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robbo1234biking
...and decided to drop back to the group behind…except I went flying out of the back and was a few seconds behind before I knew it and couldnt catch!
Do you switch camera views for this, Robbo?
The few times I have had to do this, a quick change to the rear facing view means you can gauge the approach speed a bit easier & ramp up your effort so they don't scream straight past.
It's a shame there's no 'rear view mirror' option 🙂
Oh it wasnt to do with not knowing where they were! It was a case of trying to hard and then not being able to accelerate to keep up and by the time I recovered (maybe 20-30 seconds later) a 7 second gap had opened up. I need to race smarter.
To get in the points I need to finish close to the front group and stay with them. I think I am about 5-10w or losing 5kg from doing this consistently. I have got stronger but that means I try to hard and then do myself in!
great race last night. enjoyed the tussle in the second group on the road
i was feeling under the weather last night, so didnt kill myself at the start, but settled into a decent group (possibly third on the road once the front split, by the sounds of it). Was with Copping, P.aul, D.Fee, mitchell zilog, bailey and mitchell (sorry if i missed anyone) and we seemed to have a solid pace.
The final twisty climb was a test of grit. Trying hard to hold on to each others wheels.
An enjoyable race overall.
I’m out for the TT this week, got a 10pm finish, will try to join again in the future though. Enjoyed my first attempt.
v7fmp
Yep that was me (nmorrish) with you - those twisties were killer
Ha I love reading people's reports. It was just so hard for anyone to get away off the front - @paino and @phil56 very nearly managed it in the run up to the aqueduct (I was initially caught out that time, tried to bridge, but I think that just brought it back together) and @phil56 and @scaled managed to escape for a while on the run in to the finish. But the front of the race was mainly about whittling the group down rather than successful attacks. Half of these posts are people describing being spat out the back or not getting on again when a gap opened.
It was such a hard course to establish a gap on, and the front group was always big and fast enough to close things down even if there were sometimes victims as it did so. It looks like the finishing groups (or solo riders) were really only established at the aqueduct. (And @straightliner I knew you'd be tempted by the KOM there after the way you rode the hills in Richmond last week).
Races in this series always have a different dynamic to standard zwift races on the same courses. It's partly the way @robbo1234biking crafts the stakes so we all have stuff to ride for in different ways. It's partly the riders.
Those starts are fierce. In theory this course should suit me, being of the chunky boy mould, but I could not hold on to the front two groups and ended up in the magnificent 7.
There was a 3 / 4 break at the viaduct, but I had a aero power up and figured I was better pulling us back together than saving it for the end. Thank me later.
I was late on my sprint finish, and got 7th of the group, that's the Eli Wallach position and I wanted the Yul Brynner one.
Still suffering from man-flu symptoms, so happy to finish. Hoping to start on Thurs.
@savoyad - ah, you saw through my cunning plan which wasn't really that cunning! In fairness, the Viaduct KoM is more of a sloping sprint than a real hill so mentally I thought I'd chance it. Legs decided otherwise.
(And as for the KoM title - I'm too big and heavy to be any good on the longer hills, but will often try on the shorter ones.)
Missed last night, hopefully its the only round I'll sit out. Well done all, it sounds like a tough one!
Last night was the first time back zwift racing, I've not been on the bike much this summer, and only just got over Covid, so was unsure how it would go. a test ride on Monday proved I was ok to go for it 🙂 I managed to keep with the front group for about 6 mins riding at my previous ftp, but then dropped back to the 2nd group on the road in a bunch of 7, the only person I remember was Ant Mitchell, and there we sat 40 secs or so in front of the next group and the same behind the leaders. There was only 1 attack that was neutralized until the finish. I'd forgotten how much the pace picks up for that final 2k, so that destroyed my plans of a sprint to the front finishing near the back of the group.
However I did discuover that my fitness has completely gone, so will have to do a new test to see where I am
Thanks @robbo1234biking I enjojed it even if I was pants.
P.
i was feeling under the weather last night, so didnt kill myself at the start, but settled into a decent group (possibly third on the road once the front split, by the sounds of it). Was with Copping, P.aul, D.Fee, mitchell zilog, bailey and mitchell (sorry if i missed anyone) and we seemed to have a solid pace.
decent group for sure, helped drag me around, then the sprint for the line came on so suddenly I didn't even have time to deploy my feather 🙂
I managed to stay with the lead group for the first 5kms which I was happy with. I thought after 2kms that I had cooked myself and would have to drop out but thankfully the pace dropped off a little at that stage. Really enjoying the racing, thanks again Robbo for all the work organising them.
First one back this week, as usual from last series too slow off the start, then have to go too hard to get into the front group, then it seemed to settle a bit and I was surprisingly feeling ok. My drafting has not improved so I did my usual yo-yo to the front and back of the group and this showed with the wkg overall in zwift power. I got caught out at the Kom as my laptop was struggling a bit so didn't show the road properly instead I was riding on a green road, not that I'd have been able to go with the decisive break. Hung on in second group so pleased with that. @robbo1234biking many thanks as ever
Handicaps are live for next week. If your name is in red and you want to race message me and I will do you a handicap. Cheers
Race day is upon us! Don't forget if you haven't raced so far this season you wont have a handicap for tonight so if you want one you need to let me know. You are welcome to race without the handicap but you wont be included in the points.
Route tonight is Chain Chomper - 2 laps! 4 climbs of around 5-6 mins each. I expect this one to split up a lot quicker than previous weeks.
Ooooh, we do love a climb!
4 of them, you say!? Oh. Ahem....
Maybe I should spend some drops on a climbing bike & wheels, rather than relying on the Tron bike!
I'll buy a clean pair of socks to improve my climbing 🤔. I'll wear the same Jersey tho, it has given me good results.
If I get an hour's warm up before I should be ok for helping out in a small group.
May not make it in time for this one, which is annoying as climbing suits me in Zwift despite my weight disadvantage.
Oh bloody hell, i'd got this and the Thursday night TTT mixed up and was looking forward to 3 laps of wattopia flat!
Wife and I are sat here waiting on the results of lateral flow tests as we're both pretty minging so will have to see how i feel come half 7
and some dirt.... so time to invest in a gravel bike....?!
Looking at the profile I'll take it easy at the start, not involving myself in the usual start line frenzy. I'll settle into the long climb up to the mystical tree, then pedal all the way to the finish line making sure I steer and brake for the corners 😉🤣.
2nd lap will be a similar approach.
It's an interesting course for tonight - no single bike/type is best, but then swapping probably loses too much time as well so the best option is to choose something that works on road or on gravel and accept it's limitations on the other surface.
Those four climbs will certainly make the legs ache a little!
^This. Chose a bike that plays to your strengths I think.
Last one for me, on ATV so not risking a sweaty bike change with the remote.
If only Zwift would give you a hot key for a pre-arranged bike you could alternate between, with a fixed time 10 second no-moving penalty to avoid all the fumbling about and keyboard macro monkeying about. They create courses with different attributes, and bikes the same, but then make it really difficult to use them fairly and precisely.
Bonus points for a mechanic running on with it and pushing you off.
Normally I would be looking forward to tonight, but some seriously poor sleep over the past few days had left me feeling pretty demotivated! Not sure I can sum up the will!
How long should the course take roughly?
I reckon you're looking at 50-55 mins tonight.
Not sure how tonight’s going to go TBH, 6-7 mins of climbing, 4 times + a lot of catching up I think. Could be broken by the end.
Also decided to commute into office today, so there’s another 45km in the legs too. Some poor choices here 🤣
trying to get out while the weather is good so will miss tonight
jimdubleyou
Also decided to commute into office today, so there’s another 45km in the legs too. Some poor choices here
Ooof!!
I'm looking forward to it, but after Sunday Hills & a workout yesterday there's definitely some residual tiredness in the legs. Will try to get an early warm-up in to spin the legs.
I don't really like the whole swapping bike thing. You can't do it on a real ride, so it seems odd to me to do it in Zwift.
In a race, the issue with swapping bikes is losing a group & then having no chance of getting back on.
I don’t really like the whole swapping bike thing. You can’t do it on a real ride, so it seems odd to me to do it in Zwift.
Pros do it all the time and then get a push and the opportunity to draft the team car/sticky bottle! 😉
Don't bother bike swapping. Not worth it. Aero wins on the down. You wont make back the swap time on the gravel and there is a lot of tarmac to end up loosing speed on. I like this course and it's the only one I have won on recently. Sadly got covid so no racing for me.
Hope you feel better soon and get back to beating most of us in the near future!
Thanks. Going to try some easy zone 2 tomorrow and see how it goes.
Looking forward to tonight, I think. Probably play to my weakness bike wise and go for road bike for the descent/flat. Think only the 2nd part of the climb is gravel, so shouldn't lose much time overall.
Bike swapping is definitely worth it in the jungle, but not sure it is here.
I will be joining in tonight - first time on this series. Not really sure how things are going to pan out because not had much time on the bike over the last month or so, but I'll give it my best and see what happens. Not raced in Zwift since the Spring Series so the moment I have forgotten how much it hurts.
Hi gents there’s a small, update to Zwift tonight so allow a bit of extra time when logging on.
Giving it a miss tonight, feel exhausted. I'll regret it I'm sure, but can't get motivated.
Have a good one everyone!
Enjoyed that - thanks Robbo and Pau!! Yes indeed JennRide reunion! Also a bit Thurs night TTT, nice that we all are a simiular pace. One day I'll learn how to use the in game chat function while riding. Nearly caused myself to turn around when I tried today.
Going for my weekly hallucination session now 🤪.
Enjoyed the race, can't downhill tho 😭
brutal, glad hills are back. Thanks all and Robbo for organising.
@djflexure and @robbo1234biking: yep, that was....fun. I preferred dawdling around the Lakes to be honest. That was a right old dust up on the climb though. Good stuff!
Crikey, should have stayed in bed for that one! as per usual on a thursday night i'd had naff all warm up, having just got the kids in bed, done the zwift update then realised i was logged in as my wife!
I knew i was in trouble before turning a pedal so just sat in the bunch and then tried to hang on with Savoyed and Paino up the climbs on the first lap, i knew the race was going to blow apart, but that was something else, it was 15 seconds on the gravel back to Kirk,Ian and someone else? so I jumped off the bike and opened the patio doors as I was melllllttttiinnnggg. Just about managed to grab a wheel and just tried to sit in and recover as best I could for the rest of the lap. I've not really ridden on gravel since they did the MTB update so that was a bit of a shock actually experienceing it, not sure i'm a fan!
Second lap and I'd seen that Savoyed had dropped Paino and Tom Baker was about 8 seconds down on our group, I think we could all smell blood so put a bit of a push on 😀 Chasing down the last 10 seconds was hard though, I dunno if it was me or J Kirk but it was really surging and I had to keep surging back to keep on a wheel. Anyway, good sprint at the end but still not feeling 100%, although strangely better for spinning the legs over.
Cheers lads, and cheers Robbo for another interesting course!
brutal,
This
glad hills are back.
Not this.
Don’t think my legs got the memo about that one. Andeh and Southside Johnny, it was nice to have mini-group to work in but then on the final climb I couldn’t get into a rhythm and dropped back to wait for the next group. Had a good ride in with Matt Pewsey, Stumpy and M Jenneson and picked up Andeh again on the flat.
Well done to the lead groups, you flew off on the first loop and that was it.