No. But it isn't flat.
So full of cold, unlikely to make it and if I do it will be sightseeing at the back
Covid booster for me this evening so it will be interesting to see if that affects FTP tomorrow, or worse.
After ~4 weeks of this cold that's doing the rounds, I'm finally feeling somewhat better. However November's been a very poor month so far in terms of exercise, so definitely won't be back to normal yet. For those coming down with colds, I hope they pass quickly.
I did a very gentle pre-ride of the course yesterday evening and can see there being several places where the groups will blow apart. Could be a challenging two laps this evening!
Yeh there are some gravel sections interspersed on the course as well as some small gradients - I have done a 1 lap sprint race of this course but not 2 laps.
Should be a good race I hope.
Dont forget to look out for riders who you think deserve 'Rider's Rider of the Series'. I need to start the voting after next weeks race and I am looking for 3 or 4 racers who have really set the race apart so any nominations shout up on here or send me a message!
I’m out for this series, picked up a bit of an injury . Might see if I can watch on my phone, if I’m not too full of drugs . You guys suffering might cheer me up.
Like a lot of others I'm full of the cold and had no sleep for two nights with a sick 3 year old.
Back on track next week 🤞
While you are all excited about race day...
Please consider joining (or re-joining) the STW Zwift Team Time Trial. It's a fun opportunity to ride - more cooperatively - with a lot of the same riders who race this series.
Everyone is welcome. The event rules require mixed-category teams, and our philosophy is usually to get everyone to the finish together.
We ride Thursday evenings, 7.40pm. We'd like to work up to two teams, like last winter, one faster than the other, so there really should be a suitable spot for everyone.
More info, and people who tend to answer questions very quickly, here: https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/zwift-team-time-trial-thursday-evenings/page/7/
I was all excited about being back racing tonight as the new family toy has arrived... [img] 
[/img]
Then remembered that i'm giving blood at 2:30 this afternoon so racing is probably a terrible idea 🙁
The Neobike is awesome though 😀
Don't join the TTT if I were you. It's made me faster and better at drafting over the last few race series. More Cat B riders getting better at racing is a bad idea 😉
Don't know if I'll make it home in time for tonight. Got a busy day and doubt I'll finish before 6 which doesn't really leave enough time to get home and set up ready for the start. Will try to make it but can't guarantee it. Having a truck with a really heavy clutch pedal isn't helping matters!
Then remembered that i’m giving blood at 2:30 this afternoon so racing is probably a terrible idea
@scaled how long does blood donation affect your Power output?
I find after recovering from the initial loss of blood volume within a day, my FTP is still down for several weeks - I guess it is a form of reverse EPO.
@J-R no idea mate, I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days then see how I get on. Last time I donated I managed to cycle home from Stockport to Sale easy enough but was ready for a kip when I got home 😀
So... IT issues appear to be solved after a quick Zwift patch (at leat my Mac could get into Zwift today)
planning to be on the start line, not sure I'm race-ready 🙂
I won't be on the start line tonight, feeling rotten with a cold. Hopefully well enough for club ride tomorrow, or Zwift TTT on Thurs
Definitely won't be back in time tonight, annoyed as I really like the workout.
That means someone else will have to battle for the honour of being last over the line 🤣
All the talk of dusty trails has made me choose my MTB for tonight's race!
I'll still be wearing Lycra so I won't be completely unaerodynamic. 🤔
Sorry... Walked in the door at 19.40, no chance of making it on the start line!
FTP increase for me. From 244w 🤔 which I didn't know about to 247w.
My handicaps need retrospectively recalculating for the previous race and this one. Make it so! if it's possible Robbo?
Another one over, it felt harder than usual, but I bet I'll be saying that next week as well.
The recce I did helped a lot in knowing where and how bad the hills were, so I was as ready as I could be. I managed to get into the front group off the line, and managed to check out Rival/Arch Nemisis @msjhes2 to see if he had made it as well, as the game plan was simply to mark him for 2 laps, but he must have had some computer issue as he was stationary.
Whoever was on the MTB went flying past on the gravel as if we were all freewheeling, what happened to him?
The fast guys managed to get a split at the first sprint, I tried to follow and may have made it if I'd been a bit quicker ( at least in my dreams ), so I quickly dropped into the 2nd group on the road.
Here it pretty much stayed the same. Paul Piano and someone else tried to make a break on the 2nd sprint but were hauled back in, I think A.Atkinson may have made a long break looking at the results.
I timed the sprint well, but not well enough with @Straightliner beating me on the line by 0.1, and to add insult to injury I even got an FTP boost from 212 to 219.
Thanks again @robbo1234biking and well done @sayoyad for another win.
P
Well done guys, as Savoyad said after the race, it’s the riders that make it and not the course.
Paino, Savoyad and Southside Johnny well done on your sprint efforts. Couldn’t quite get close enough to those this evening and the power up fairies were taunting me rather than helping.
Whoever was on the MTB went flying past on the gravel as if we were all freewheeling, what happened to him?
I did alright! I was helped along the road sections by N Arnold and ??? (My mind has gone blank) 😭 and encouraged to try and catch up Keith and Declan on the dirt sections.
My handicap needs recalculating before final times are published.
Thanks for everyone for taking part in the series!
The results are provisional in case I have made any mistakes. Please let me know.
Race 3 - Two Village Loop
Overall Race Winner
1. savoyad
2. karnali
3. slowpuncheur
Overall Race Winner (with handicaps)
1. Paul-S
2. bails
3. mahowlett
Sprint Points (Country Sprint Reverse)
1. Paino
2. Savoyad
3. JR
4. slowpuncheur
5. straightliner
Sprint Points (Village Sprint)
1. savoyad
2. paino
3. straightliner
4. JR
5. Paul
Green Jersey Standings
1. paino
2. straightliner
3. savoyad
Series Top 3 (including sprint/fastest lap points) Best 6 race points counts
1. Paul-S
2. mahowlett
3. J-R
Rick - I think it is best to leave it as is and update from the next race. Dont sweat it!
I opted for the optimum climbing bike since thats where I go backwards - can't say it made much difference.
I hung on to @retrorick each time he steamed through for as long as I could, but I was gassed on the final climb, and Neil Arnold pulled away. Did my best to keep them both honest to the finish.
Did manage yet another massive FTP increase, 257 -> 258 and the much coveted 20th spot, 9th sorting by power alone - get the wins where you can !.
That went ok I think…
Seems to be a slow start, then a split on the first lap which I couldn’t get over to, settled into a group with Paul, paino and a few others.
Had a bash on the first gravel section of the second lap, but couldn’t make it stick on my own.
Nearly got dropped by the group on the climb as I was still recovering but got back on. I think a couple got off the front of the group at that point. Had a bash at the sprint for the line but couldn’t hold off a couple.
Some good points so happy enough 🙂
Ended up on my own for most of that. Got dropped off the front group after the first dirt section and then spent the rest of the race trying to maintain the gap back to d.fee and k.allen. Was absolute max effort, bit gutted I didn't get an FTP increase! 🤣
Lidl pale ale and pringles being snaffled right now
Stone the crows, that was awful. Tried to temper my HR all the way through and failed miserably. Trying to shift this bloody cold, so very nearly didn’t even bother turning up but thought balls to it…try for a sprint then enjoy the view for the remainder. Was never going to hook onto the front group, but had some good company in @straightliner, @jimdubleyou @Paul-S amongst others! The Aero PU meant I had to give the first one a bash which pretty much finished me….then just managed to hold onto Straightliner for the 2nd sprint.
Piano and someone else tried to make a break on the 2nd sprint
I can promise you no break was intended!
After that it just went to ratshit. Couldn’t hold onto the pace up the 2nd gravel section and had to cycle the last 5km as Billy no mates to try and get the HR down. Bleurgh.
So for the record, it looks like a Covid booster the evening before racing doesn't have much effect on your riding.
Quite enjoyed riding round with the front group, until inevitably @karnali and @savoyad rode off the front. After that the power up fairies were pretty good to me and I felt relatively comfortable hanging onto the remaining group including @andeh, @slowpuncheur, @robbo1234biking and @mahowlett.
I decided to have a go at the final sprint and followed out Robbo who seemed to go quite long and then eased up - stupidly I eased up too, to be quickly passed by Mahowlett and Slowpuncheur before I could get my momentum back again. Nice final sprint guys - and well deserved 3rd and 4th places.
Wrong bike choice left me by myself from the start line. A couple of changes of bike from gravel - road - back to gravel for the last mud and road section.
Thanks to Oggy for dragging me along to the finish. Sorry I timed my lead out way too early for you! Don’t think the gravel tyres helped…… 😂
Boy, that was a hard one tonight. Thanks to robbo and also savoyad on the win.
Thanks @robbo1234biking , I really enjoyed that. Felt a bit sick when I finished though🤭. I’d ridden the route a couple of times at the weekend and made a decision that if somebody made a break from the group I was in on the last hill I’d try to go with them as I knew that when the gravel ended it was mainly a downhill run to the finish. Thanks to @driley for making the break and for doing all the work. I tried to help as much as I could when we hit the road but I was pretty much in the red at the stage.
Cheers Robbo another good course thought I was going to be on my own but retrorick would go speeding by on the dirt sections then I would catch up on the road then haloric joined in just managed to beat retrorick across the line.
update from the next race
Ok Robbo, I think I've only availability for the next 2 races. I just don't want the points I've earned so far too alter the outcome for worthier racers.
I was expecting to be useless today after a real big day on the MTB on Sunday, but went well! Usual plan of going all in for the first few minutes to keep as far forward as possible paid off this time! Had to do a sizeable dig through the first village to get back to the front group, but somehow avoided getting dropped! Possibly the new pack dynamics? Anyway, who knows. I like these routes with shortish climbs where I can have a little stand up and stretch for a bit, seems to level me off a bit.
Got dragged around by Robbo and Mark et al, shitting it every time a sprint was coming up, anticipating getting dropped, but clung on by my finger nails to make it round. Best result in aaaages.
Cheers everyone!
Bejeezus!
That was hard! Stuck with the large blob for....erm, not very long.
Luckily I ended up pairing up with DFee.
We worked well together although I was maxed out and not sure I put in my fair share.
I had an aero power up towards the line and felt quite guilty about using it. I wasn't going to, and then I changed my mind 😆
Legs felt a bit tired today although might have just been the course! It felt like a tough one!
That was "enjoyable", had it cranked up to > 500 watts when the clock hit 0 and got spat out of the start and was in the lead for, oooh, maybe about 3 seconds 🙂
Hung with the front group for a while but got dropped and ended up getting dragged around by Stumpy, thanks Keith.
This week's course was....grippy. the break went earlier than anticipated. I managed to cling onto the coat tails of a few eager sprinters at the first sprint who decided to keep the power down and before long 7 of us formed a group and the gap grew. All was quiet until the start of Lap 2 when @karnali went long. Very long! Naturally, @savoyad was getting restless and shortly joined him. @robbo1234biking and I managed to dig out a few seconds but we regrouped and it ended in a 5-up sprint with Rob and @J-R going early, then me and @mahowlett having a 2-up sprint I managed to nick for 3rd place. A textbook win by @Savoyad again. Well played sir. Another good route choice again @robbo1234biking. Thanks for keeping things interesting and getting the results out so quickly.
@Paul-S it was a flu jab yesterday not computer issues that got me. Been feeling a bit under the weather all day but decided to warm up and give it a go, but two minutes in realised it wasn't the best idea so stopped.
That was an aggressive race! I hit all-time power bests from 2-25 seconds (and still got beat by @paino). The front group rolled along nicely once it was established ( @andeh you seemed at home, even if you say you didn't feel it...) and a useful gap opened to those behind. @karnali made a really dangerous break into lap 2, grinding away at the front and relentlessly getting away. The sprint was my moment to bridge, and I almost didn't make it - he wasn't exactly waiting! I thought @robbo1234biking might also make it across through the square village but he didn't quite make it. We got far enough ahead to stay away, but we couldn't quite put enough time into the others to eat into our handicaps.
@retrorick's early MTB escape was brill - you were completely out of sight of the bunch, I can't have been the only one wondering if it was an inspired choice...
This series is really helping my sprinting along. I'm looking forward to the first proper hills next week though.
Well having nearly not raced I enjoyed that, once finished. Didn't know the course and having hot in front group I expected it to split at the 1st sprint, not having a sprint I went early to try and catch the split that never happened. 2nd lap I had s grinding dig that I thought would be followed then got to 3-4 secs gap and had to carry on. I thought @savoyad and others may get across at one of the sprints, which he did. From there it was just try and keep away from the others til the finish. With about 1500m to go the inevitable happened and I settled in for 2nd place. I really must work on some kind of sprint, can't remember turning my w/kg red more than once on zwift!! As ever cheers @robbobiking1234
@retrorick’s early MTB escape was brill
It was funny and i still laugh when thinking about it now 😃. I must remember to put it in my memoir and tell the story at the after dinner sporting events when I've retired from bike racing 😉.
I enjoyed that. Just the right mix of high pace on the flat and punchy climbs.
I floated around what i assume is the second group on the road (around 10th-ish place), with Paino, P.aul, M.Bailey, J.Jordan, A.Atkinson. We mostly seemed to stay together, with the odd break away that seemed to get swallowed up again.
I had a decent final climb which gave me a small amount of space, but was caught entering the village (which i was thankful for!).
The final sprint went a bit early, but everyone seemed to have the legs and 5 of us crossed the line within a second.
Solid effort by all! Cheers.
Well done all - sounds like a good race.
Given the unseasonably mild weather, dry trails locally and the fact that 4 other locals were out, I decided to go for an actual MTB ride in real life (remember that!?). I've still got the Wednesday morning achey legs though so with you in spirit.
Back next week.
I was out in real life again...was a lovely eve!
I'm intreagued at the bike choices...
What were most people riding?
DrP
