Neild Rd HC

[Jimmy]

As a rookie racer, can someone give me an idea how hill climbs work and what to expect at Neild Rd on Sunday? Tactics?
Thanks...

[AlW]

The hill climbs are time trials and are run similar to the Sidney TT. The sign up order determine your start position and they send you off in 1 minute intervals.

The Neild Road course is longer (about 2.5km) and steeper than the observatory, so a full helping of pain pie is likely on the menu.

As for tactics, the VCL web site sums it up nicely

"Ride your bike up a hill..... as hard as you can"

[JohnT]

Give yourself time to ride it comfortably before the race/TT. Make metal notes of where you are (i.e., what's beyond that turn, how many turns there are, etc.). Go hard from the start, but keep something in reserve until you are sure (i.e. because of your metal notes about the course) you can go flat out until the end. I'd say that point is just as you approach the last right hander. Finally, keep telling your self that every second counts. Sometimes you are 10 seconds from the closest competitor, but other times there are three people within 5 seconds - it can be a little depressing to discover later that 3 seconds would have moved you up three positions, or that you arrived in 8:02 instead of 7:59. Hope this helps and sorry I won't be there.

JT

[shawnc]

I think this sums up Neild Road pretty well:

Have fun!

[Jimmy]

LOL. Thanks all. Got a pretty good idea now. A pic tells a thousand words. Now, Masters in Mill Bay or HC in Metchosin??? Humm....

[Lister Farrar]

Ditto comments on pacing. It's an 8-9 minute effort, so start accordingly. Pursuiters and prologue TT'rs don't start flat out. They aim for negative splits, IE faster at the end. A fast start means carrying more lactate, longer. Nobody wants that.

Also, seated is more efficient (not lifting body weight up and down; doesn't gravity suck enough?), standing is more powerful (uses more of the body, relieves discomfort...a bit, and for not very long)

[AlW]

Neild road won't seem so bad after reading this:

http://theclimbingcyclist.com/guest-pos ... -on-earth/

and as expected, there's even a Strava segment:

http://app.strava.com/segments/1274803

[Plawless]

for the HC at 10:30 is the plan to meet at switch bridge at 8:45??

[esilnarson]

I'll be at the switch bridge at 8:45.