In one of the previous posts, I talked about besting all my companions in the 11:22 Granfondo feat. One the reasons was the 'off the bike time'.
During the race, I was off the bike a total of 23 minutes. My companions, as a comparison, were off 1-1.5 hours. I passed the best rider 3 times before I completely left him behind, laying in the grass, at the top of a Col. He had come around me grinding about 2K from the summit. The total climb was 28K (yes, that is right....17+ miles) with some very steep grades. I rolled the rest stop and never looked back.
Here is what I know about stops:
* Take as few as you can.
* Set a time goal for the stop just like a transition in multisport.
* 15 minutes can seem like 3. Time the stops and have somebody call out the time.
* Pee at the side of the road vs. waiting for porta john.
* When stopped, keep your helmet, glasses, shoes and gloves on. Precious time is saved.
* Get off the road for safety.
Here is the math. If you are riding 21 mph and you stop for 5 minutes, you will have to go 23 mph for nearly an 45-60 minutes to catch back up. This does not take into account the fact that you might lose the main field or the draft affect. It takes about 25% more energy to go 23 than 21mph if your are pulling. I know Bird can correct this calculation and I am probably off......but not a lot.
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