Michael Woods Monte Zoncolan effort nabs him 10th and a Strava KOM
Canadian posts Monte Zoncolan effort with power numbers
Michael Woods finished 10th on Stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia which was won by a resurgent Chris Froome. The climb to Monte Zoncolan was the centerpiece of the day and the GC battle sparked on it’s imposing slopes.
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The fireworks kicked off in earnest when Woods attacked with about 6 km to race through it was short-lived and he was soon back in the group of leaders. Froome then took off with 4 km to go shattering the front of the race on his way to victory ahead of pink jersey holder Simon Yates. Woods posted his ride on Strava following what was arguably the queen stage of the 2018 Giro d’Italia.
?? Michael Woods having a go on the slopes of Monte Zoncolan ?? #giro101 pic.twitter.com/OwvexTKZu1
— Canadian Cycling Mag (@CanadianCycling) May 19, 2018
Woods climbed Monte Zoncolan at an average of 338 w over its 10-km length which averages 12 per cent and maxed out at 22 per cent. Woods is listed at 63 kg on the EF Education First-Drapac website meaning that he would have produced 5.36 w/kg on the ascent. During his attack, Woods put out 860 w before settling into a rhythm and eventually being reeled back into the lead group. Froome climbed Zoncolan in 39:58 with Woods 1:43 behind. The effort saw the Ottawa-native move up to 12th in the general classification.
The Strava segment up Zoncolan is 7.5 km long at an average of 13 per cent. Woods did the segment in 36:01 which was enough to take the Strava KOM on the climb. Woods had reconned the Zoncolan at the end of April.
The stage up until the Zoncolan was pretty conservative with the peloton only averaging 36 km/h for the first 175 km. Things didn’t get any faster on the Zoncolan but the effort certainly increased. Woods average speed up the climb was a meager 12.6 km/h.
Stage 15 on Sunday features more climbing in the Dolomites before a rest day on Monday. Then the peloton faces the 34 km time trial which should provide a further shakeup in the general classification.
