Zwift meetups and social rides ?

Just sent out the invite to the Sunday "Big Foot Hills" ride. 8 am start, should be 2 hours maximum, with only small hills and lots of flat for those that love it!

If I've missed you off the invite list and you want to join, let me know and I'll add you.

Anyone up for an earlier commute tomorrow? Thinking 6.30 for half an hour ish?

Tempted but need to rest ready for the ttt in the evening. Enjoy!

I did big foot hills last weekend, decent course with reasonable climbs such as volcano climb, don’t think I can bear it again and planning a big ride out whilst I still can for Saturday or Sunday so will give it a miss.

can I ask, is their a STW strava group, a general one or set up by the zwifters?

I don’t have too many people in my following list to compare against for zwift segments.

https://www.strava.com/clubs/STWzwift

There is a club but it isn’t particularly active.

oopnorth

Just sent out the invite to the Sunday “Big Foot Hills” ride. 8 am start, should be 2 hours maximum, with only small hills and lots of flat for those that love it!

I'm gonna try to make this, unless it's get out into the real world weather.... 🙂

I can't make this Sunday, tomorrow I am doing a route on my other App, Can do a Friday commute and can also do a Saturday morning ride too if anyone about.

I'm taking a morning off tomorrow with me doing the TTT in the evening.

Friday I'll see how the legs are and possibly do a Academy workout.

Saturday...not sure yet...either lie in or a ride, it will be a last minute decision.

Still all ok for tomorrow morning at 8

I am good for the morning. Tried doing a Zwift academy group ride at 2pm today. It crashed every time I joined the pen so think it must have been to busy. Gave up in the end and didn’t do a ride today!

Still on for tomorrow chaps...see you at 8am.
It may be a slow one as I'm already on the red wine 🤣🤣

Cheers see you in the morning I also lost connection on a  ZA this morning blamed my equipment as I also lost signal on my ride at 7.00.

I was on the 8am workout #3...jeez it was hard. Was proper gasping for air after the last session 4x sets of 2 minutes at 320w and 2 minutes at 150w...3rd and 4th set were just a case of making it to the end.

Really liking the ZA workouts.

I started the 8.00 as well just got to the 2x 2mins@ and lost signal I was feeling ok at that point.

I'll be there...
Been smashing cocktails on the town after a boozy lunch...
Will see how far I survive... bleugh....!

DrP

Slim chance I may be able to make tomorrow but haven't had an invite @oopnorth can you invite Simon Kelly please?

Hi Simon. Quite a few Simon Kelly's from the UK on zwift.
Can you follow me and I'll send you an invite.

Craigpin Oopnorth (STW)

I'll do it first thing in the morning so you can join.

Got it - thanks

Got you Simon, you should have an invite now.

Is late start/joining available on this morning's ride?
I've just got out of bed and need to get my schizzle together...

DrP. .u can still join up to 30 mins

ok.. just updating zwift. I'm getting properly pissed off at Zwift and it's bugs at the mo... ANT+ not working... connects..drops out..

Makes it all pointless..

DrP

(Trouble is..i start BACK at the start line don't i..)

Honestly.. I'm losing it today...

Ant+ simply not connecting consistently...

DrP

Ant+ just gone now..
Windows issue...
Or zwift?

How do I tell?

DrP

I also had 3 dropouts during the ride DrP, really frustrating. Every time I was a minute back and had to chase down which killed my legs towards the end.

For future reference, I'd you join late it drops you next to the last man I believe...not the start

Thanks guys for that this morning. I had moments where I was going to sack it off but decided to keep plugging away.

Crikey! That was a slog!
There were several times I was gonna call it a day - especially with the random internet drop-outs although that did settle down after volcano climb.

I had no oomph today at all - I don't think I'm a morning person and didn't get out of bed until just after 7:30!
I did a short-ish explore of some local woods yesterday, but wasn't going particularly hard so my legs shouldn't have been particularly tired...

Well done for finishing Stumpy! It's a long ride

it's my ANT+ dongle i think...

So..my PM NEVER loses connection with my garmin head unit..

But ALL ANT+ devices (HR strap..PM... turbo) flick in and out of connection ALL THE TIME..

It's become SO unreliable, i can't be bothered any more....

WIsh I got a 4iii power meter as I could have used blue tooth with the laptop, and not worry about ****ing ANT+

DrP

Dr P, I have my any+ dongle on a usb extension lead and position it by the bottom bracket (on the floor)

I don't know what your set-up is like DrP, but I ended up buying a 3m usb extension and using cable ties to fasten it to the leg of a shelf unit that sits right next to the turbo trainer.
The dongle stays permanently plugged in and I just have to plug the wire into the laptop when getting set-up.
It can be a real pain trying to diagnose the source of these problems....laptop/dongle/Zwift/Windows etc...

I had similar last month or so if you recall Doc, I spent £12 on one and it’s solved all issues, think it just got a bit waggly on the port etc

Hi guys. Another good one this morning although shame we kind of whittled down due to IT problems. The ANT dongle usb extension also works for me.

I have a USB extension cable too...it now sits right next to the trainer.

I think my issues were wifi drop outs...as soon as I connected again I was back...but miles behind 🙂

Cheers for the morning guys was a bit of a slog but it is one of my favourite routes

All of the tech failures are really bloody annoying.

The usb extension and hardwired ethernet has made my setup virtually trouble free

I have hardwired my network as well but might not be an option for all. If I am joining a meet-up I try and do the warm up in the same world to prevent it dropping out on switching worlds. Pretty stable apart from yesterday when I think there were too many people on the Zwift academy rides.

I enjoyed this morning and attacking the shorter hills. Hit 348w for 5 mins which is a new record but should have tried harder to hit 350 lol.

Hit pbs on the 4 shorter climbs by quite a margin it seems so a good mornings work. Annoying about the others getting dropouts though as it just took the momentum out of the ride. I like that route though.

Cheers Robbo for the tow up the volcano

Yeah I like the route too...got PB's on both directions of the hilly KOM but I think they are just 30 day PB's...not my actual best. But not bad when my legs were complaining on the reverse one.

I know I would have had more if it hadnt been for the dropouts, the volcano took a bit out of me trying to catch up.

The only thing missing is a sprint then it would be perfect, if we do a Sunday Hills next week don’t forget the clocks change.

Extra hour in bed next week or early start? Hmmm

Extra hour every time...gives me an extra hour for the hangover 🤣🤣🤣

If all goes to plan I won’t make next Sunday as should be seeing my parents. But seeing as I expect either of us to go into tier 2 or some form of circuit breaker lockdown before then I expect I will be there still!

Oopnorth and I are doing a commute on Wednesday morning. 6.45 for 45 minutes on the Innsbruck ring if anyone wants an invite let me know.

Will I still be at home by the end of it?? Yeah, can u drop me an invite please? Do I need to wear a rucksack and fit Gatorskins?

Make sure you wear fluorescent cycle clips as well to stop the chain ruining your work trousers!

Mud guards are mandatory! Oh and a fluro jacket....its dark now!

Apologies to everyone but I can't make Tuesday, the Mrs has been signed up to ZRL racing. I'll leave the meetup in place but I won't be able to ride.

Apologies to everyone but I can’t make Tuesday, the Mrs has been signed up to ZRL racing. I’ll leave the meetup in place but I won’t be able to ride.

I also had to duck out due to work stuff. My sprints get progressively slower as well Zilog. Makes you realise how much pro sprinters have to nurse themselves through stages to ensure there's something left for the final.

I'll be on for the 'commute' in the morning.

Yeah, going to be interesting with the new Robbo race series... if I try to be competitive for the mid-race sprint points it’ll ruin me for the race (and vice-versa!)

sorry I dropped out. my laptop battery went. called the youngest in to try and plug it in but she couldn't find the lead. It transpires my oldest daughter had it plugged into her school tablet as she couldn't find her own.

jumped back on eventually for a lap of the jungle circuit to get a few more miles in even though as I already knackered from tackling Gisburn in the AM.

Cheers for the commute this morning @oopnorth and @slowpuncheur. Enjoyed that and got a new 1 min power best! Not bad for a half asleep unfueled ride!

Yeah cheers both of you, took a while for the legs to warm up...perhaps I need to get up earlier!

The ride I did after in New York was interesting...i had the whole place to myself, even getting KOM and sprint jerseys without trying 🤣🤣🤣
Just shows that no one really likes New York...they only seem to use it when it's a daily world. That glass hill is a world of slow pain with it's 15% gradient

I'm off next week as well Robbo but not sure I have time for the Mega, I have things planned like family time and DIY. However it means we can do some morning rides without getting up at ungodly hours.

I’m off next week as well Robbo but not sure I have time for the Mega, I have things planned like family time and DIY. However it means we can do some morning rides without getting up at ungodly hours.

I finished my DIY! Don't think anymore is needed this year thankfully so that will free up a bit of time. We have got a rental hot tub coming for a long weekend around Halloween seeing as we haven't gone anywhere on holiday at all this year. We have got a loaf of craft stuff and got some walks and that planned but living on the edge of the peak even at height of lockdown all the nice quiet places (i.e the countryside) have got busy which makes them less appealing.

Should be able to find some time to do the Pretzel! Perhaps - I am having some silly thoughts about attempting a vEveresting up Ventoux or the Alpe around xmas time. It has to be done on 100% trainer difficulty though so need to try that out!

Everesting??? No...no...no!! You are not roping me into that one! That's like 7 times up the Alpe! I struggle with one 🙂

I vaguely recall doing a ride at some ungodly hour this morning! Was a good leg stretcher. Sunday AM looks good for a real world ride but I'll keep my eye out for any Zwift hill action.

8.5 times up the Alpe. 1 hr 40 min climbs up the Alpe, 12 min descents.

6 times up Mont Ventoux. 2 hr 10 min climb, 20 min descent.

Will be a 16 hour day. 170w on the climbs to be able to complete it in theory. 8000 calories.

Hmmmm I might have researched this more than I thought!

Are there are rides planned Saturday or Sunday this weekend?

forge - I think oopnorth was planning something. In the nicest possible way I am hoping not to be there but if Covid halts plans then I will join in.

oopnorth - have a date of the 2nd Januray in mind for veversting. If I run in the little ring on the bike I dont think the trainer difficulty will make much difference. I would have been riding the Cotswold Jennride that weekend but I dont see that going ahead. I am erring to Ventoux as 6 chunks sounds better than 8.5 and the profile is more consistent so will need less gear changing.

2 hours on the bike, hop off for 20 mins and eat some real food, change bibs etc while the descent is happening (thats allowed within the rules).

I think I'm around sunday for a ride Forge. Any routes you fancy having a go at?

@Robbo that Ventoux is a beast though...just a constant 10%+ for quite a number of km's. At least on the Alpe you have some flatter parts to recover on. Would be good to do it but it's well out of my abilities and comfort zone.

@oopnorth I am pretty flexible on routes a couple thoughts if more traditional hills fare muir-and-the-mountain, achterbahn, or triple loops, something a bit flatter but longer Tire-Bouchon.

@robbo hope you get to do what you want to do and Covid doesn't stop it.

Think I am all good on veveresting..LOL, would like a go at Ventoux though as not done that yet, it's on my other app so may download it there.

@Forge ok I'll sort a Sunday route out based on one of those and get invites out asap.

Might do another Ventoux ride at some point...but only once! None of this 6 times foolishness 🤣🤣

Thanks oopnorth I'd happily do it Ventoux once I don't need to do it 6 times on the same day either. 🙂

Personally,I'd prefer Achterbahn as I haven't done it but happy to do any others. Then again, I've just checked weather forecast and I might do Ventoux on Saturday!

Achterbahn it is, although I remember it being tough with those 2 long ascents, especially the steeper reverse!

Invites have just gone out, if I've missed anyone and you want to join then shout! 8am start Sunday, lets try keep together as much as possible or at least regroup at the top, it's a group ride after all 😉

The bonus of this one is that you actually get to ride down the leg snapper at one point!

Invite accepted, and yes to regroup at the top's of the two big climb 🙂 It has featured before on Sunday hills I think not long after I started doing them, looking forward to doing it again.

Accepted invite...

This was the route I did with the vegan cycling squad.... tough route, tough crowd.. no one wants my sausages...

DrP

Haha, bring them along on Sunday, we may need them at the top! Hopefully the dropout issue won't come to haunt us both again this week.

Bring some vegan sausages along DrP!

100% meaty meat sausages here.....

DrP

Reminder for tomorrow's Sunday hills at 8am. Achterbahn

Anyone who wants to join and hasn't got the invite let me know.

Also worth noting that when I went on zwift last night it installed an update, so maybe worth firing it up today.

Not sure if I'll be there, went out on MTB this morning and despite it being wet and windy I really enjoyed it. I may do the same tomorrow. I think Zwift has been making slowly turning me soft!

Yep all good for tomorrow morning.

@oopnorth Can I get an invite please? I'm not a definite, but I'll try to join you
Thanks

@phil56 fir some reason Phil I am not following you...wierd as I thought I was.
Can you follow me and I'll send you an invite...craigpin Oopnorth

Or let me know your zwift name and I'll find you

Phil I am following you but I don't think you are following me...so I can't invite you.

Follow me and I'll send the invite.

@oopnorth can you count me in for tomorrow morning too please. Don’t think I follow you so I’ll search for you now. Given the extra hour in bed I think it’ll be reet!
Cheers (Zwift name Paulo Paino)

@oopnorth - followed you now - thanks

Phil and Paino...invites sent.

Extra hour in bed definitely means an extra beer 🤣🤣