This is physiologically impossible.
Ever see someone go out too fast in a 800 meter race and tie up at the end. It doesn’t end well (or with your best time). As me how I know. 
Mmmm yes that nice feeling after 500 meters when you realise you’ve really f’d up… Always considered just faking a torn achilles at that point.
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Thanks for the suggestions. Finally did my effort. Happy to report I snuck in at 2:59 with avg watts of 528 (chart below).
Did what others suggested in starting slightly more than sustainable and then just tried to hang on in the last minute. The big thing that helped me this time vs my last attempt was a proper warm up. Did Truuli -2.
Onto the next pointless ego indulgence!
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Nicely done.
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Very strong. Well done!
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Numbers are great, but the real question is: did you snatch that KOM or not?
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Thanks! Sadly no but I knew that wasn’t in the cards. Would have to take it down to 2:51 which is prob unrealistic without a lead-out and even then maybe not. But I did get top 10 out of 40k+ on the segment so content for now. Hopefully that lasts for a little while!
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Lets see the segment! This is the fun part of riding for me these days. My best advice is to find music that helps. We’ve all got that song. Queue it up so it hits when it needs to.. 30 seconds to go.
Just don’t come do this one and bump me off the top 10 for at least a few weeks 
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Booking a flight to CA right now just to end up 107th!
There is a 6 way tie for 5th at 2:59. You just need the GPS gods to be in your favor on the next attempt and you can sneak into the true 5th.
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I recorded a virtual race during covid on two device (in case of failure). One device got me a KOM by 1sec, and one had me 1sec behind. It was a friend so I used my slower time (but went back a couple weeks later and disambiguated who’d gone faster).
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This has been the largest boost to my Ramp tests. I’ve crafted a playlist that ramps up the hype all the way through, peaking around the 20-minute mark.
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Good timing. Was on a ride today, felt good, and decided to attack a climb where my friend used to have a KOM (until today, LOL). It’s a similar 3-minute-long effort. A bit steeper, and all gravel (pretty smooth one). Pacing strategy was as simple as “open the hell gates, see what comes out”. Here’s my graph:
Numbers aren’t as high as @DadGoals’, but the benefit of living in a rural area is that competition is a bit less intense (albeit it’s CO nonetheless). A spike at the beginning is where the road makes a 90-degree turn and ramps up to 15%. So, it’s natural. The drop in the middle is where the gradient eases off from a steady 7-8% down to 4%. Could’ve done better in this spot, would’ve gained a few seconds. Finally, faded at the end, which was a combination of misjudging where the segment actually ends, and doing a double-digit gradient for the last 200 meters (600 feet). If he takes it back tomorrow, I know what to do to get it back! 
Despite the imperfections, this was still 40W higher than my previous 3-minute best power output (from a ramp test). That and a KOM - a day well spent.
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Great thread. We just moved from Houston to Washington state and as I was driving up to the place we’re staying at, there was an incredible climb. Looking at Strava, it’s a segment. The KOM is 3:57. The KOM’s average watts are just under my 5 minute power PR. I have no idea of his weight or setup. Maybe I’m naive, but couldn’t I just target my 4-5 min power PR for the climb?
Anyways, coming from an ultimate flat land, I’m pumped to have this climb less than a mile from home. Back in Houston, my typical 90 mile route only had 1800’ of climbing. I could do this climb 5x, at barely over 4 miles, and have the same elevation gain.
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That’s just a technicality Go get 'em! Tell us how it went.
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lol - and to help my cause even less, the guy in 2nd place rode it at 77 MORE watts, and was 5 seconds slower.
Will be excited to take a few stabs at it. Will be great for outdoor intervals.
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Good luck! Seems like you’ll have a good chance at the KOM. Maybe leave some meat on the bone if you want to encourage some competition.
Those types of climbs are great for future interval work as well. I have a handful of 3-6 min climbs in my area with relatively steady gradients that I use.
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Nice going, recently I’ve not even held 300w for 3mimutes, but there no reason to do as our bumps are so short
Ive only needed to hold 400w lately for 45secs (the same ride) .
I did 2 organised Hill Climbs last weekend (UK Hill Climb Season) and on the second (longer) climb I decided not to look at my power and just do it on feel.
I ended up with my best 2025 powers from 2:15-4:23 minutes (391W-378W) which were also my 2nd best ever.
Normally I monitor my power and aim at my best power for the expected time period from my Power Curve - but maybe I’ll stay doing it on feel from now on.
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