Jun 18 – 19, 2026 · Linz, Austria · Garmin Edge · 63.5 kg · 7,388m climbing
TSS 880 · NP 198W · IF 0.66 · VI 1.165 · CdA ≈0.43 m²
What this tells you: Your 5-min power of 277W and 10-min of 262W show genuine repeatable punch — exactly what a hilly, surge-heavy Duo Mix demands. The 1-hour MMP of 215W deep into a 7,388m-of-climbing day is strong, and the 2-hour MMP of 201W confirms the engine held up across the full effort rather than fading after the early climbs.
Where to improve: Your estimated CdA of ~0.43 m² is on the higher side for a competitive cyclist (elite TT riders achieve 0.18–0.25 m²). On the flatter and faster sections of this loop, even modest aero improvements — a lower handlebar position, aero helmet, or tighter jersey — would directly buy back time. The high VI (1.165) also flags an opportunity: smoothing power over rollers, rather than spiking on every rise, would lower metabolic cost across a 22-hour effort.
Well-controlled cardiac drift: Aerobic decoupling of +7.5% over a 22-hour effort with 7,388m of climbing is a modest, healthy drift — well inside the <10% threshold coaches use to confirm strong aerobic durability. Despite punchy, surge-heavy power on the climbs, your heart rate stayed disciplined in Zone 3–4 rather than spiralling, and the power-to-HR ratio held near 1.21 W/bpm throughout. That steadiness under repeated hard efforts is what kept the pair moving efficiently to the win.
Weather impact summary: Conditions were broadly favourable — a warm, largely settled summer night with light winds averaging 5–8 km/h. The on-bike temperature sensor peaked at 44°C in direct sun on exposed tarmac (true air temperature was lower, roughly in the mid-20s), while the pre-dawn low dipped to around 11°C. The evening start meant you tackled the first hours fresh in the heat, rode the cooler overnight section strongly, and met rising temperatures again on day two. Pre-cooling and disciplined hydration through the hottest exposed segments would trim the thermoregulatory cost further.
Terrain efficiency observation: On descents (negative gradient), your power drops to near zero — appropriate for recovery on a hilly course. Average descent speed of ~40 km/h is solid but leaves a little on the table: descending with more confidence (braking later, carrying speed through the bends) is a low-cost technical gain on a loop with this much elevation to give back.
✅ Aerobic decoupling +7.5% — over 22 hours and 7,388m of climbing, your heart rate drifted by less than 8%, comfortably inside the <10% mark coaches use to confirm strong aerobic durability. The engine held its shape from start to finish.
✅ Repeatable climbing punch — 277W for 5 minutes and 262W for 10 minutes, produced again and again across a 14.5 m/km loop. On a surge-heavy Duo Mix course, the ability to keep delivering hard efforts deep into the race is exactly what wins the category.
✅ 91.8% moving efficiency — only 1h 48m off the bike in 22 hours. Race management as a pair was near-optimal: every stop brief and purposeful, keeping the duo rolling.
✅ Full neuromuscular reserve — a peak 592W burst on the day confirms no central fatigue-induced power cap. You retained the top end of your range even on a relentlessly hilly course.
⚠️ Estimated CdA ~0.43 m² — on the higher side. At 25 km/h average, aerodynamic drag still dominates on the flatter and faster sections of this loop. A bike fit focused on frontal-area reduction (lower bar position, aero helmet, tighter kit) is the highest-leverage single intervention available.
⚠️ Variability Index 1.165 — power was punchy and surge-heavy (avg 170W vs NP 198W). Some of that is unavoidable on a hilly course, but spiking over every roller burns extra glycogen. Smoothing the surges — easing onto short rises rather than attacking them — would lower metabolic cost across a 22-hour effort.
⚠️ Heat-induced cardiac cost — on the hottest, most exposed segments your HR climbed for the same power as the on-bike sensor read into the 40s°C. Pre-cooling protocols (ice vests, cold fluid ingestion) and disciplined hydration ahead of those stretches would reduce this thermoregulatory overhead.