park to do laps in. Less challenging and more pleasant. Were it the same 6.2 miles around that Central is, I'd wager a lap time of possibly up to two minutes faster.
My two cents.
