[cookieMonster]

I realize, every situation is different and obviously I'm not seeking an exact sort of answer -- just hoping that in the discussion some sort of method of estimation might emerge.

I use Strava to track all my rides, and this summer I've begun to rack up some KOMs -- all on DH trails and segments. I must admit, it is fun to see that crown on my feed and it motivates me to dissect my rides to get faster and faster. I used to race DH, fwiw.

There's one DH trail on which I've held KOM off and on all summer. It was taken away a couple weeks ago, and yesterday I went back prepared to take it back.

Anyhow, I pinned it and ended up blowing one corner, but quickly recovered from that, then later where the trail gets super steep I blew another corner in a mild crash -- just a slideout, really. I stumbled once getting the bike back onto the trail, but since it was a fall-line type section, I think I got back up to speed pretty quickly.

I was pissed that I blew it, and didn't have time to go back to the top and try it again without mistakes. Nevertheless, once I got back in cell-range where I could upload my results, I indeed took back my KOM, getting a PR, obviously.

Unfortunately, 20 minutes later, a dude apparently came along and knocked 10 seconds off my time.

I am approaching the limits of how fast I can do this trail, but I was thinking, surely, without my mistakes I'd likely have been 10 seconds faster, right? It's just really hard to estimate.

I think it's fairly accurate to estimate the time you were stopped in a crash, but what about the time you lose getting back up to the speed you were previously at? It's hard to say.

Now, there are certain DH trails where the all-time record is so bloody fast, I know that I'll never be capable of it, and I'm not going to risk life and limb to try it. On this trail, I think I can go back and do it. If someone comes along and knocks 30 seconds off my PR, then I'll give it to them -- that ain't happening for me at this stage in the game.

How do you estimate time lost in a crash or blown corner? Thanks for your input!

 

[KingOfOrd]

Like you said, its tough to say. Watching a lot of DH races, when you see a rider go down and quickly get back on the bike the time loss is usually about 5-10 seconds depending on the rider and the fall.

 

[Forest Rider]

Something else to take into consideration; slow=fast sometimes. If you are going too fast and blowing out a corner you are already losing time by braking harder than you would if you were going a touch slower and didn't have to scrub off as much speed.

 

[cookieMonster]

Something else to take into consideration; slow=fast sometimes. If you are going too fast and blowing out a corner you are already losing time by braking harder than you would if you were going a touch slower and didn't have to scrub off as much speed.

Very true. The only DH race I ever won was when I showed up late and only had time to do one practice run. It was a brutal course that was twice as long as an average DH course. Conditions were dry and powdery dirt. After that one practice run my game plan was "Ride conservatively; stay alive." I ended up winning the race by 1 minute; most other riders crashed out or washed out on the corners.

I went back to that trail yesterday on my XC bike. It is a challenging segment because the first half is pretty flat and requires an exhausting sprint, and then when your muscles and cardio are thoroughly baked, it drops about 500 vertical feet in half a mile. I knew I could do the first half faster on my XC bike, and then planned to just ride out the steep part conservatively. I ended up only 5 seconds slower than my PR. The steep ending part felt way slower than how I do it on my enduro bike, but it was likely faster than how I rode it with the crashes the day before.

 

[LarryFahn]

My crash made me miss a KOM by 10 months.

Sheared off 2 of 4 tendons of the rotator cuff and had a detached bicep.

Ttyl, Fahn

 

[shwinn8]

if memory serves me correctly i believe i've seen a bottom bracket telemetry device(?) on Pinkbike that data collects everything you are asking about and you can compare one run to another and the data will show where you are slower and faster. I think that's what i read. it was a while ago though