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Well i had a terrible race today. As it was below zero in the garage i wore my 3/4 length shorts but they have no padding and after 50 mins i was suffering. I was already suffering in the race although i managed to be in the lead B group but i had to get off and put my regular shorts on. Suffice to say i just went backwards and ended up in 17th. I wasnt with it today though and struggled to keep hr down, i guess shovelling the snow off the drive and both cars wasnt the ideal preparation.
Well, my real race was cancelled tomorrow and although today was a rest day, I ate too much chocolate 🤣
So with calories to burn, I thought I could switch and spend tomorrow resting properly with the family and race on Zwift today. Also, because none of tomorrow’s races caught my eye, I figured it would be cool to support my team race series.
It was road to ruins which I think I’ve only ridden once before on the day it came out 🤣 Not a fitting course for my strengths but that made it a bit more exciting.
I quickly watched an old one on YouTube earlier to get the gist of it.
Warming up, I felt nervous but not as excited as I used to get before Crits took over my life.
Out the gates then and I briefly hit the front. Deliberately easing off, I nearly got dropped! I forgot how brutal these starts were. 450w stayed on display for way too long and I was now worried about the imminent climb!!
The front strung out and I tried to both ease off but keep moving forward.
I haven't used Sim mode on my Kickr Snap for ages- it’s all been ERG- and I was impressed with how life-like the inertia and the drafting was.
My only plan was to hold on tight and see which group I could hang with and soon we began to climb. Settling in to the second or third bunch, I was 28th and I wondered if top 20 was a realistic goal.
RPE was as useless as real life and I was going too hard. With my HR beyond 180, I tried to settle in and varied my gears and cadence to shift the load around.
Over the top and S.Smith BRT was my main rival in the surrounding riders.
We formed a group of 5 and apart from the occasional surge, it stayed together nicely.
Once the return climb began, a wave of panic came over me! This was a long way back up to the top! A quick check revealed a 30sec gap behind us so the plan was simply to hold this group!
The pace was quite varied as the three A riders attacked each other and it took some 700w bursts to get back on at times. I recognised the final climb approaching and then nearly got dropped on a downhill as someone attacked! I stupidly used my aero to cling on and felt sure I was going to be out the back on the climb now.
But.... as we trudged back up, I was doing well. Spotting a 1 sec gap on Smith, I followed the lead A rider and attacked a little. My power held up and soon three of us were descending.
Right at the bottom, one guy attacked and the other paused so I closed the gap. Back together again and the gap to Smith was 20 seconds.
Nobody was working though! I took a turn on the front and then one guy attacked again. We followed and picked up another rider.
Across the dam and one guy broke the elastic and stayed away to the finish.
The remaining A and B rider wouldn’t work either and again I slipped up. A strong TT effort now may have got them gee’d up and kept us away but I hedged for the sprint.
Reaching the volcano, the gap was 9 seconds now and I knew we’d be caught. Sure enough, Smith was back and it was a sprint off for 20th!!
The last minute was brutal! 512w average in fact!! No idea what was left- I waited until 150m. Smith was in front but as I wound up the old legs, I was closing fast! I kept pushing and pipped him- just after the line!!! So 21st for me and 5th in B.
It seems my Zwift tactics are no better than real life 🤣
Lol I enjoyed that!
Crosshair - great write up. I read somewhere that the only reason Smith managed to bag 20th was because the guy ahead of him was all elbows on the bike! 😀
Well that was, errrm interesting!
WBR 3 laps jungle loop. Which of course meant a long hilly lead in up to the jungle. I did ok up it I think, average about 3.5 which isn't bad.
Being the big fella I came into my own on the flat/slope of the section to the line, plenty of power to use, well, until we crossed the line. The counter showed 40.8km to go! That was after a 12km lead, wtf!
The race was then cat and mouse, it ended up not being 40+ more, but was still a good distance. I'd struggle on the latter half of loop, it's all 2% 3% etc, not one for the big guy.
Back on last lap we were a group of 6, but 2 of them had just caught us and passed, they were on their way and not a lot out 4 could do. I'd been working with Woermann a German for ages and was sad to see him binned from our quartet. So we were 3. The lead of us was pushing 2.8 on flat, so left him to it, when he eased a bit I would throw in 450w for 10s just to panick them. Down to the line, 700 to go, waiting waiting, I went with 300m left and visually I seemed to beat both my adversaries, but results showed one 0.1 ahead, so we will see.
Really tough ride though.
So much for having a sensible week.
Road ro Ruins for the first time in a race.
Sensible start and a bit of effort got me tagged onto the 2nd main group although that was 70odd out of 200.
Got dropped starting up to the jungle and just about got back on but sat up for the descent and dropped back to the chasing group. Tried to sit in the back of the group up the climb out and ended up with a group of 4. One guy pushing on so decided he was the man to stick to and see if we could get the rest back by the top. Around 20seconds down which stayed about the same back to the mainland while sharing the work. Just before the short switchback climb they were about 12 seconds so put a big effort in and got to within 2 seconds before the descent to the volcano when I had to sit up. My companion came back and subsequently dropped me up to the Volcano and I couldn't get him back.
Gambled the place with catching another 8 riders which nearly paid off. Would have been good if he could have held on the higher pace and we would have bridged the gap but then communicating in a race via typing isn't going to happen.
Reasonable result in the end with new power records from 20minutes plus. Comfortably beat all the Cs who remain in the results so happy enough. Lost CVR points ;0)
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=45814
Hey Tom, I notice you ride for a team called STW, which I guess is Singletrack World. How does one go about getting to be a STW Team rider?
You just do it in your profile on zwiftpower.com
I have a MacBook Pro and am about to buy a smart trainer. With both of these do I still need Ant± connector or can I just bluetooth the trainer to the MacBook? I also see they recommend using the App as well. IS this necessary and, if I do use it, how will trainer, app and MacBook all connect up?
You just do it in your profile on <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">zwiftpower.com</span>
Don't forget the entrance exam.
I did the "SZR Friday Fun Ride" yesterday, 3 laps of Volcano flat (so 37.5km). In theory a 2.5-3.0 w/kg group ride I just stayed near the front without forcing the pace and found myself in a breakaway group who didn't seem that bothered about the group ride concept. There were about 15 of us well over a minute ahead of the leader by the start of the last lap, where the pace increased enough to start spitting people out the back. It certainly turned into a race, I think I ended up 5th in the sprint - started too far back.
Today - 10 laps of the same course, 125 Zwift kms... 3hr22m. Ouch.
125! Wow, that's a big number. Must admit, my max threshold is 50km.
Cheers guys, I am now a fully fledged STW Team member. 🙂
Going to try my 1st ever TT tonight at 6. Nice short single lap of the Jungle loop. No risk of doing very well but fancy a go at something different and not too long in the saddle. Bit late I know but hints and tips would be appreciated
just dipped my toe in, yup racing makes you dig deeper, FTP went from 237-251 (Tacx Neo Power)
did the WBR 1 Lap Figure 8 Hilly at 1905, got 4th in C
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=46027
Well done both of you boys!
Welshfarmer - is that a trophy I see before me ?
Well played. Dirtyrider too.
Might do a short C race tomorrow if I can find one. Getting lazy.
There's an early afternoon CCW that has my name on it. Just changed stem and angles on the bike so wouldn't mind testing. Legs may not be in it though.
🙂 only a Bronze though.
To be fair I wasn't sure what to expect. It was billed as a TT about 13 km with 1 lap of the Jungle circuit. But it started back on the docks and had the full 13 k run in as well. Just as we were about to leave someone said it was hot from the off. I had assumed the ride in was a warm up and we would only be timed on the Jungle Loop bit. Anyway, I basically got caught sleeping as I took it a bit easy off the line as I still wasn't sure what was going on but then realised it was a race from the get go so got my head down. Was back in 43rd place by then. I knew I could climb OK so by the time we reached the 100m sign going into the jungle I was up to about 21st with only 3 "C" Group riders ahead of me and 2 close on my tail. Well I didn't really make any inroads into the ones ahead as they already had 40+ sec on me but I did trade places with the 2 who were on my tail several times. Managed to drop one of them on the climb to the suspension bridge but came off the end of the bridge neck and neck with the other one. It was a long run back down the hill to the cave! I was maxing out on HR going through the cave but unable to put more than 2 seconds on my chaser. In the end I crossed the finish only a second ahead of him. Was 4th in C but ZP seems to have dropped one of those ahead of me so I will settle for a Bronze.
I basically got caught sleeping as I took it a bit easy off the line as I still wasn’t sure what was going on but then realised it was a race
Yeah, everyone gets done on that one (except me - I did the opposite and thought I'd won when we passed the "start" line !)
Didnt want to start a new thread for thsi query, but shout if you think I should.
I've been zwifting for a while using an old dumb turbo with speed and cadence sensors, this weekend I bought a tacx flow 2240 from halfords, first ride out was great yesterday , zwift was varying the resistance nicely when going up hills etc.
Today I am getting no variable resistance at all, any ideas? Here's what I've tried
-updated turbo firmware
- made sure the phone bluetooth is switched off , so that the tacx app isnt controlling the turbo instead of zwift
-in the pairing section on zwift, the power source and controllable turbo are set to the same device
- rebooted the laptop and turbo numerous times
When I use the tacx app, it can vary the resistance just fine, so there's obviously something up with zwift - I've submitted a ticket, but I thought you all might be able to help.
are you doing a workout ?
have you paired it as the right "type" of trainer in the zwift startup window ?
are you doing a workout ?
have you paired it as the right “type” of trainer in the zwift startup window ?
No, its in "just ride" mode.
No sure what you mean by the right 'type' of trainer, but in the controllable trainer section its listed as the tacx flow, and in the power source section the same again.
I have a MacBook Pro and am about to buy a smart trainer. With both of these do I still need Ant± connector or can I just bluetooth the trainer to the MacBook? I also see they recommend using the App as well. IS this necessary and, if I do use it, how will trainer, app and MacBook all connect up?
You're good to go Frank. Just download the app from the app store and it will pickup the trainer through Bluetooth. But if you want to use a HRM I think you will need ANT+ (anyone confirm?). I've got an old TV mounted on the wall in the garage and run a usb-c to HDMI cable from the MacBook to the TV.
No sure what you mean by the right ‘type’ of trainer, but in the controllable trainer section its listed as the tacx flow, and in the power source section the same again
Not sure as I don't have a flow but if I click on the trainer section of zwift, I get 2 or 3 options and I think one of them acts as a dumb version
On a similar note I'm tempted but the £180-£300 smart trainers in Halfords site. I don't need power as I have a 4iiii
Most say they simulate up to 6%, is this an issue? Assuming I go up a 10% Zwift incline do I just change gear to make it harder as per my dumb turbo
And... Which trainer is recommended? I'd prefer a Fluid feel...
But if you want to use a HRM I think you will need ANT+ (anyone confirm?). I’ve got an old TV mounted on the wall in the garage and run a usb-c to HDMI cable from the MacBook to the TV.
or a bluetooth HRM
i run Zwift on my Laptop, then use the LCD above it for watching Netflix/Youtube/Prime, rather than tie up 2 devices for one purpose
of course you could get a 4K Apple TV and do away with the laptop
No sure what you mean by the right ‘type’ of trainer, but in the controllable trainer section its listed as the tacx flow, and in the power source section the same again
What he means for example with my Snap I get
Kickr snap
Kickr snap FE-C
The 2nd one is the controllable one
Ah ok,for me theres only one option which is tacx flow .
Just download the app from the app store and it will pickup the trainer through Bluetooth. But if you want to use a HRM I think you will need ANT+ (anyone confirm?). I’ve got an old TV mounted on the wall in the garage and run a usb-c to HDMI cable from the MacBook to the TV.
With a MacBook Pro the Zwift App can connect either with Bluetooth or ANT+ to the trainer, cadence sensor or HRM - if it's a Bluetooth one anyway.
Note: if you want to use The Sufferfest app on a Mac, the trainer will only connect via ANT+ , thought the Sufferfest iOS app will connect via Bluetooth.
I use a Bluetooth speaker for music at the same time and that can be problematic. The speaker connection seems prone to dropping out with three other Bluetooth devices connected, so I sometimes use an ANT+ dongle to connect the cadence sensor, but with a Mac you should be able to connect everything you need with BT as long as your cadence and HRM are bluetooth compatible obviously, but it may be worth having an ANT+ USB dongle on an extension lead - put the dongle close to whatever sensor you're aiming to use - as a back-up / addition particularly if you use a bluetooth speaker or earphones.
Edit: I've found the Zwift support guys pretty efficient if you mail them and there's a lot of online info on the Zwift support portal both general and specific to particular trainers. Google is your friend on that front.
Julians - i have the same trainer and you dont need to select a trainer as it will only see yours as you have stated. The only thing i can think of is if you have accidentally set zwift to erg mode ON which means there will be no resistance change. Log back in to zwift and start riding and look in the menu to see if erg mode is activated.
... or accidentally set difficulty to zero ? I don't think this removes all alterations but it might feel a bit like that
got it working now, not sure what I did to make it work, just unpaired the flow in zwift, unplugged the trainer from the power, waited for a few minutes, plugged the trainer back in, then searched and paired up with the tacx flow, and it just started working.
I've done that several times today and it made no difference, but this time it all just started working - seems a bit flaky to me.
anyway, good its working - hopefully it will stay working now, cant be bothered faffing with it every time I want a ride.
Just did the 4.20 one lapper as a C
Finished 4th and then DQ'd for w/kg (my 95% was 3.2 apparently - thought that was OK, or do they use full average power?)
Anyhow, good fun and I guess back to B next time (though I'll get a few kickings as I was at full whack to produce that much for 13 minutes)
just did the WBR 3 Lap Jungle Hilly Race 1815, was 50/50 after doing a 1 lap figure 8 hilly race yesterday, but im at work tomorrow, so thought well why not
was a bit weird, there was a 13km run in to the start of the first lap, then im sure it it said 3 laps and 40.1km to go, but my rides logged as 36.5km ?!?! not sure whats happening there (13km ish in, then 3x 7.87km laps makes 36.5km right) when it came up 40.1km to go, i thought ah christ bugger that, but carried on
anyway, not my favourite course as the downhill isn't steep enough to recover from the uphill effort, saw welshfarmer say it was off from the docks in the comment yesterday, so managed to jump and stick with the front group of 20ish up until the start of the epic kom hill, then got dropped but had managed to put a decent amount of time into the "c's" behind me, with seemingly only a few in front, had 1 rider with me for more or less 2 laps, managed to put a decent gap into him on the last hill, which he didn't get back, tried chasing down a couple of C's 15/20 seconds in front of me on the final run in, but couldn't peg them back
results initially said 9th when i looked after a 10 minute recovery spin, but now saying 2nd? got a red mark for average heart rate though, but its normal for me, yesterdays has changed from 4th to 3rd as well
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=46179
was a bit weird, there was a 13km run in to the start of the first lap, then im sure it it said 3 laps and 40.1km to go, but my rides logged as 36.5km ?!?! not sure whats happening there (13km ish in, then 3x 7.87km laps makes 36.5km right) when it came up 40.1km to go, i thought ah christ bugger that, but carried on
I did same course yesterday and did exactly same on my distance counter thing.
dirtyrider - you won "who has the highest avg heart rate" The podium finishers tend to get booted if they have no HR but I think in BandC they are leaving them in after that. ZP (zpower) users are booted straight away.
I ended a silly 7 day period with my 4th race and not the flat one I had intended. 3 sisters instead. Perfect for my attributes of too heavy for my power :0)
Sensible off the line and into the second group. This broke up up the KOM climb and I ended up with mostly by Cs and a couple of fellow B riders.
Setting off up the Epic a couple of suspect C's went off at an unsustainable pace for me and the 2 B's shot off a little while later. Trying to maintain a steady pace the B's eventually came back then went again as I shook my head thinking I'd see them later. Couldn't hold the last small group that caught me before the top and then set off up to the mast. As there's a big downhill rest after this I set off at a higher effort of around 250watts:3.1w/kg and slowly pulled riders back. After the steep corner I upped this to 280+ watts and reeled in, and dropped, everybody who was within range (including the 2 Bs) bar one C who had about 12 seconds on me. Couple of big efforts on the uphills on the way down and I was with him by the bridge and we shared the work to the Volcano. Slim lead of around 20 seconds and 40 seconds on 2 others.
Got on the front on the Volcano and worked hard to maintain 240/250 watts which put my partner in trouble as the 2 behind were linking up and a big effort up the steep ending and before the descent started gave me about 40 seconds but the time gaps are a bit variable on differing terrain so had to crack on once at the bottom to maintain the lead.
Overall nothing startling as a result and I could feel the effort. Strangely enough all the Cs ahead of me got bumped or upgraded...
5 minutes to find to get up with the next meaningful group on the road. 70odd starters but only 42 finishers.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=46186
Just did the 1 lap job, brutal from the go, first bit of silverware though 🙂
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=47112
Changed my training a bit on Zwift, I was doing the 4wk ftp booster to give me a solid footing and and accurate(ish) ftp value.
Now training for the multiples of 100 mile sportives i have this year, long ride training on zwift, my god is it monotonous and my ass hurts! Cannot wait for the warmer weather so i can go out instead, self admitted fair weather rider...
Nice result Tiger, some impressive average watts going on there. I best add you to the list of people to avoid in flat races!
i did 3 laps of UCI course today in the EVR race and i can officially announce that it is the hardest course out of the lot. The 3 climbs at the end of each lap are just pure torture. I pulled between 450-500w on the first climb and i still got dropped even with a feather power up. The guys racing today were just too fast, each climb was full gas which just wasnt sustainable. I hung on to a group for dear life and ended up 7th in B but i was completely out of gas.
Yeah blader, that UCI course is brutal, that first climb is perfect for me but then there's just not long enough to recover before the next one, then there's nothing at all left in the tank for the steep at the end. I love it 😀
I did the WBR one lapper yesterday and experienced my first technological mechanical, ant+ dropped out for a couple of seconds and everyone in the group that I was in just disappeared into the distance. Up to that point it had been a really good race with everyone tearing chunks out of everyone else at 5.5+ on the front. It was a 13 minute race and the winner had a 5 min power of 5.4w/kg. in the end i picked up a straggler from the lead group and beat him in the sprint. Still a good work out and did another 40 mins or so after that, was rather enjoying being on the bike.
Rode for 90 minutes last night. Back with a functioning Bluetooth speed sensor (also cadence and HR). zPower on my Sartori (set as a Blue Motion and resistance 4) looked credible for heart rate and road riding. Four hilly climbs and 51 km would be about right.
Anyway, ordered a Kickr 2016 off the website as reconditioned Snap and Kickr units are back in stock. Cheapest Snap is £300 now. https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices
Still not worked out where the group rides and races are listed on iOS, but not that bothered. Might do another 50 km tonight with a bigger iPAD to see the numbers 🙂
Chickening out of a full on race tonight. If anyone else is doing the SZR 2 lap Evening "Joyride" at 6 then I will see you there 🙂
I have done a few of their Joyrides and they are anything but fun!
I went real-world today with a blast on the 29er on the roads. Had to drop my car off at the garage for servicing and MOT, so came back on the roads with a 28km bimble, well, i say bimble, i was trying pretty hard considering !
Times, pace and stuff were all pretty good, felt strong and happy.
Making some decisions and debates tonight now as i've been struggling at times with a bit of neck pain. So i'm considering consigning the Isaac to the loft and decomissioning it. I've done the attempts now at Crits, i don't see myself doing the Crit thing again, so there's really no need to do any work on the Isaac now.
I can fit the rear wheel off the Isaac on the Parkwood as they're both QR, but admittedly i have to remove the rear caliper from the mount, but it's only a 2 minute job after all so no biggy. I have used a Hybrid tyre before but it steals about 30-40w when riding, which may not seem a lot, but when racing on Zwift, it's actually a pretty massive factor, it's the difference between winning C races and finshing 10th.. The other alternative is to come up with a plan where i can fit the turbo tyre onto an actual 29er rear wheel, but it really would have to be an exceptionally narrow rim to manage it. We'll see... But i can see the Isaac being banished after tomorrow.
It's something i ought to think about selling, but i'd feel really bad as it was a gift from a neighbour who's now moved to Canada, but he'd have only ended up giving it to charity. As far as i know it's a decent frame, carbon Isaac Pascal, with full Campag 10 speed, Campag brakes and i believe decent wheels... But i have no concept of what something like that is worth.
Scaled, ordinarily i would like those climbs but for some reason Richmond seems to make everyone go watt crazy on the the flat section. Last couple of times the starts have been lightening fast with no let up so by the time you get to the climb you are already blowing hard. Today the start was actually pretty comfortable and i was ready for the first climb but hitting 500w and still getting dropped is just too fast for me. 3 laps of that nonesense and i was goosed. The climbs being so close together means i am just staring at the crankset trying to forget the pain.
Any zwift tips for an old, slow fat (91kg) bloke apart from stay off the beer and crisps? Done a couple of 1 hour+ sessions averaging 110 watts and enjoy the timed hill climbs and sprints. Are any of the group rides suitable or will I get left riding alone? What about the fitness plan rides?
shinton, I think some of the group rides (workouts maybe) might allow everyone to stay together regardless of their actual power, as long as you keep pedaling
... or else if nothing else works, go on the zwift diet™ and lose 40 kilos. Nobody'll care unless you're racing