Btw, I did my Zwift experiment today doing a group ride up Mt Ventoux. As expected, riding 1.9 w/kg on steeps kept me in the group, where the same power-to-weight ratio had me struggling in a rolling group ride yesterday.
Sadly, Ventoux being Ventoux, I ran out of time before climbing 5000' to the summit, and had to bail after 90m minutes of climbing, given other commitments.
I will add, however, that the relentlessness of the Ventoux climb is brutal, with endless 10-12% gradients. I have ridden few real-world (non MTB) climbs with that kind of pitch for miles.
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@pkedrosky You haven't lived until you've broken a crank arm riding up an incline.
@tedherman I've busted chains doing that. Does it count?