The Day Report – Race and Power Analysis of the USA Pro Challenge Stage 2
Before the start of Stage 2 of the USA Pro Challenge you could tell that
the riders were nervous. Virtually every team had stationary trainers set up
for the riders to warm up on. Once the flag dropped, the race went straight up
the tough Rabbit Ears Pass. The stage would culminate after 185km with a 7km
climb up to 3,317meters (10,882ft) of altitude.
The dynamics of this stage were different to stage 1, as the riders let
the first move of the day be the selection that pushed on, isolated out on the
road, searching for glory. Early motivation was the thing that paid off for
these riders. And they weren’t far off, as breakaway rider Nate Brown for
Cannondale-Garmin only got caught with 1 kilometer to go – you’ve got to be in
it to win it!
Today I rode in the team car of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling and got an
insight as to their tactics during the stage. Danny Summerhill, a Colorado
native, and a rider always motivated to shine in his home state, instigated the
first attack of the day in an attempt to keep the King of the Mountain’s
jersey, that Jonny Clarke won after the first stage, within the UHC team.
Although he pushed hard to make it happen, Danny was beaten to the line twice by
Optum’s Will Routley. Danny now lies 2nd in the KOM competition with
Clarke in 3rd.
After the stage, we took a look at Danny’s Pioneer power file and
discussed with him how he utilizes the metrics he has on his cycle computer. A
common theme amongst the professional riders is that they use many parameters
to gauge their effort. They are aware of their power numbers, their heart rate
on the screen, their cadence, but as well they are listening to the sensations
in their body. This is a talent of the pros, to understand what their limits
are on any given day. The power of the mind, and external motivations means
that given the right circumstances, a rider can smash through their previously
recorded best efforts in an attempt to fight for that podium position or help
their teammate attain a similar feat. Human limitations are constantly pushed.
Getting into some fine detail of Danny’s ride today using Trainingpeaks
WKO+ software, we see the difficulty of that first climb up Rabbit Ears pass and
the KOM sprint. Danny averaged 351W for 34 minutes before accelerating to
average 679W over 1min13sec in a sprint where he was beaten by the in-form
Routley. As we alluded to yesterday, the altitude in Colorado is a huge
additional stress, and at the top of this pass, Danny’s maximal physiological
effort would have been blunted by as much as 10%!
From there we shoot down to where you see the second KOM of the day. As it
was undulating coming into this climb, the leadup to the sprint line was
3.5minutes long and Danny needed to hold 394W to stay in contention before
launching for 23 seconds at an average of 684W.
Finally, there is another important feature to review in the “heaviness”
of today’s stage. Danny spent over 4hrs in the breakaway burning over 4400kj at
an average of 305 normalized watts (a smoothed out version of average watts
taking into account true physiological exertion). Using an “internet” reported
weight of 70kg (not always the best for accuracy), this equates to 4.3watts/kg,
which is a sign of Danny’s immense aerobic capabilities. I’m sure he enjoyed a
good feed tonight!
The stage was won by BMC’s Brent Bookwalter with our featured rider
yesterday, Jonny Clarke, showing great form, backing up from the breakaway with
a 4th place not far behind. The race is heating up!
Stage 3 launches from Copper Mountain, up and over Independence Pass,
cresting at 3678 meters (12,065ft) above
sea level and down into the town of Aspen. It will surely be a tough stage and
it will be exciting to see if some of the fast men can chase down the mountain
climbers on the final descent. Please check back with us to see our stage 3
report tomorrow.
