2019 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo – How I Lost My Mole Hill KOM

//2019 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo – How I Lost My Mole Hill KOM

2019 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo – How I Lost My Mole Hill KOM

The 2019 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo – How I lost 1st on Mole Hill KOM

by Robert Hess, on Strava.com at https://www.strava.com/athletes/58546

Sunday, September 29, 2019, was my favorite day of the year excepting, of course, my wedding anniversary, because Sunday was the annual Alpine Loop Gran Fondo when I get to take a crack at winning a KOM segment.

Sunday didn’t quite turn out as I was hoping. I was first in my age group but not first overall. Ego hit:-)

What happened to my King of the Mountain (KOM) form?

As near as I can tell, my mediocre performance comes down to two things:

  1. I went on vacation for the three weeks prior to the Fondo, and
  2. I managed to gain 3 kilos since last year. Three kilos is about 6 lbs.

But, c’mon. How much of a difference can a few pounds of fat matter on a 750-meter climb? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot!

But just how much?

How to calculate the timing climb added by a few dozen Crispy Creams or Dunkin’ Donuts

The fun (and smart guys) over at Global Cycling Network (GCN) did a test and came up with a pretty good calculation. Watch the video they made in Andorra at the following link – Body Weight and Climbing.

Next Steps

  1. Watch the video
  2. Start tracking your eating
  3. Lose weight before you spring for that very expensive carbon water bottle cage:-)
  4. Bookmark https://alpineloopgranfondo.com
  5. Connect with me on Strava.com and let’s go KOM/QOM hunting!

By | 2020-08-20T10:59:14-07:00 September 30th, 2019|Categories: King of the Mountain Challenge|Tags: , , |Comments Off on 2019 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo – How I Lost My Mole Hill KOM

About the Author:

Robert is an entrepreneur, business owner, best-selling author, startup and early stage company advisor, former career US Army officer, competitive cyclist, amateur auto racer driver, former helicopter pilot, and amateur wine and foodie, who loves travel, adventures, and helping people.