Naples Velo Strava Club
With the summer hiatus over, monthly time trials have started again. If you are not familiar with the time trials, Naples Velo tracks the quickest monthly times for two road segments in the Naples area. One segment is for group times. The other is set to measure individual efforts.
To access the Naples Velo Strava Club, go to the following link:
To access the site, you must be a Naples Velo Club member. You also have to make a one-time request to gain admission to the site. You can easily request access directly from the Club’s site on Strava. You should receive your approval within a day.
Group Time Trial / Gordon Drive: This segment begins in the southbound lane at 20
th Street South and finishes northbound at the start location on 20
th Street. If you have never ridden on Gordon Drive, there is a circular turn-around at the end that makes for an easier transition from travelling south to north.
Following is a link to the segment details:
The KOM / QOM times are 8:10 and 8:21 respectively which translate to average speeds of 27+ MPH. However, because you will have to slow down considerably at turn-around at the end of Gordon Drive, the top speeds will be even higher.
Individual Time Trial / Bonita Beach Road (east of I-75)
This segment begins on the eastbound lane of Bonita Beach Road approximately 3 miles east of I-75 and finishes about ½ mile east of I-75. There is a turn-around to assist the transition from traveling east- to west-bound. Segment length is 5.9 miles.
The KOM / QOM times are 12:31 and 13:55 respectively which translate to average speeds of 25 to 28+ MPH.
OCTOBER TIME TRIAL RESULTS
Group Time Trial – NV 20/20 Gordon Drive TT
Women: Jen Pade was top of the list on October with a time of 8:30 which translates to an average speed of 27.2 MPH
Men: Paul Carbone set the best monthly time on this segment at 8:27 which translates to an average speed of 27.4 MPH.
Kudos to both and great efforts on both of your parts
Individual Time Trial Efforts - Trek Tri TT
There were no club results on this segment during October.
New Time Trial Segments
We are looking for new group and individual time trial segments and would appreciate any suggestions. The only hard criteria for selection is that a segment should not involve any stop signs or stop lights within or at the very end of the segment.
Preferably any selected segment will minimize conflict with pedestrian crosswalks, but that’s hard to do in this area. That said, if you avoid segments that run by hotels or parking areas that support beach access, they will probably be OK.
November PSA
We “fell back” on November 2
nd, increasing the likelihood of finishing late afternoon rides in the dark. Simultaneously, seasonal traffic is ramping up quickly.
Please do a quick check on your tail and headlights to insure they are providing you with maximum protection. Headlights are self-enforcing. If you’re not getting light where you need it, you’ll adjust it as needed. Taillights are somewhat out of sight, and therefore out of mind so it’s worth taking a look at them.
If your taillight is mounted on your bike (as opposed to your helmet or jersey), make sure it is level, pointing straight back and the mounting bracket is tight. It’s not uncommon to see lights that are twisted off level or off the bike’s direction of travel. While it may still be bright, it will not be as visible further out to traffic as it would be if mounted both level and straight.