Ever wondered how your efforts compare to those of the WorldTour’s elite?
With the Tour de France having passed through Yorkshire on stages one and two, before winding its way south from Cambridge to London today, Strava offers users the chance to compare their data to the pros.
Several riders in the WorldTour peloton use the ever-popular route-tracking app and with an enthralling stage playing out over climbs such as Holme Moss and Jenkin Road, there were plenty of King of the Mountains shot down – and we are not just talking about the polka dot jersey of Jens Voigt (Trek Factory Racing).
Gutted to lose this today @strava #mustrainharder does anyone know this cycling person pic.twitter.com/MMgJBTKTN2
— Russell Downing (@RussDowning) July 6, 2014
It seems not even the British pros were safe, as Russell Downing – who joined the millions packing the roadsides along the route – Tweeted one of his dreaded ‘uh oh’ messages.
Marcus Burghardt (BMC Racing), another Strava pro, was also in imperious form as he made an attempt to break free from the peloton – joking on his Strava page that he had been put through some pain by Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) on Holme Moss and Cragg Vale.
The category two climb, and the longest continuous gradient in England, certainly provided stunning viewing.
The German made a recorded power output of 425 watts as he climbed from Holmfirth to the Holme Moss Summit in 16 minutes and 35 seconds – an average speed of 26.3km/h.
It is not just the climbing speed of the peloton which was hugely impressive however, with Vincenzo Nibali’s stunning late attack foiling the efforts of the leading group to take the stage.
Nibali, unfortunately, does not use Strava, but as a guide to how fast the Astana man was travelling, Belkin’s Laurens ten Dam descended the first kilometre in 53 seconds – an average speed of nearly 68km/h.
Even those whose work was done set phenomenal speeds on the descent – Marcus Burghardt putting out 139 watts to set a speed of 58.1km/h and Lars Boom, who uses a power meter, showing what a good tuck can achieve – his 40 watts sufficient to see him fly down the ascent at 55.3km/h.
Check back every day during the Tour de France for updates on the Strava records of the pros.
