Jan 10th, 10.   Gordon McCauley won the Elite National Championship time trial pushing some very big gears and hitting over 60 km/h in places.  RoadCycling.co.nz reviews his vital statistics.

McCauley reviews the race data hours a few hours after winning ©RoadCycling.co.nz

After the race, the team from RoadCycling.co.nz were invited back to the base camp of the Subway-Avanti Pro Cycling Team to review McCauley's data.

McCauley's victorious ride was recorded for posterity on his trusty training partner, a Polar cycling computer.

Here are the key facts on the ride that took the New Zealand record.

Speed

The official time trial course is 40km long. McCauley's time of 50min and 10sec meant he managed to ride the course at an average speed of 48km/hr.

The weather in Canterbury on Friday was fairly windy with strong side wind gusts affecting the course.  Looking at the data, and the course, shows McCauley rode the first half of the race into the wind, and returned home flying, reaching a maximum speed of 61.3km/h.

Heart Rate

Time trials are typically raced at a very high intensity, with heart rates (HR) starting at the redline and remaining that way for the entire race.  McCauley's ride was no different.

McCauley's average HR for the 40km race was 175 bpm while the maximum was 181 bpm.  This he achieved in the final straight as he charged for the finish line.

His data shows he had warmed up so well that when the gun went he was ready to go immediately to maximum effort.

The graphs below show McCauley exploded from the start ramp and his HR immediately rocketed to his maximum intensity level.

After the first minute, his HR starts to drop, only then to start increasing again two or three minutes later.  This is typical of his time trial heart rate.

McCauley wasn't able to offer any explanation, other than to say that he has previously consulted experts, and as it doesn't correspond with a loss in power or speed, there was nothing for him to worry about.

Within minutes he was again riding at full pace, within the red zone, where he remained for the rest of the race.

Seconds away from maximum wattage ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Power Output

McCauley's bike is fitted with a Polar Power sensor which provides a measurement of power achieved during the race.

Power output is simply a measure of how hard you push on the pedals and how fast you are pedalling. To produce more power, you can either push harder or pedal faster.

Polar say power is also a product of speed and all of the forces that resist forward motion like aerodynamic resistance or wind, rolling resistance or the quality and pressure in your tyres, and the resistance in moving parts like your chain or bearings.

Practically speaking, the higher your power output, the faster you go.

McCauley's recorded power for the time trial was 402 watts average, and a massive 874 watts maximum.

This maximum power output was achieved when he launched from the start gate.

To maintain this level of average output is a significant achievement and shows the strength that McCauley has in this discipline.

Cadence

McCauley likes to push big gears, which means he is likely to have a low cadence (leg turns per minute) when riding a time trial.

While many of the riders in Friday's race were spinning out their 53x11 gear ratios at over 100 rpm, McCauley held an average of 85rpm. He hit a maximum of 105rpm just after the turnaround point, before changing into a bigger gear and settling back into a steady cadence.

Part of the reason McCauley was able to ride today at 60km/hr was due to the 56 tooth front chain ring he had on this bike. This was chosen because of the windy conditions and the likelihood of going fast downwind, and his preference for a lower cadence.

Gordon McCauley's race data from the winning Time Trial ©RoadCycling.co.nz

Bike

The bike which took McCauley to victory in the time trial was a custom painted Avanti Chrono Team fitted with standard components.

• Ultegra chain set
• Shimano Dura-ace chain rings 56/44
• Shimano Diura-ace rear derailler, brakes, and pedals
• Oval time trial bars
• HED 3 front wheel
• Polar Cycling computer and power meter
• Selle Italia saddle

McCauley's Avanti Chrono Team

©RoadCycling.co.nz

Avanti Chrono Team with kiwi paintwork

©RoadCycling.co.nz

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