Stage 2

Analysis by Hunter Allen
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A slight rain for today and some wind was on the menu for today's stage, as the riders tackled another hilly stage with (4) categorized climbs.

Again, these are short climbs with the last 2 coming so close together they could be considered one climb.

Adam spent even more time in the Level 6 or Anaerobic Capacity zone today than yesterday, and with a VI of 1.29, Adam's power file again emphasizes the hilliness of the route. Stage 2 also has the similar pattern to the Stage 1 profile in that the last hour of the ride really is the one that pushes the envelope as you notice that Adam's peak 5 minute power was done in the last 5 minutes, it really shows how the speed of these races increase up to a finishing crescendo. Of particular note is Adam's cadence distribution chart below. Note not only how much time he spent NOT pedaling, but also note how quickly he pedals when he is pedaling. He spends much of his time pedaling at a cadence of 100rpm and above. A sewing machine this guy is!

When we examine the graph, we see that the overall look of the stage is very similar to the Stage 1 graph. A bunch of little hills, a few longer ones and then a big increase in power output near the end of the stage. Adam's heart rate was lower for this stage and it could be just that some of the nervousness of Stage 1 of the Tour de France has worn off and/or that the stage was bit easier for him. With a TSS of 259 and 3509kJ's burned, the stage distance made for less fatigue at the end of the stage, while the normalized power was 331, up a few watts from Stage 1.

At the end of the stage, make sure you check out all of the big wattage spikes in the last 10minutes! Lots of hard jumps coming out of corners on the 'lead-in' to town along with jockeying for position in the field. Adam obviously got his men in the right place in the end as Team Columbia took 2nd and 3rd place on the stage in a bid to gain the Yellow Jersey!

Way to go Adam!

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