WTRL #109 – Harrogate UCI
Course Notes – 2 Laps – 27.6km (489m elevation)
Well, where do we start with this one?
Unlike last week’s Watopia Hilly, this course is definitely NOT straightforward. Strap yourself in for lengthy notes.
This is definitely a course where most teams will likely expect to drop riders. If you reach the 2nd lap with all riders AND are not doing too much waiting, you will do well. Remember, on this course, possible more than any, it will be easy to lose more time in waiting for riders than the time lost by them being missing from the pack in the 2nd half of the event. Especially given the amount of slower speed sections. You can hear more about this in my video chat with Si Bradeley
This is also a course where pacing pays dividends – stay (just) within the realms of the group’s capability as a whole early on and aim to build your pace on the crucial points on the second lap. Understanding your own numbers, and recognising where you are in the line and modulating your effort based on that will be vital on this course as pace lines are going to be messy.
Full Details below. Distances are full race distance, starting from the pens. Use the PRINT button for a simplified print out.
Don’t Forget to try my TTT Time Predictor and Power Planner – complete with DS Call Sheet. Tricky one to predict this week with all the hills, but I am confident of being within about a minute or so assuming you get through without too much incident.
| Distance | Feature Length | Elevation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAP 1 | |||
| 400m | 1.6km | 2-5% | 30s into the race and you hit the first climb. |
| Important not to go immediately into red. The climb starts ok around 2%, but steepens towards the top, so start with my power planner position 2 initially, OR turns may be possible, but switch to fixed w/kg once over 3% | |||
| 2.1km | 700m | -6%Av | Possibility of a bit of supertuck towards the bottom, but you may wish to use this to reconvene with stronger riders rolling into the next climb., allowing weaker riders to push past on the descent. Therefore regrouping. |
| 2.8km | 400m | 4% | Need to stand and push through this as a group, using speed off the descent |
| 3.2km | 1.3km | Important here to maintain momentum. Agree 2 riders that should be able to get turns in and everyone needs to recognise their own position in the line at that point and modulate their effort accordingly, rather than trying to form a new paceline. | |
| 4.6km | 1.2km | -lots% | Definite opportunity to Supertuck here, but remember this is only worth 2w/kg. Might be worth keeping pushing as a group. Mind the bump at 5.5km |
| 5.8km | 1km | 2-4% | Back on the agreed w/kg or Pos2 wattage from Power Plan. |
| 6.8km | 1km | -5% | -2% growing to -7% in second half, again another opportunity to Supertuck, but if you have chosen power plan correctly, I would push on at agreed wattages. |
| 7.8km | 1.2km | 5-7% | Be ready for this before the sharp left and lean into it. Each person for themselves but on Lap1, nearest w/kg to just under 100% for the group average. |
| 9.1km | 700m | -6% | You might not be carrying enough speed to get up to Supertuck before it starts to flatten out. So again, we are back to just sub treshold on Lap 1 |
| 10.3km | 1km | First 200m, stand and push through at over threshold, then settle into agreed figure again | |
| 11.3km | 2.2km | Undulating Descent, go back to the Rotations where possible, using gears to keep power numbers as per plan | |
| 13.5km | 600m | Stand and push first 200m, then back to turns over Line. |
| Distance | Feature Length | Elevation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAP 1 | |||
| 14.5m | 1.6km | 2-5% | Time to push the pace vs Lap1 if you have riders to spare Add maybe 0.2-0.5w/kg at the top half vs Lap 1, but keep the turns going at the bottom half |
| 16.2km | 700m | -6%Av | Possibility of a bit of supertuck towards the bottom, but you may wish to use this to reconvene with stronger riders rolling into the next climb., allowing weaker riders to push past on the descent. Therefore regrouping. |
| 16.9km | 400m | 4% | Need to stand and push through this as a group, using speed off the descent |
| 17.3km | 1.3km | Important here to maintain momentum. Agree 2 riders that should be able to get turns in and everyone needs to recognise their own position in the line at that point and modulate their effort accordingly, rather than trying to form a new paceline. | |
| 18.7km | 1.2km | -lots% | Definite opportunity to Supertuck here, but remember this is only worth 2w/kg. Might be worth keeping pushing as a group. Mind the bump at 5.5km |
| 19.9km | 1km | 2-4% | Back on the agreed Lap1 w/kg + 10W or Pos2 wattage from Power Plan. |
| 20.9km | 1km | -5% | -2% growing to -7% in second half, again another opportunity to Supertuck, but if you have chosen power plan correctly, I would push on at agreed wattages. |
| 21.9km | 1.2km | 5-7% | Be ready for this before the sharp left and lean into it. Each person for themselves but on Lap1, nearest w/kg to just OVER 100% for the group average. |
| 23.2km | 700m | -6% | You might not be carrying enough speed to get up to Supertuck before it starts to flatten out. So again, we are back to just threshold on Lap 2 |
| 24.4km | 1km | First 200m, stand and push through at over threshold, then settle into agreed power plans figures again | |
| 25.4km | 2.2km | Undulating Descent, go back to the Rotations where possible, using gears to keep power numbers as per plan | |
| 27.6km | 600m | Stand and push first 200m, then everyone for themselves to then end. Race! |