Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Where do you guys start timing from?

I am one of those 4kph noobs; but I have done cootha about six times now, just up and back on the front.

I do is as a night time training run from ashgrove (About 20k loop).

It is time for me to start improving my climbing speeds...

brett.hooker wrote:Where do you guys start timing from?

I am one of those 4kph noobs; but I have done cootha about six times now, just up and back on the front.

I do is as a night time training run from ashgrove (About 20k loop).

It is time for me to start improving my climbing speeds...

For the climb around the back of Cootha, there are pink spraypainted lines - but they are faint*. You probably didnt spot them in the dark.
Heres the Strava segments for each way:
Back - http://www.strava.com/segments/mt-coot-tha-back-615163" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Front - http://www.strava.com/segments/mt-coot-tha-front-631048" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For me Strava is the easiest way to time it, i just turn it on and ride. Others use a stopwatch i guess.


*on that note: someone should go out and respray the start/finish sometime. Also some more motivational messages along the loop would be good too

Rightio then... Strava installed on my iPhone and mt cootha here I come... I am about to prove that I really am the worlds slowest hill climber!!!

Thanks for the info!!!

OK, new goal......Audax Alpine Classic 250 Sunday January 27, 2013.....4am Bright, Victoria, Australia
around 4000m of climbing.

power to weight ratio is EVERYTHING in this challenge.
the vista....simply best in the world.

anyone wanting to join.....PM me.
https://www.alpineclassic.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

p.s. don't risk the bad weather in the latter Scody 3 Peaks.

brett.hooker wrote:Rightio then... Strava installed on my iPhone and mt cootha here I come... I am about to prove that I really am the worlds slowest hill climber!!!

Thanks for the info!!!

Good luck! Don't worry about your speed - you're still faster than the lazy slobs watching telly on the couch!

24.03... But not the slowest...
Well, I have a baseline to work with...
Also set a bunch of other segment times between ashgrove and mt cootha in the process. Strava is a good bit of kit!!!

if you're coming down coot-tha and not comfortable at descending when someone says "on your right" please move over. very very annoying.

Agree.

Also, lights are a must if it's dark. Any bike light is good, front and rear.
I don't want to be surprised by anymore bike ninjas on the decent please.

punk_rob wrote:Agree.

Also, lights are a must if it's dark. Any bike light is good, front and rear.
I don't want to be surprised by anymore bike ninjas on the decent please.

was very tempted to AirZound the culprit but didn't want to watch pants turn brown in front of me. Worst this was the culprit looked around at me a couple of times. I was heard and seen yet still not allowed to pass.

Lol, whilst I always wear lights in low light, if you want to pass me descending coot-tha, then you had better just wait until it is safe for you to pass me. I am unlikely to be changing my line to accommodate your need for a strava worthy descent time...

I get passed routinely coming down and make no apology for any frustration me riding within my limits may cause. Having said that, I ride predictably and check before I take up more of the lane...

Crittski wrote:Lol, whilst I always wear lights in low light, if you want to pass me descending coot-tha, then you had better just wait until it is safe for you to pass me. I am unlikely to be changing my line to accommodate your need for a strava worthy descent time...

I get passed routinely coming down and make no apology for any frustration me riding within my limits may cause. Having said that, I ride predictably and check before I take up more of the lane...

definitely wasn't after an unsafe overtake but said cyclist was in the middle/right of the middle (or even further right) til I finally got past them. a stava-worthy time was forgotten about once I saw the bikes ahead. I still like to keep my rhythm which after the first attempt was well and truly shot.

jasonc wrote:

Crittski wrote:Lol, whilst I always wear lights in low light, if you want to pass me descending coot-tha, then you had better just wait until it is safe for you to pass me. I am unlikely to be changing my line to accommodate your need for a strava worthy descent time...

I get passed routinely coming down and make no apology for any frustration me riding within my limits may cause. Having said that, I ride predictably and check before I take up more of the lane...

definitely wasn't after an unsafe overtake but said cyclist was in the middle/right of the middle (or even further right) til I finally got past them. a stava-worthy time was forgotten about once I saw the bikes ahead. I still like to keep my rhythm which after the first attempt was well and truly shot.

oh, ok, you wanted to disrupt their rhythm, so that your rhythm wasn't affected. Gotcha...

Well it depends on the speed really.
If the front rider was only going <30km/hr on the brakes, they could have easily moved to one side so the other rider could pass. The road down Cootha is pretty wide, even in the bends.
Sometime its more dangerous to block a rider rather than let them pass.

But I guess if each rider is doing +60km/hr then maybe it can be un-nerving for the front rider to let someone slip past them.


Personally, going down the ramp at the bottom beside the Botanic gardens is the scariest part for me. You really get some speed up on the straight, and you are never really sure if cars will give way out of those side roads.

I'm not trying to start a flame war. I'm trying not to be selfish (crittski - I understand what you are saying). All I'm asking is that if you get asked to move over and you can, you do. This rider could have moved over at the speed they were going but after looking at me didn't.

punk_rob wrote:But I guess if each rider is doing +60km/hr then maybe it can be un-nerving for the front rider to let someone slip past them.

If each rider is doing over 60km/hr then they deserve a speeding ticket and a bit of oil on the road. Why would you be speeding down Mt Coot-Tha that's just stupid. What do you think would happen if you lost control and fell infront of a car? Losing your life and ruining multiple others. Just don't do it.

Never said I was talking about me. There are riders that are able to go that fast, check out the speeds of the top 10 leaderboard guys.
Personally, my bike handling skills arent up to that level. Plus, preservation of life tends to take over for me.

punk_rob wrote:Never said I was talking about me. There are riders that are able to go that fast, check out the speeds of the top 10 leaderboard guys.
Personally, my bike handling skills arent up to that level. Plus, preservation of life tends to take over for me.

Don't advertise the speeds, some do-gooder will report the downhill segment as unsafe and the leader boards will be taken down.

One segment has already had the leader board removed

Punk_rob... I know what you mean about that downhill beside the Botanic Gardens. Very rough surface, side streets, and a big boy like me + gravity can build up some speed down there... I reckon I have gone through a set of brake pads from that section alone...

too fuji-sun for it's maiden ride up coot-tha this morning. was easier than I thought with a standard crank and 11-25 cassette. now to see if I can do it faster than on my flat bar.

oh. and sorry to the bloke I was talking to this morning (he stopped talking half way up for some reason! ) - I'm mean for doing that

Has anyone seen the notice at the top of Mt Cootha? There's a guy doing a cancer fundraising ride in a couple of weeks, which involves sponsoring him for each full lap of cootha he can do inside 24 hours. Gotta give him some credit, that is going to be one hellish 24 hours... Information on how to sponsor him is on the notice.

How many laps do you reckon you could manage in 24 hours?

Did a PB of 7 climbs up Cootha today. Three full loops around the back and four climbs from the T-intersection to Lookout.
Then rode home. About 100km with about 2000m climbing. Pretty pooped now
(I was in a black/white DHB kit if you were out today.)

Nice!!! Congrats rob!!!

punk_rob wrote:Did a PB of 7 climbs up Cootha today. Three full loops around the back and four climbs from the T-intersection to Lookout.
Then rode home. About 100km with about 2000m climbing. Pretty pooped now
(I was in a black/white DHB kit if you were out today.)

Tribute2u

Damn that's a solid effort!

punk_rob wrote:Did a PB of 7 climbs up Cootha today. Three full loops around the back and four climbs from the T-intersection to Lookout.
Then rode home. About 100km with about 2000m climbing. Pretty pooped now

nice work
Definitely do a recover ride today - go around the block a few times. otherwise you won't be able to walk for a week let alone ride