Around The Bay 2023 - 210km around Port Phillip Bay - but faster this time?

I'm doing the Classic again - a 210-ish km ride around Port Phillip Bay, from Albert Park, back to Albert Park. 14kg less on the bike, and 7kg less on me, a whole bunch of training and it's back to Around The Bay 2023. Will it all pay off, and will this be enough to get a faster time than last year? Watch, and find out!

[@96JustStuff]

Thanks for the video. Im considering doing my first go at it this year

[@DropTableAdventures]

I'd definitely recommend it! Good luck, I hope it goes well for you.

[@robzyb]

Really enjoyable video! Was the tape at 9:44 planned? Or an masterful bodge in the moment?

[@DropTableAdventures]

I was planning to tape the connector so it didn't come loose. I originally had duct tape in the kit - but removed it after I took the strapping tape instead.

[@robzyb]

How long did you spend trying to decide if (1) you should tape the connector with elastoplast, or (2) tape your knee with duct tape? 🤣

[@DropTableAdventures]

I did my knee with duct tape at parkrun last week because I forgot the right tape - it lasted about 1km until the sweat just unstuck it... but at this point I only really have to tape it for >5km runs (cycling for any distance untaped is fine)

[@johnharris8394]

Electric bike?

[@DropTableAdventures]

This year, yes - a Gazelle CityZen C8 HMB+. It's a very nice bike for riding round the city (and on gravel, with appropriate tyres!) - especially if you want to carry a decent amount of stuff on the rear rack. But I had the power level turned down to save on battery to make 210km (might have been down a little too much considering how much I finished with), the course is pretty much flat except two notable hills (Westgate Bridge and Mt. Martha), I was above 25km/h for some of it (so no assistance at all), I was sitting a lot more upright so aerodynamics were compromised compared to drop bars, and it's got tyres that are closer to a mountain bike than a road bike (great on gravel but a bit of a compromise on the road). Also it's a Bosch Gen2 motor - so I'm pedalling through a 2.5:1 gearbox before it even gets to the front chainring, and dragging the motor round when it's off (unlike the newer designs where you pedal the front chainring directly and the motor's on a sprague clutch). So I think next year I'll take the road bike that you see at the end.