Forum menu
very much this. I did do quite well in my last race which was about 1hr5 but it was bloody hard work & I could only keep up the pace because I really reigned myself in at the start!3 lap races of about 45 minutes suit me best.
Was tempted to do the CVR race today but looking at the races that've run already today, I'll be very much at the bottom of the pack plus it's a relatively long race (probably 1hr20+ for me).
Doesn't seem like there's been that much interest... the Zone A race this morning only had 19 riders (male & female!) There are a lot more registered for the Zone E one but I reckon the length of the races is putting people off. Anyone raced any or multiple ones so far?
Distance and the fact it would be mostly solo has put me off them. At least in a ABCD race you generally know you'll have other riders around you to play with and battle. HOwever due to the way the format of these is, i could end up being the only guy at 3w/kg and destroyed within the first 2 mins.... Then the rest solo.
Hadn't noticed the staggered start. Not that it'd make any difference (for me)... although it seems to imply regular zwift w/kg categories on the Zwift events app listing, pretty sure you're supposed to race in the category you were assigned when you signed up (which would be D for me)... I'd be right at the back either way looking at past race results!
Apologies to zwift,it seems it is my network that has been causing me issues for the past few days. I was leading the mgcc race this morning when the familiar sideways movement started and then boom everyone gone,internet came back up within 30s but zwift wouldnt reconnect back to the race, i was going great again. It seems to be dropping wifi on a regular basis but LAN is unaffected.
I ended up going for a pootle and then tried to break my pr for box hill (6:47) but it seems pulling no less than 4.5w/kg all the way up is just not fast enough,ended up doing it in 7:08. I was too focused on cadence and should have just concentrated on burying myself.
Blader, until we swapped ISP, I had to run an Ethernet cable for racing or I’d more than likely get a drop out. Not had one for a long time touch wood!!
I do zwift on ipad so hardwiring isnt an option for me. I will just change out the router as its never been an issue before, just a shame its happened twice when i have been going great.
I now have just under 10,000ft of climbing left to get the Tron bike so hopefully end of next week for completion.
I don't have wi-fi where I Zwift so I use 4g (connect iPad to mobile hotspot on my phone). Only downside of this approach is that you can't use the Mobile Link app on the phone to control anything. Might be worth trying assuming you have a 4g signal.
have you got power in there ?
powerline network plugs, one with wifi ?
Is that at me? No internet anywhere in the building (that I can access) unfortunately. Did get me thinking though if there's a way of sharing the connection from my main building. I wonder if anything here would actually work reliably considering they are very low cost options. I have line of site from my main building (although at an acute angle), distance 100m or so [url= https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/store/wifi-links/wifi-building-links/ ]https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/store/wifi-links/wifi-building-links/[/url]
Yes, was at you, zilog
how do you power your turbo? (or is it one of those self-powered ones). If plugged in, is it not on the same supply as your house ?
I live in a flat so space/noise means I Zwift at work... there are some empty offices in the mezzanine above the warehouse so I have commandeered one as my pain cave. So there’s power but no internet (or heating lol). It’s in a different building on an industrial estate about 100m away from the main office.
😯
(that is all)
[quote> https://community.zwift.com/preview/4236
leith hill is a go...
Rode it this morning. It's a hill. I set myself a max of 150hr to keep me in fat burn zone, so was slow up it.
Me too. Rode it from the box hill side (you turn right for Leith hill instead of left for box hill). The start is more of a gradual climb with some 5 to 7% gradients thrown in. When you get to the KOM section it rapidly turns into 9-12% right to the top. That section is shorter than the box hill KOM though. My time was about 90 seconds faster than my box hill pb without killing myself.
Kiss C for me tonight. Jumping on shortly for a warmup.
**** I hate racing box hill. Too fat...
CVR A at 10:00 getting pre race jitters 😀
New Strava segment on Leith; "Zwift Velodrome:Coming Soon". Should make for some fun racing if they put that in!!
You may get to enter an STW pursuit team 😀
Interesting article about using a Concept2 rower on Zwift. Unfortunately don’t have the necessary PM5, tempted to get one though and try it as I really don’t use my C2 much these days!
[url= https://zwiftinsider.com/rowing-on-zwift/ ]https://zwiftinsider.com/rowing-on-zwift/[/url]
Wow, that was tougher than the numbers would suggest.
6:26 up box hill on the first lap, was 3rd through the Kim barrier but got dropped on the next kicker (that I'd forgotten about)
Second time up the hill I was hanging* with the chase group until dinner threatened pretty seriously to put in a second appearance.
Rolled in 8th or something, 3.9w/kg. Could have bossed it in B 😉
*Just about
6:26 ! Sheesh that's epic !
How much difference does drafting make on Zwift climbs? You'd think it wouldn't have much impact, but if you're passing someone on one of the steeper sections, the Radio Mast climb for example, there's an obvious sticky draft when you're passing a slower rider that's quite irritating and not, ime, very true to life. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. I guess I should take the time trial bike up something to see if I'm imagining it...
Very little IME, i was climbing Leith Hill yesterday following a guy and on a 5-6% section i'd need the exact same w/kg as him to keep him 4m away. If i'm on the flat i can be up to 1.2w/kg down on someone and still hold their wheel.
should have read the course notes, thought the KISS race last night was going to be on the flat course until we turned left at the top of the first climb. got to the bottom of box hill comfortably in the lead group. went backwards. got it back together on on the descent and through london, blew up on the 2nd time up box hill and limped home.
15/47 which isnt too bad for a climbing circuit for me.
I've enjoyed reading this thread almost as much as the now much-missed 'can I buy a fatbike for £500' monster 🙂
Bought a tacx 2240 yesterday after reading stuff here. Dug out old MacBook Air, ANT dongle and unused cross bike and assembled in the big shed. Had a quick go knowing nothing and being far too stubborn to read any on-line guides. It was fun tho. And hard. I was just rushing round Richmond Park chasing random people.
I can't ride MTBs for 8 weeks due to damaging ligaments in my ankle (from running FFS). But I can ride clipped in on the trainer. Not sure if I'm going to race but might try structured workouts etc. Years ago I used sufferfest videos with a mechanical trainer when I was crocked and I hated it.
Zwift - from my limited use - seems to offer quite a lot more fun. For a given value of fun.
I forgot to calibrate the tacx so that's my next step before an easy hour of something tonight to test the ankle. Can't believe I'm looking forward to it!
@Alex- there is a PACK ride tonight at 630pm, should be nice and easy
Can't believe I'm looking forward to it!
Don't worry that soon wears off 😀
Quite enjoy the PACK rides as a good way to while away an hour or so on a recovery ride. They normally get 3-400 hundred riders which psychologically seems to make you feel like you're part of a big group even though obviously you're sat there on your own!
@Alex- there is a PACK ride tonight at 630pm, should be nice and easy
-Ta. How would I sign up for that? I assume it's behind a door somewhere marked with an icon that tells me nothing? 🙂
Don't worry that soon wears off
I'm sort of blaming you for getting this far. And now you tell me this 🙂
Pack Ride then. Don't tell anyone tho. It's making me feel a bit roadie-dirty 🙂
Double Post... bit too keen. Won't last!
Yeah the one last night was my first event. found it tricky keeping pace and ended up well too far in front of the main bunch 🙁 need to tone it down a bit.
Pack ride is a nice 1.5W/KG or there's the WBR 2/4/1 ride at 19:55.
To sign up for an event the easiest way is to use the mobile link app on your phone. Just login on that and go to events, find the event, then click on the + sign next to the cat you want to enter.
found it tricky keeping pace and ended up well too far in front
Well at least that's one issue I won't need to be worried about.....
Thanks @scaled. Added that now. See how the ankle is. Need to temper my competitive instincts. Or just accept I'll be rubbish.
the past 9 days on Zwifting has been a bit interesting.
1st Jan i started off back on the 5-2 plan. From a lowest of 14st 8 last year in about April/May, i'd snuck back up to 15st 10. So away we went on the 5-2... But this time with a few subtle differences.
1. The 5 days will NOT be disaster day of eating pastries, cakes, crisps and Dominos
2. The 5 days will have a reduction in Carbs
3. The training will not be high intensity for more than 1-2 days a week.
4. All other training will be done in the 'fat burning zone'
It's been HARD to stick to it, but luckily my missus is having a fat week herself so cutting down on the bad stuff, therefore her meals have been less carb based etc too. The 2 fasting days are as i'm sure more are aware, a max of 600cals, which for me means 2 eggs about 1pm and some fish and rice at 5pm... Which is tough... but it's only 1 day... So you just grin and bear it.
Today on the scales my weight was 15st 1. Meaning since the 1st Jan the scales are 9lb down ! Not sure how much of that is a true representation or how much isn't... but for the first time in a while i feel like i'm winning the battle once again and if i can sustain the reasonably healthy plan along with the 5-2 then i can get into the 14s and back to the mid 14s again.
This will have a short term effect on my training, racing and power, i'm finding it hard to sustain efforts at the moment... But the current goal isn't about the racing or the power, it's about the weight... So i'll keep on plodding in the far burning zone, trying my best....
Lets see how it goes.
Stick at it weeksy, you have a plan!
I have stopped racing Zwift now since Xmas, took 5 days of with a cold over Xmas and then back to it. I've now switch to TrainerRoad fully and have a 20 week plan before the first XC race of 2018.
Talking of which, I have a 1 month free trail for TrainerRoad if anyone would like to try it for free, just drop me a line with your e-mail.
1. The 5 days will NOT be disaster day of eating pastries, cakes, crisps and Dominos
2. The 5 days will have a reduction in Carbs
3. The training will not be high intensity for more than 1-2 days a week.
4. All other training will be done in the 'fat burning zone'
So eating a healthy balanced diet. And doing a lot of zone 1/2 with a couple of harder sessions each week.
Sounds eminently sensible 🙂
So i'll keep on plodding in the far burning zone, trying my best....
It's the base stuff that's mentally hard work in Zwift. More fun outdoors IMO.
Just had an epic race involving every scenario possible. ZHR over 2 laps of london loop, nice warm up going up fox hill a couple of times so i was ready. I set off determined to be with the A group so i could see how fast they go up box hill. I can confirm its ridicously fast, we were bunched up at the start of the climb and those guys were pulling 6w/kg pretty consistsntly so i tried to hang on as long as i could. I was pulling over 400w and averaging about 5w/kg but i was slowly going backwards so i just buried myself with a couple of stragglers and got up in 6:53!! Thats just 6 secs slower than my pr which i did completely fresh. This was hurting but then i realised i was the lead B and on my own with an A rider who then proceeded to draft me all the way round the lap and then all the way to box hill again. At this point i had a 10s lead over a chasing group of B’s and the A rider i was with just went backwards. I was holding this lead and past halfway up when a random A rider from nowhere dragged all the chasing B group up to me and then dropped off (what an @rse) so was now in a group of 5-6. Somehow i managed to get in to a 5 second lead with 2 others at the start of the descent while the others gave chase. A race for the medals ensued between me and a fellow brit and a japanese rider who ended up getting away on the steep ramp coming out of the subway. I tried to give chase but my legs were weary so down to me and the brit for silver. We both let fly with 0.2m to go and i had the turbo rocking side to side and i have no doubt it was the fastest sprint i have done ever! I briefly looked at the screen and we were side by side with the chase group right on our heels and closing. I kept hard at it to the line and bagged SILVER by 0.14s, what a race and i think i avg’d 295w!
That's an awesome write up buddy.
Well done Weeksy!
The scales don’t lie so you’ve dropped what you’ve dropped. If your goal is a lower number then it sounds spot on 🙂
The challenge for me personally is finding a way to drop fat and none of the good stuff! I’m doing around 5000 calories of cycling work each week so that’s what, potentially 1.5lb fat loss if I didn’t refuel it. But because it’s all relatively high intensity, I simply wouldn’t get through it hungry. I’d be sick in ten days and losing power instead of gaining it.
MrBlobby is bang on trend of course with (at a guess) more like 8,000 calories of lower intensity work a week- perfect for leaning up 🙂
I guess it comes down to priorities. I don’t actually care how fat I am- I just want to ride really fast in flat Crits 😆
If XC, CX Or Hilly Road race’s suddenly became my thing, I reckon I’d do a proper low intensity base phase as a starter....
Well done Blader! Sounds epic!!
If your goal is a lower number then it sounds spot on
My goal as always is to get to my 14st 7 'best' weight and then see what happens from there. Generally i end up making a mess of things and easing off, but easing off too much. If this past 10 days has shown me anything it's that my general choices and lifestyle are simply wrong. So if/when i reach the 14st 7 i need to bear all of this in mind and not fall off the wagon completely. As we all know how that goes.
In the ideal world i will reach 14st 0 and then it's time to change the plans/goals and potentially do a real world race with you. I know we've discussed the theory that i have enough power etc as it is, but i'd rather have enough power and less weight 🙂
If Crits are your goal then having a body bristling with a few lbs of glycogen at 15st will give you a better result than being half starved at 14st07... 😉
The weight is only an issue when you have to re-accelerate it or drag it up a Hill- and even then, on a closed circuit it pushes you down the other side. Otherwise it’s kinetic energy you can use to your advantage.
Hence why Fifeandy is always moaning 😆 And why cyclists moving from the road to the track for example bulk up.
crosshair - Member
If Crits are your goal then having a body bristling with a few lbs of glycogen at 15st will give you a better result than being half starved at 14st07...The weight is only an issue when you have to re-accelerate it or drag it up a Hill- and even then, on a closed circuit it pushes you down the other side. Otherwise it’s kinetic energy you can use to your advantage.
Hence why Fifeandy is always moaning And why cyclists moving from the road to the track for example bulk up.
I won't be half starved or anything, once i get to a better figure, i'll then change the training/plan to hopefully work out what we've discussed previously with the acceleration/surges. The training plan will become more focused on that then. But i'm still completely of the belief that dropping the bulk (and maintaining power) can only be a good thing.
Crits are not necessarily my goal.. but i do believe i have some unanswered questions within that scope.