LOL it's 50% of the reason i Zwift race.... fitness being the other 50% of course.
My fall from grace saddens me lots.
Another fun and slightly silly race.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=229260
Silver after sort out, but was 9th before it on Zwiftpower with the winner being an A rider at over 4w/kg.
On Zwift companion I show as 16th. Which as I say is a bit dsft
Went out well and was in the usual lead group, big big group. About 6km in I could see a split coming but embraced it and let it split as I wanted to save a bit for the hill at Titans Grove. So I jumped with the group catching us, so did all my group of 4.
As we hit Titans I tried, I really did. Honest. I averaged 178 bpm up it and set PR in lead in to it, the climb itself and the way down after. But it's not enough. I ended up in a group of 5 to the line, but a sustained silly HR meant I had no sprint.
Nice one well done. Some strong segments in there 👍🏻
Well I said I wasn't a crit racer and I'm still not.
Rode the 19:25 dtcc crit on the London classique Held the pack I was with for whole event then they ****ed off with about 300m to go doing 7-10w/kg I could barely muster 5 by that point
15th of 22 in the b's or 30 out of 97 total.
Averaged 3.6w/kg which was much better than j was going on yesterday's TT.
That little 5% grade on every lap is killer.
Nice work there!
i don't mind that hill in Titans, just the right length to really hit it hard without blowing
good results all round!
classique - yer last time i did that i was dead on my arse, was essentially full gas last km, no idea where you pull a sprint from at that point
I think If I wanted to go for it id have to get up the 5% then go full gas for the long game.
I can hold a midling power (4-450watt for 2km) output into the wind for quite some time but I cannot hit the big numbers for short periods come sprint time.
I do like the climb up in titans as it's not too steep like say zwift Kom or the climb to the mast.
Any love for the 17:05 today then ?
5 laps of the volcano CCW. One of them courses that isn't 100% suited to my profile, but it's far from terrible and looks like being a massive field, so will be an entertaining one at the very least.
.
35-49 riders per category signed up for that 1705 now, but I really shouldn't sign up, been feeling under the weather since last weekend with minor sore throat and physical fatigue, as today has progressed I'm now feeling a bit "chesty." Gentle turbo spins might the fullest extent of cycling I do over the coming days. 🙁
.
Are you me nobody.
I've decided a couple of days off. .
Chest is sore and I can feel it working its way down in so in a scorching hot bath instead of riding my bike.
Coupled I guess with after that session last night I didn't sleep till 12:40am and was up again at 4.30 with the little one.
4 hours on MTB on sat so don't want to be crock for that so zwift loses out.
Setting the wife up with zwift trial on Saturday ....which is good as If she likes it I'll get justification to insulate and plyline the pain cave.
come on boys
You inspired me to give it a go , and it was painful, but fun.
Where did you finish mate?
I'm half happy, half angry and half meh.
It went wrong early on as the C/D pen goes off about 80m behind A/B. So when you meet the As are gone. Boom.
So settled in with the easy B and fast C group and fast they were too! Decent lap times. By lap 3 I'm finding it hard. As we climb to the line and cross it I lost a wheel or 2, then another few meters and the guy ahead of me kicks, I'm then floundering. I wallop the power to close, but it's too late, the group went. Damn! I knew for sure they'd be the top of the legitimate C's. Into lap 4 and the group behind me and 4 other are about 30s down. They slowly close with some B who must have been asleep for 3 laps now sticking in 4 w/kg. Dragging another 5-6 riders with him.
Last lap they're 15s behind us and we're 45s behind group in front. I power on 3-4 times to maintain the gap behind but the others are not doing enough and as we hit the climb for the line they catch us and with momentum fly past, I latch on to hold but on the push for the line I'm 5th out of our group of 9. Meh.
8th overall and the group 1 min ahead were the main C's as predicted.
Power was decent at 260w. But overall I just need a day or 2 rest.
KISS race this morning, a lap of Watopia Waistband, pretty big field. As usual a rapid start, couldn’t hang onto the fast gang so settled in with some faster C and slower B riders. As the kicks came we slowly lost more from the group, on the kick into the volcano I nearly lost contact but managed to power back to the group on the flat, by this time we are down to 9. The sprint wound up with .3m to go, don’t have much of a sprint at the best of times, dropped 2 seconds to top 3 in the sprint but came home 4/9 of the group. Turned out 1 C was up the road with the fast B riders, after ZP did it’s stuff ended up in Bronze for a relatively low 241W.
Legs were tired today, think I am on 33 consecutive days of cycling or running, couple of easy days/rest coming up.
33 days, you're worse than me!!!!
Confirmation that 8 minute climbs in a Zwift race is too much for me. 2 laps of whole lotta lava up the volcano. Couldn't hold onto groups over it both time. Nearly held the people I wanted to but lost them on the flat at the top as couldn't raise myself anymore. Basically a TT from there with a small group forming the next lap but couldn't stay with it.
Too many Bs sandbagging in C pulling people away too. 16th on Zwift but 9 got binned!
Not that interesting race either due to not being able to do anything other than try to hang on.
Still leading the overall though.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=229283
Hoping for something like the standard Watopia hilly circuit up the KOM next week.
Weeksy, I got 12th in the Bs. As usual the race was mad at the start and after the fast ones had pulled away it was all I could do to cling on to the group I was with. Luckily it was quite a big group so I could sit in the slipstream and save myself for holding onto them on climbs.
When the final lap came around it was all I could do to stay with the group with nothing much left for a final sprint with the top 10 getting a few seconds ahead of me.
Looking at the zwiftpower w/kg for people above me I think my sprint is what really lets me down, but I felt so drained by the end I had nothing left to give.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=231267
Binned a sweetspot workout scheduled for tonight so may race TFC @7pm tomorrow instead. It’s London Loop so likely to get shelled up Box Hill but being a split start I might get lucky.
No big deal but I'm not seeing the route achievement badges being added to my profile. i.e I did Sand and Sequoia last night(one of the marked achievement routes) but not showing up as a badge. As you get an extra 200 or so XP pointsfor these and Im a newbie it would be useful to help me get to the levels which unlock the mountains quicker!
I'm using IOS btw
You have to do the official route from the choice on the menu and not just navigate it yourself.
If you did you actually finish it correctly over whatever the actual finish line for the route is.
https://zwiftinsider.com/route-achievement-badges/
I got my badge for doing London classique .
But didn't see my xp increase. Just assumed that didn't happen for route badges
don't take your eyes off the race
don't take your eyes off the race
don't take your eyes off the race
don't take your eyes off the race
don't take your eyes off the race
12:20 3R LaGuardia Loop Reverse Flat Race - 8 Lap
what the hell was i doing? to start with i almost missed the jump at the start as i was messing about with headphones, then i missed the split when i was mid/back of the group, then when there was 5 of us left for a few laps i was trying to work out where i was going to make an attack on the last lap as we were sat about 250w and i thought i could break us up with a sustained attack, but come the last lap i glanced at the scoreboard and notice a lone B 30 seconds up the road, it keeps coming down, then i noticed I've lost 3 up the road!! bollocks, 340w for the last 3 minutes reels 2 of the 3 back
must concentrate more, heads all over this week, demotivated
5/15 in B - some daft numbers for the ones up the road
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=230087
@tomlevell I was in that Dirt race as well, pace was pretty high. Got dumped out on my own half way up the first climb then had to TT till the B pack caught me in the volcano. Second climb I just sat in with the B leaders. Very demoralising but I didn't feel right so trying not to let it get to me. Seem to be going backwards at the moment.
I selected the official route (i.e the turns are highlighted) and definitely finished it as did an extra k to spin down. Its happened both times I have attempted a achivement route now which is 700xp points! I'm obvioulsy doing something wrong but just can't work out what. I'm getting other badges for speed, drafting etc and the normal 20xp per km
i think you have to log in and log out
6th in class C for the London Hilly one today.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=230090
Fast start as per usual. Settled into the second group but then got dropped. Got picked up by the third group and then rode until Box Hill. Lost a couple of places on the first half but then climbed at a steady tempo for the second half and coasted the downhill.
Put an effort in for the last ramp before the finish and then it came down to a sprint for the line...
Early days of Zwift racing for me but I'm enjoying it!
You weren't in my race ;0)
You were way ahead and no just the 2minute head start.
I didn't feel brilliant but overall power was up with the first week but no zip to do anything but then I didn't get to rest on the downhill in a group as I was trying to stay ahead of a IRL friend too :0)
With the weather looking like it is, we should ahve a STW B and C event at the weekend.
I selected the official route (i.e the turns are highlighted) and definitely finished it as did an extra k to spin down. Its happened both times I have attempted a achivement route now which is 700xp points! I’m obvioulsy doing something wrong but just can’t work out what. I’m getting other badges for speed, drafting etc and the normal 20xp per km
I just pottered around Three Sisters or whatever it is at a mellow pace listening to podcasts and feeling thankful I wasn't outside getting soaked. Instant extra 950 wotnot points towards new virtual socks or whatever, deep joy. No logging in or out here. I'd drop a line to Zwift support. The one time I've used them, they were very good. I wouldn't worry though, none of the level-up swag is remotely worth having unless you lust after really disgustingly garish virtual kit.
i'm on level 42 i think, i stopped caring about points a long long time ago 🙂
8:25am for the flat race tomorrow ?
I may then do the 2 hour Sportive after it.
Just done Richmond Hilly route using Emily's Short Mix ERG workout, except I was using something like ~130W for my FTP, rather than 275W set a week ago... Felt stupidly hard for what is was, well and truly in the land of lurgy, legs of lead when they should feel fresh given how little I've done in the past week. :/
No issues getting my lap completion achievement using Android mobile Zwift app.
I’ve signed up for the WKG winter series, round 1 is tomorrow, a TT on the Bologna course. Anyone else doing the series?
Tbh I only want to level up as I'm 11.5 and I want 12 so I don't have to play random darts if I want to ride alpe du zwift.
Spent a couple hours this afternoon having a clear out in the garage and making it a nicer and less dusty place to zwift. putting the telly on the wall. It's no longer precariously balanced on 4 winter tires and a box of paslode nails.
The rest of the stuff in the garage has been tidied and there's actually more than half a garage that's entirely empty.
Quick question guys!
Can you know choose any map to just "free ride" on or just the 2 on rotation?
If boot.... Does that app still work that lets you ride any map you like?
Thanks for the help guys.
lol I couldn't give a toss about the neon socks or whatever but I want to ride the locked down routes!
I'll have one more go tonight and if it doesn't work I'll 'reach out' as they say.
Sorry guys, found my own answer. The program is on Zwift hacks! Doh.
Weeksy, at the last minute I decided to give the 8.25 a go and spotted you nearby a few times.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=230497
Ouch - a distant 8/13 in B. I think I'll avoid flat races in future, they are clearly not my thing.
I clung onto the front group until about 4km out then just could not stay at FTP and above any longer, so I lost touch with them. Give me a hilly race any day!
I went pop earlier than you, about 7.5km out. I knew before the race even started it was a disaster in waiting, legs felt rubbish on the warm up. Nothing in them at all.
First 5km was ok, the next 3-4km seemed to take forever, then I was hanging on. After I got spat out I was looking behind. 6km to go and 1min 20 ahead of group, but the lead rider was averaging 5.5w/kg. I mean seriously, averaging it. Ridiculous. He was racing as a B.
Him and his group caught me and 2 others I'd pulled back to me, 900m out. They caught and went. Meh, I was dead by then and couldn't get after or even hold them. So I rolled to the line.
6th in C. If we could have held them off, we'd have got 2nd.
Another enjoyable race with the C's yesterday 🙂
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=230105
Think I'll have a go at the Watopia waistband TT at 16.00.
WKG series round 1 today, TT on the Bologna course, 270W only good enough for 23rd in C
If it rains as forecast tomorrow will be looking for a 2-3 hour ride on Zwift.
I'm gonna go for a 6am start 2-3hr Z2 ride up epic Kom/radio mast /zwift Kom and volcano tomorrow. Should finish off my level 12 quest and my Everest challenge.
Off out this afternoon to get the wife signed up and try her out on tick tock or somewhere else flat.
This is why we ended up buying a kickr and converting the garage into a pain cave as we now have a 3month old so we can't just disappear as we used to.
I've had enough of inside and racing. Even if wet, I'm going outside
Aye well I'm glad I held back last couple of days I had a lovely 4 hour ride on the mtb across the hill tops this morning in the sun with incrwdible views. ....even if I did forget my Garmin , lose my phone in an ptb at the most inaccessible point and have to go for a run.
Felt the benifit of my zwift training for sure the climb up hill of fare felt easy.
Like death warmed up today, had a massive sleep-in by my standards until 1000 and been completely bunged up all day, worst the lurgy has been over the past week by some margin. I only have Saturdays off once every four weeks due to shift rota, but the amount of times when I've been unwell, nursing an injury and/or it's been raining cats and dogs is unreal.
Can't even see myself doing a short gentle turbo ride today. 🙁
Enjoyed that!
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=228627
First time I've done a 'gridded' TT too 🙂
So noting the deluge and flood warnings around Andover this morning I abandoned the Gorrick Cool Marathon and to get some beer credits in for later, entered the Team Italy Specialissima Race this morning. As I've trained for 4hr events all year I wasn't expecting to perform well in a crit.
It wasn't particularly fast with me averaging 3.1w/KG but was the London Flat which of course kicks up before turning right onto the Pall Mall sprint, in hindsight with my poor climbing I perhaps should have gone early as the group were shelling out on the exit from the Tunnel each lap, I know they'd be a push there.
Anyway, I stayed with the group all race so I was pleased tactically, avoiding leading out even during one bizarre slow down to about 130w. Pace went up on the last lap so I readied myself. Out of the tunnel pretty much all the way to the pall mall turn was about 330w, I do have a good 15s sprint so waited to the green line (which I timed early as 10-14s from the line and right in my sprint ball park) & kicked, but but stomach rolled and the peaks watts just wasn't there. Still, I managed to bag a Bronze in category and 10th overall. yay.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=230880
With a bit of practice I might get ok at this 😀
I did Muir and mountain early doors on my own rocking out to some classic rock in the garage.
Got the Kom jersey on titans grove reverse and then climbed the epic Kom in Z2 till the last 500m when i realised I was getting a 2min pr
Bloody cold in the garage today. Started off doing first 10 mins in my padded shirt and that's why I sprinted titans grove to get warm. Fans were not really required till after the German village on epic Kom.
I was on my way to Gorrick Cool Challenge and my car broke down 😩 Just waiting In a lay-by for Dad to bring me a new battery.
Might have to do a full Pretzel later to make up for the fact I’m fully carb loaded with nowhere to go 🤣
Gah! Bad luck Crosshair. I too was working off a large crab focused breakfast....
End of season for me now, so I. Starting a few beers early when the rugby starts at. 11:45. I might do some evening Zwift races / challenges for fun over the next few weeks to get some multi zone intensity in while I’m resting...
I've had the spanners out, cleaning, sorting, retaping wheels and fitting new tyres etc. Legs are feeling delicate today, so we're on a rest day now
Second week back on Zwift and 6 races completed. Very slowly the watts are increasing to where they were before the layoff .. and I lost 1kg this week so fingers crossed that makes a difference.
The 11.10am 3R Sand & Sequoias 23k race today. Fast start as typical; I managed to stay with the front group until the start of the climb 10k in. From there I dropped back to settle with a group of chasing B-cats - who were chasing the chase group up ahead.
Once or twice I was almost dropped before the top of the climb, having never done this course before it was lucky that I had taken a look beforehand to see how long the climb was; I was on my limit and would have eased off if I didnt know how close to the top I was ... stayed with the group and rode in on the back with nothing in legs to sprint.
May do the 6pm Hare & Hounds race his evening.
Well, I hauled myself around the Pretzel yesterday evening. It’s funny- there’s no way I could contemplate doing 2h40 on the turbo for the sake of it. But going ‘somewhere’ and following a route meant it flew by pretty quickly.
Of course, there’s a few moments of coasting which would be silly in say a TR workout. ‘Now hold zero watts for three minutes!’ 🤣
What is stupid though- is that I had planned on doing the Gorrick @ 255np. And had 100g carbs per hour and a camelbac and 1 bottle lined up.
Yet I just assumed I’d hold the same power and get round for a similar duration in dining room heat with just one bottle of squash 🤦🏻♂️
Partly because I wanted to redress the kcal problem for the day I guess but still- it’s no wonder I felt like junk coming up the reverse epic KOM.
To add to my frustration, I looked at my pb from 2018. 270w np and 23mins faster 🤣
Still a way to go with the training then 🤦🏻♂️
KISS tomorrow and I fear the scales may tell me I’m now a B 😩 (They did this AM but I’m going to double check 🤣)
I dream of being a B again lol.
However
1. My 89kg is currently very very optimistic. But it's my incentive leaving it there to get back down to it
2. My power is 20+ watts down on what I'd need.
So bloody well done.
Did you see Nath is playing again!!
Yes, he did gym + running + 330w Zwift effort yesterday 💪🏻
Meanwhile- I must have been dehydrated yesterday as +2lb this AM to remain a 3.1 C cat rider 😎
I must have been dehydrated yesterday
Best time to weigh yourself 🙂 Only chance i have of ever seeing 14st 0 again is to be dehydrated beyond all comprehension 🙂
You don't have to be a B until Zpower tells you you are.
I'm flirting with upgrade at 3.13wkg but I've not gone over 3.2 yet with any results. Kinda hoping I can keep myself fatigued enough to stay under until the end of the Dirt Cup Series. This week shouldn't be a problem with a vague cold.
Most of my rivals have been upgraded so far :0)
You do really Tom because most race cats are ftp/kg. If you get your AP anywhere near that in an actual race then you’re almost definitely sandbagging. (Unless it’s a TT).
Don't forget, you get 3 chances too don't forget. You can hit above your 3.2 for 2 races, as long as your 3rd gives you an average of the 3 below 3.2, you're still in C
I’m currently at 3.17 W/Kg on ZP, think I am now a couple of Kg lighter than my Zwift weight. Not going to update weight until/if I get bumped to B, is that cheating?
Kinda... but i get it 100%. It's so so so much better to be battling for C at the pointy end, than being destroyed within the first part of the race against Bs. I was there for a while with 3.23 as my Zwift average, but in simple terms, i'd be destroyed in B and either last or certainly in the last 3.... It made no difference to my racing tactics as i spent all my time racing with the same C riders I'd been racing against.
Yep, I tried a couple of B races to see how I would get on. First sign of any hill and I am down to a solo TT, managed ok for 1st 20 minutes on flat but after that started to drop off the pace, no fun. From memory only bothered to finish 1 of the 4 B races I tried.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=231861
Anyone up for the 5pm around Fugit ?
2 flatish laps... I'm thinking i may go a bit tactical today.
All depends on the weather locally as i'm hoping to take the KTM out, but if not, then maybe the 5pm... other option is the 3pm TT i blew up in last week and try to set my tempo better.
It’s why the mass start races are kind of best really. You end up racing with whoever is most accurately described as your fair competition on any given day.
I’ve generally been racing for position V B riders lately. Sadly that position after the sift would be around mid pack in B.
I’ll upgrade myself once my weight levels out at a genuine B.
I sit the other way and think you should set the correct weight and take the upgrade (if it happens) instead of sandbagging. The are loads of complaints about above power riders sandbagging, including on this thread. Riding with false weight is just another facet of this. Yeah it sucks being dropped and having to TT however you can avoid this to some extent by not doing races where the pens are separated. If found that it didn't take long before I could hang on for a little longer, then occasionally get to the end with the lead group.
Depends what we're classing as sandbagging, Crosshair for example could use his dehydrated weight and be a B or his fat i've just eaten half a cow weight and be a C... It depends if we're talking the difference between real and maybe weight of being 10kg or 1kg.... 1kg ain't sandbagging.... 10kg clearly is.
Yeah, it takes a load of faff to changing the weights on Zwift, Strava, MFP and TR so I only do it once I’ve settled at a weight for a few days at a time. I was quite reluctant to let go of my PB lowest the other year mind you 😇
Yes no maybe. I work on the Zpower ranking as it gives an actual method of calculating it rather than a training number.
If you blow through the limit then you are upgraded if you just sneak above then you aren't straight away.
I'm not sandbagging in the sense I could go much harder. Of course I could always try and push the pace on the front of the group but I'd only drop myself.
If you look at my tested FTP number then I'm currently just above the limit but actually running at that wattage for 45 minutes plus it's unlikely. My auto Zwift FTP calculation has me just below the 3.2 from one of the recent races.
When Zpower upgrades me I'll happily go and take bottom half in B races but until then I'll remain a favourite in C races. It's not like I'm sweeping gold cups every race. Just one silver cup out of 3 this season. There's experience to be gained at the front of races to put into play in B races when I get my FTP up towards 4.
IT's funny, i was chatting to this fella on the forum today via private message, he was asking if i'm coming for a rematch as we had a few challenges back when i was faster
He's basically the C god
https://www.zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=62302
But his power/watts are not all that... It's just how he seems to make the power, he's a cruise, boom, cruise, boom kind of rider and very very effective at hiding in the bunch and has a cracking burst of power at the end when needed. He's a very very good C.
Back when I used to race in the real world we called them sandbaggers.
The guy who did enough to do well would win a couple of key races seemingly easily but not well enough to go to expert ...consistantly year on year
The thing is, they are generally pack races. With drafting.
To race and place effectively, your average power (/kg) should be low and your normalised power (/kg) should be high- because the selections take place on the climbs, during strong attacks and in the sprints.
The cat boundaries are based on average power so already very generous.
Even more so when they are defined as FTP/kg.
As I say- all the ambiguity as discussed here, just goes to show why mass start is really the only valid solution for fair racing.
(And that’s without even touching on the uselessness of w/kg in the first place 🤣)
@weeksy “IT’s funny, i was chatting to this fella on the forum today via private message, he was asking if i’m coming for a rematch as we had a few challenges back when i was faster
He’s basically the C god
https://www.zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=62302
But his power/watts are not all that… It’s just how he seems to make the power, he’s a cruise, boom, cruise, boom kind of rider and very very effective at hiding in the bunch and has a cracking burst of power at the end when needed. He’s a very very good C.“
👍🏻 He proves the ap/np point exactly. The normalised power for 10 of his last 11 wins has been over 3.2 w/kg. That’s what wins races.
I knew who that was going to be without even clicking the link. They should ride B in my view. If your basically winning every race in the cat then your too strong for that cat. I suspect they would actually do OK in B inf they tried.
Going back to weight a small amount which you would deem float weight is fine. Mine is set like that. Declared 76 but float between 75 and 77 constantly depending on loading and unloading state. When your getting into the 5KG out range then its getting dodgy. I know some racers who go on the scales every race which is auto uploaded to their profile.
At the moment I like the mass starts for different reasons, namely that I get to do some attacks in those where the pure A events its normally fingernails.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=231852
3pm TT race, 45s quicker than last week. Went easier at start and pushed to the end this time.
Nice effort. Looks like your output was more consistent.
Yeah that was my goal, not to die at half way. I did have a bit of a slump in power I think about mid way, but held it together and got back on it at the end. Happy enough as far as performances go.
So just tentatively starting my Zwift Journey here, a few days into the 4wk FTP builder, starting from a low w/kg here of 1.9.
Obviously hoping that might be a little higher once I get through that programme but any advice for getting into the races at the E/D level, spose it's all similar to some extent.
What's your weight? If you can race at 1.9 and are below 100kg, you should find a few people at the very least to play with.
90 at the mo