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Alex Dowsett in National Time Trial Championships 2015 (picture copyright Allan McKenzie, SWPix.com, Britishcycling.org_.uk).JPGAlex Dowsett posts record-breaking 25-mile time trial to Strava
Alex Dowsett has been getting a lot of kudos on Strava after uploading a rather special ‘Morning Ride’ to Strava yesterday – the one in which he set a new competition record for a 25-mile time trial under Cycling Time Trials (CTT) rules, as he became the first man ever to go under 45 minutes.
> Alex Dowsett smashes 25-mile time trial record
The time he set yesterday was 44 minutes 39 seconds, but under the somewhat prosaic default name ‘Morning Ride’ Strava shows it as 12 seconds more, as well as a slightly longer distance at 25.1 miles.
There are a few things that could explain that.
One, the E2/25 course is actually that longer distance (CTT courses can vary slightly from the distance over which the actual time is taken for safety reasons with start and finish areas).
Secondly, there’s the time taken to press that button to record the ride immediately before it starts and after it finishes.
And finally, as any regular Strava user knows, there can often be discrepancies between what you upload from your Garmin or similar device and what gets registered on the ride-sharing network.
Total elevation gain on the ride on the E2/25 course along the A14 and All from Newmarket to Four Went Ways southeast of Cambridge was a shade under 500 feet – this is East Anglia, remember – and Dowsett expended 1,222 calories, and his suffer score was 46.
Along the way, he set three KOMs – the E25/20 itself (44 minutes 23 seconds, according to Strava), the Newmarket to Four Ways RAB (20 minutes 13 seconds) and the E2/25 Start (14 minutes 8 seconds).
The national and Commonwealth time trial champion was back in the UK on a break from his Tour de France preparations in the Pyrenees to attend his mother’s 60th birthday celebrations.
Some Strava users who complimented Dowsett on his ride were there yesterday, several pointing out that it had been undertaken in less than ideal conditions.
Mick Hodson said: “Unbelievable Ride Alex !! I must be a good omen for you as I was one of the starters when you broke 10 Comp Record albeit I was riding today.”
James The Captain Cook (KCC) said, “Well done Alex, great ride,” and asked, “Did it feel hard on the way back like I said? (Fat bloke on the yellow bike).”
Meanwhile Terry G. added: “To all Alex's fans all I will say when he overtook me at the start of the A11 it was like being overtaken by a stealth bomber! Bloody amazing!”
Matthew Evans missed it, however. He wrote: “Literally went past my doorstep while I was unaware, still laying in bed, at my mum’s house in Burwell. Chapeau Alex!”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
Flagged for 'Activity in vehicle'
/jk
I am old enough to recall Alf Engers.
Woud love to see a side by side pair of photos of AD and AF in full flight TT bikes.
I can ride a bike ok. My three minute intervals are 420 watts. Mr AD can do this for 45. Thats why he has his name on his shoes. Stunning performance.
"The time he set yesterday was 44 minutes 39 seconds, but under the somewhat prosaic default name ‘Morning Ride’ Strava shows it as 12 seconds more, as well as a slightly longer distance at 25.1 miles. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/191864-alex-dowsett-posts-record-breaking-25..."
I don't get Strava and how it takes the time recoreded on your device and then applies it's own times and speed. Mine does this all the time and sometime can differ by as much as - 0.5mph on some rides compared to what my Garmin 510 recoreded.
Another reason not to pay for premium subscription?
GPS data is usually inaccurate. Strava analyses and corrects it against a database. More reason to upgrade, really.
Yes, and to add to that I noticed that when i first got my GPS logger, which was set to log at 5secs intervals, that it could 2-3% short on distance compared to the bike computer. Basically it takes straight lines on bends, cutting off distance. Not an issue on a fairly straight journey but noticeable on a twisty route.
Can't really blame Strava for that, it's just drawing straight lines between data points, each with their own inherent inaccuracy. If one wants better resolution, don't set it to log at 5 second intervals.
But less we forget 'The King' Alf Engers, 1978 , 49 minutes 24 seconds , no carbon, no skinsuit, no aero helmet , no TTbars . 38 years ago! wow!
What weight was his bike when he made that record?
How come I didn't get my own road.cc article when I broke most of the E2/25 QOMs a few weeks ago? Jealous, dammit.
sub 45 ... ye gods .... I was over the moon when I got sub 1 hour
Very impressive, but living in the same area I can say there are "climbs" where its an embarassment that the Strava logic doles out KOM awards - look at the speed, ignore the climb (or lack of).
Yawn, it wasn't our decision to call them KOMs. Say Segment Leader if you prefer.
Literal interpretation, is that where you're at mentally?
Embarassment indeed.