The Most Aggressive Life Time Grand Prix Race. Chequamegon Power Analysis and Bike Setup

Chequamegon is a mountain bike race... or is it? I take you through my bike setup and race analysis from this year's most aggressive Life Time Grand Prix race.
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[@philballphotography]

Hats off to Brian Matter who finished just behind you at the ripe age of 45. As a fellow mid 40s rider - thats impressive to be mixing it up with those young whipper snappers.

[@sturdyvw]

@wiscodisco is a beast!

[@robbkorhonen5181]

There was a clip of him on IG solo off the front early on in the race too! Just to stick it to the newcomers 💪 Dude is a legend

[@ilanpi]

Some 43 year old guy just finished 4th at gravel worlds by out sprinting the Lifetime GP winner.

[@pedalpower666]

​@@ilanpiI love how you're calling Alejandro valverde "some guy" 😂😂

[@alolympic]

Your post race analysis videos continue to be fascinating. I don’t know any other elite athlete who is so generous and honest with sharing their strategy and their performance. Big fan, thanks for doing your thing 💪🏻

[@davidnorbertwild]

The name Chequamegon is derived from an Ojibway word meaning "place of shallow water," and refers to Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay.

[@crb0n182]

MOM! MOM! Dylan finally uploaded!!

[@dschlag]

Which Dylan?

[@neilk22]

Dizzle is the only Dylan 😂

[@Liam_ridesbikes]

BHD getting extra savage today.

[@Permabonk]

Babe wake up, Dylan Johnson uploaded

[@DM-jh5rs]

5:54 love to see a pro rider using a cheap amazon deckas chainring haha. I have more of these rings than I'd like to admit but they are cheap as hell, come in every size, and never drop chains.

[@Scott-gz8bh]

Hey Dylan, You're old man cycling instructor from the YMCA. I was in the non-elite class ride this past year.. You guys are amazing. I'm glad all my cycling instruction did you well...lol. I knew as a 14-year-old sitting in my 5:00 a.m. spin class that you were going to be a good one. You proved me totally correct. Great job. I'll look for you this year.

[@martinandrews2860]

Really entertaining and humorous. Amazing stats. Well done.

[@StephenAndrichuk]

good point about the cyclocross bikes being normal

[@robbkorhonen5181]

Thanks for taking a second to acknowledge how old this race is and that it’s a product of the time it was started. Almost feels like a lot of people have been forgetting that when they talk about how the course is. 🙂

[@ZenEndurance]

Dylan is the kinda guy that publishes late, but it still rocks.

[@DaneKromer]

I always enjoy your videos DJ! I especially appreciate new perspectives on a race I first did in 1989. Just so you know, the equipment argument has been on-going ever since Greg Lemond won twice in the early 90's. Of course, that was before suspension and MTB bars were about as narrow as road bars... Thanks!😁

[@BradyLikesBikes]

Love the video and the analysis of the race! Stoked to see one of my little clips getting used to help highlight this iconic event too. Pumped to see you on a drop bar too. I’ve been wanting to it on one myself for shits and kicks.

[@acem82]

0:18 Yes, according to my dad who lives in the region, it's pronounced "Shwamegon". I believe the reason for the odd spelling is that it's a native term and it's spelled as the French (the first Europeans to the region) spelled it.

[@clrbrk9108]

This race looks like it was insanely fun from your perspective.

[@brandennall]

Shwamagun. Kudos on the rip in my neck of the woods. Crush the 'Sugar'.

[@starrymooney]

good lord this exhausted me just watching. holy smokes. congrats for fighting this hard.

[@mikefedell1432]

It was a great race! I was maxed out from that very first climb!

[@davidmarbut]

Always nerdy! Always impressed!!

[@mortigard]

Chequamegon...the race that looks much easier on paper than it is on the course.

[@jimsonjohnson3761]

I mean the course is easy. But a race is a race. Meaning people go as fast as possible despite the course.

[@JayRappa]

Excellent job as always.

[@OGillo2001]

Thanks, superb work Dylan

[@davidwebb2337]

Mega. Nice work!

[@Spunday1]

Wow! What a drag race that was! Awesome job!

[@Mickyrst43]

Great insight there,really enjoyed the race report!!!

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Great finish in a stacked field!

[@graffix11us]

Nice work!

[@christopherarnold7884]

Backwards Hat Dylan was killing it, 😂😂😂

[@stevenbalderstone709]

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Gravel Worlds.

[@robertjonsson7618]

Youre video is great! More like this.

[@Dou8leShot]

Very nice video.

[@markokitzing4291]

Congratulations! Top 10 next year!

[@mickhurley7305]

I love your content and followed you a long time. Total respect for you . Positioning seems to be a regular issue though. I think youve left a few better placings on the table. Your very strong at the finish.

[@TravelingBabyCompany]

Love your videos! Fun to watch and great to hear how these races play out. Keep it up!!

[@TheBRad704]

Great... now I'm thinking about dropbars for next year's Skyway Epic 100.

[@andygorski6318]

When BHD is spot on. @1:27

[@rogerbillharz6452]

The drop bars put you In a better Q factor

[@PinkyFingerPedalStrike]

1:17 lol, those drop bars sure do make that a horrendous looking mountain bike 😂

[@VelosportTaylor]

Good title length. This is how it reads on mobile “The Most Aggressive Life Time Grand Prix Race. Chequamegon Power Anal...”

[@Selfrighteouscyclist]

Great lesson on riding to your own plan that you know you can do as opposed to going beyond your abilities and hitting the wall.

[@stevenporter9484]

You're knocking on the door

[@michaelhotten752]

Yeah, 15th at a race that doesn't fit your style, that's huge. Love that triple comeback and love those drops.

[@czeckson74]

Who´s that Vermeulen dude ? ;-)

[@kazzz6666]

Admiring your combative spirit -- congratulations on an awesome result!!

[@HydeMyJekyll]

Nice racing and good video. I love seeing the power numbers from races, it lets me know how much further I have to push myself to consider racing one day. For this race, the power numbers actually looks pretty achievable!

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Just race and have fun. You don't have to compete with elites to try racing

[@kautzz]

wowee, way to race!

[@mateagoston8145]

You just could have said grey area for the weather too at 4:57.🤣

[@aarondcmedia9585]

Great recap as always, the in-race analysis is the best out of any that I watch on YT and I watch a few. Is your FTP still 370W? Some of the comments in this video seem surprising to me given your FTP - you must be very aerobic with low AWC as I would not expect 277/322W for 2 hours to stress someone with a 370W FTP. A few of those in-race, 3 minutes at 400W efforts would be a cruisy-ish VO2max interval for you yeah? All the best with the rest of the series.

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

My FTP is around 380. The reason these numbers seem low is because this is an off road race. The more technical course the lower the NP for the same given effort. While not a super technical course it is still more technical than a road race. This same duration race on the road would probably produce an NP 20 to 30 watts higher.

[@aarondcmedia9585]

@@DylanJohnsonCyclingappreciate the response.

[@mikesima9396]

You know I think you are spot on. This looked like a Zwift gravel race, watt bombs away and not much skill required. Probably why mr wahoo won..:. Shots fired

[@tgoods5049]

Going 18mph in mixed conditions requires skills. Yeah, it's not technical singletrack but you still have to have bike handling on point.

[@mikesima9396]

@@tgoods5049hey not intended to demean anyone’s skills, I meant it as relative skills across the whole spectrum of cycling and within its own discipline. Regards

[@IsaacRC]

The main advantage i see of flat bars over drops is the brakes handling IMO at the "non-technical course", it's overlooked by manufacturers i think but speed handling should be considered a very "technical" aspect of technique, not only pure muscle, assuming at this level no one accelerates more than the handling situation allows.

[@spotofgolf]

Evidence is stacking up against the idea you're bad at the shorter races

[@xclent1975]

First :) great job Dylan good video

[@KennyVeltre]

the drop bar hard tail mtb looks sick tho

[@johnsimon9064]

Born and raised in the area. You are pronouncing “Chequamegon” correctly.

[@wazzup105]

A big plus of those ridiculous 80cm MTB handlebars is that no one is gonna pass you on narrow tracks.....

[@NathanLong]

BHD nails the definition at 13:20

[@marcus_velo_9970]

well done - tough race ... everyone in front of you including the winner had flat bars, guess there's a lesson in that. if you were able to stay on the front group the drafting gains would have been superior to the drop bar gains when solo. of course as you've said the power requirement wasn't there this time sure it will be next time.

[@facediaper09]

At least you got to ride with Lachey.

[@niekversteege]

Great video, a little different this race. Maybe the guy was right about drop bars. The parts where the race was decided (and you were gapped), they didn't really help you. They only helped close the gap back again. Maybe it is similar to Grand Tour riders also favouring lightweight bikes vs aero, since the decisive moments are usually on steep climbs.

[@maritimezombie7684]

When you finally release your bike check video for your Drop Bar MTB I really hope you cover how you decided to size the setup. Do you go with a proper MTB frame and shorten the stem to fit drops or a smaller frame to accommodate the extra drop reach?

[@ilanpi]

Are you going to go to The Netherlands this Winter to try out beach racing?

[@jempanuncialman9361]

You Using a Deckas Chaingring huh 😁. Thats popular in my country.

[@goldenretriever6261]

That's like a 90s mountain bike race.

[@IamCredit]

If Dylan was really about that frankenbike life, he'd run an aero bike with MTB bars. Guaranteed LTGP winning rig.

[@gusrallim]

haha some quality jokes in this one

[@teok7735]

great video tho

[@KwadSkwad]

16/17psi seems low to me, but I think I've got another 50lbs on you.. I typically run 22/23 on my hardtail (2.25s). 18 is where it starts to feel extra sloppy to me. Awesome race recap video as always!

[@davidnorbertwild]

I’m assuming he rode w inserts though. ?

[@sean9820]

Great job dylan. Why does a max hr of 183 seem low to me? Given your age I'm guessing you max out around 195-198. Any input here? Sincerely a club rider who hits 190 here and there on group rides haha.

[@m1kelikesbikes]

The cropping of this title on iphone 14's youtube app is... definitely something... it's missing the "sis and Bike Setup" part :D

[@danreynolds1142]

Great video, rode w backwards had dude couple weeks ago. $10k aero bike, no shirt, carbon 👞, had on bakwards that said "go fast, dont die". He tried to drop me, i finally sat up around 400 watts when he clipped his pedal in a corner going aroud 30 mph.😅😂 Apparently backward had guy is a real thing!

[@budycelyn]

so the thumbnail cameo in the video, does that mean we may see you at rampage one day? :D

[@MrBig617]

What 40t did you find that fits the 104bcd quarq????

[@kennethward9530]

I recall it being pronounced "She-mama-gone" back in early 90's, with a fair amount of "Wizz-gon-zin" nasal twang added. I thought it was all Birkie trail system then, don't recall the singletrack; maybe trail was less overgrown? Dry year when I was there, I rode my cross bike with 38mm Specialized Tricross? tires. It was bumpy enough that the internally routed brake cable was banging in the top tube like a cowbell much of the ride.

[@kbrewster127]

"Sha-WAH-ma-gun" -from a local!

[@mr.techie8565]

More Backwards Hat Dylan please!

[@rfwillett2424]

I think what makes BHD work so well is that Dylan doesn't over use it.

[@nateisright]

The French have a word for everything!

[@trukweaz]

MATTER!!!

[@ZachAllenGolf]

I’m a 48 year old cat 1 xc racer and consistently hit 180 bpm multiple times during a race. Why is your max so low? Backwards hat Dylan said maybe you don’t want it bad enough?

[@maxjohnson0703]

Max Heart rate has massive variability at the top end of sports. Lactate is usually a more reliable metric.

[@jaredpetchel4728]

Have you done this race in the past with flat bars? Or was there someone near you during the race that we could compare power outputs to? I think this is the best opportunity for comparing flat bars to drop bars I've seen in a video yet.

[@cornishcat11]

BHD is brutal

[@adamclark8105]

i really don't mind the hybrid frankenbike, but it begs the question "WWKD?" (what would keegan do?)

[@MattThomas08]

Sha-WHA-MA-gon. Apparently 😬

[@garyonnen7634]

Not around then, that’s for reminding me that I’m old.

[@ridegreen78]

Gets chubbed up🤣

[@steven871]

When he talks about saving 25 watts, does he mean his avg over course of the race,or 25 w on each pedal stroke, or is that the same thing?

[@Matt-Comer]

Dylan’s example he shows is for same flat course. Showing that he could maintain same speed for a 25w less average and therefore could match wattage to get more speed. It would work out to be the same thing.

[@steven871]

thank you Matt @@Matt-Comer

[@user-gx7xy9zx1f]

Looking at the drop bar full sus at the end was like 🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@steventrott8714]

So….. a Niner MCR?!?!?

[@jj95east]

Alexey also seems like a buzz kill lol

[@matthewjohnson12]

Awesome fight throughout the race but isn’t it the same result even if you make the field sprint😂.

[@GerritD]

Kerry Werner living in the year 3000

[@red00tl]

I thought the guy falling over in the thumbnail was BHD himself and that's the only reason I clicked on it!

[@andrewnicholas7410]

Cyclocross is a bad example, because due to arcane UCI rules, they are not allowed to have drop bars. They also have a silly rule about maximum tire sizes, which I know you’d be a fan of. I though alexey’s take was interesting, as I’ve found average power on the mtb is generally higher, and with Payson and alexey saying something similar, I think it could be more than just a different power meter. Do other people have this as well?

[@IsaacRC]

Yes, carbon gravel vs flat bar steel roadbike at same course, clearly the slower flat bar outperformed the gravel in speed cos the handling capacity in short speed bursts of technical nature, hydraulic road brakes suck, not the handlebars, and someones got to say it 😅

[@cornishcat11]

@@IsaacRC you said it 😂

[@andrewnicholas7410]

@@IsaacRCI disagree that road brakes are the limiting factor. I find that once things start to have sudden big hits, drop bars just rotate down, and then the ergonomics become less than ideal.

[@IsaacRC]

@@andrewnicholas7410 okay i assure you the first day i rode disk brakes out of the shop i almost hit an old lady, 18 years riding in the city, see what i mean, this is beneath certain level IMO (Sram Apex and Shimano grx 600, edit)

[@TheMuudcat]

Did it for 30 years, no one has ever won it on drop bars. My son was 3rd one year

[@johnlschmidt1117]

Geno won it with mustache bars, back in the day! Missed you there Jim and your national anthem, best ever. I was third oldest. Very hard.

[@TheMuudcat]

I was really tempted to do it but opted for a 70 mile road ride. Maybe next year@@johnlschmidt1117

[@gregredelman9726]

420!!!

[@jj95east]

This video is so meta

[@paul27182]

Great stuff! Any details on your setup? Like tires, pressure?

[@alberts4541]

Did you watch the video?

[@paul27182]

no i did not - i am just here to ask random questions @@alberts4541

[@evdb7246]

“….that’s what Kerry Werner did….” And how did he finish?

[@frankhammond9909]

Lol @7:00

[@ronalddriver8628]

Did BHD feed you the jab at Dizzle’s video?

[@bretgreenfield1511]

Want my three sense for you to improve, one add weight to your bike, like you are at the gym, and you can really trick your power output,,,so raced day, or even race week, or even race month you can take away the weight and be much lighter, two,,,really, really, really watch what you eat, and loose weight, like a f1 car, weight is everything, and three, rather then go for vo2 max, I train, like we are surfing, and hold my breath, like a whale, or under water sea diver, then if you need to, like when racing you will have room to breath more, great thing about training like this, its all about weight, breath and food, and volume,,,not so much about intensity,,,as for the drop bars, I dont know, I mean,,,looks like more mass, then a straight mountain bike bar, and you can turn your mountain bike bars upside down to drop more, I really like that look, even down hill bars up side down:) and lastly, you want to make front pack, learn to run, running and it could even be track work outs, sprinting, then,,,just like everything I shared, is much tougher then race day, therefore race day should be easy,,,keep following your dream:) mine is to win hawii ironman at age 55, pro division, dreams are meant to be big:)