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Not long finished this Zwift ride https://www.strava.com/activities/2404484835 , where the 25Km trial distance ended at ~6.3Km (~19mins) into the ride. After clicking "not now" as regard signing up, I was able to carry on riding until my planned finish ~43Km (~1hr42mins). "Trial expired" in the auto-screenshot! 😆
Another Tuesday and another long KISS hilly race. Mountain figure 8 this time so the other way up the mountain from last week. I think I prefer this direction as there are some little rests as the road dips a bit. Again not a huge field 30 at the start 16 finishers on ZP. One thing I really like about the big climbing races is that the start is not so hectic. There were four BRT riders at the start and three of us were quite close for the first half of the climb. My target was to stay with the team admin as he is a slightly better rider than I am. Some how this time I was in better for and pulled away with the other BRT rider and one other. We dropped back from a couple of riders and them caught one back on the radio tower climb.
Over the top I had kept a little effort in reserve to keep the pressure in down hill. So many seem to rest in aero tuck while I prefer to keep spinning and hit large efforts up the short drags. Not long into the descent this caused our group of four to split into two twos and by the bottom the cryogen A+ rider I was with and I had pulled a 15s gap. More importantly we were closing down the two riders ahead. We caught them about 2k before the Italian villas and then road as a four towards the end. I tried to get a gap on the post sprint climb but was closed down quickly. The normal cageyness followed until I broke ranks at 500m ish for a long effort. One other went with and unfortunately I got overhauled (not helped by cramping calves as I sprinted).
Very happy with the results overall. I also got my first FTP increase for a very, very long time. Only 2W but now up to 325W. My lap time was 8 minutes better than last time on this route and there were loads of PBs on the climb (including the radio tower section).
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=192006
FTP bump
I went racing again last night but took a break from the hills to do a flat crit. Not too much to say about this one. First three laps and the lead in had regular attacks which rapidly whittled all the non-A riders off the lead group. The pace stayed high till lap four when the group seemed to settle and rest. I tried to go longish as there were some decent sprinters but couldn't get away. I did find a spare gear right at the end to just edge into fourth.
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=192372
good effort, 2w is 2w
nothing from me, feel absolutely knackered at the minute, stress, half term, houses etc, went out once last week, did good numbers, nipped out on the xc bike a couple of days ago and could barely be arsed to turn the pedals, cannot put my finger on it, just don't feel right at the minute
Tried to do a ramp test last night. Not recoeverd fully, head not in it and quite warm.
Still can't complain won my outdoor A race last weekend thanks mainly to taking 2 fast friends :0)
First and only ever probably podium.
First Zwift race (not counting the Giro TT). 21st in a tight little group of riders so quite pleased with that!
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=192607
Really daft question - looking at the numbers should I be entering as cat B normally?
That was an event not a race as such. But yes, you're a B based upon that.
Thanks Weeksy - much appreciated!
Fair point - it was an event - I should have been more specific 🙂
Hey don't get me wrong, a large majority of people race them.... i've raced many... but arguably they're not actual races, so won't count to your Zwift rankings within Zwiftpower for Cat allocation etc.
I hope everyone else was racing it last night otherwise I'm in for a very rude awakening in my first 'proper' race 🙂
If it felt like you were going to die at the start they were racing.
Did a one lap sprint last night after missing the KISS long race. Got a bronze but really the gold was in reach for once. I just miss timed my sprint. I'd been applying the pressure from the front on all the ramps which had whittled the pack down nicely.
Noticed there was a stw rider in B as well. Was that you @AD?
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=193621
They're massive numbers in that race.. ! even AD at the low end of B was 300w !
Yeah pretty full on. I prefer the longer races but sometimes that different mind set of a 15 minute full on blat is fun. I was needimg 4.2 w/kg just to draft at times.
@nixie - you're right - that was me. Good craic but definitely a rude awakening 🙂
I didn't see where your were in the event but if you managed to hold on to the ramp out if the tunnel you were doing well. If you stayed with it out of the tunnel then you should be ok with the normal start madness.
Jeez. Did the Kiss EU Long last night as a replacement for Wednesdays XC race that I couldn’t make. I’ll qualify what I say next by the fact I discovered my specific XC Marathon training has removed my top end for shorter events, and I’m in the middle of a tough three week training plan - currently at the can’t stay awake beyond 9pm stage.
Anyway, retrospectively the results showed I was racing all A’s and it was the New York circuit with the two big hills - not my strength. The start was slow, a 350w 5min burst which I comfortably sat in the group. Then it went up the first climb and I immediately couldn’t keep up. I forgot myself tactically and neglected to use the right cadence which brings more power for me grinding away tying to keep up. At the top of the first 5 min climb i’d lost 30s to the front 7 (of 13) and was in no mans Land with the rest 30s behind me. And so it was for the next 70 mins. The leader finished 11 mins ahead, one quit so I eventually finished 2 mins ahead of the guy behind me, in 6th.
The results show everyone else got dumped, not sure why
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=194236
It was a really tough gig, tiredness didn’t help and my head went down several times as I coasted and considered quitting, but my need for training commitment kept me going. I also couldn’t get my HR up over 160, I usually race higher than that. Anyway, I finished with a mere 247w average and 3.2wkg and got dumped into C by Zwiftpower 🙁
Theres a lot to be said to for knowing the Zwift courses and how to race on Zwift in these, I definitely felt all of that plus tactical non-plus was an issue, essentially leading to a flawed 70 min TT .
Anyway, a decent mid week workout!
I'm off racing at the moment as i seem to have lost all my power, which i think was down to too much riding/racing.
So a couple of easier rides this week followed by Alp D'zwift yesterday. Didn't set the world on fire. For the climb i was setting my pace at pretty much 200w. Which gave me a HR of 136-145 depending on where i was and how it was... So a fairly cruisy ride. But i have the SDW next as my event to ride, so trying to concentrate upon a bit of that.
p.s. well done Kryton, i saw when you were entering and thought it may be a lonely one.
Yeah I kinda new what I was getting into but needed the duration, and that was the only race at the right time that’d give me that.
Like you Weeksy I’ve got 6 hours at 210w (z2) to complete this weekend over 2 rides.
@Kryton57 Rising Empire really is an evil course, especially evil to TT.
I've done two more races this week (after the short sprint on Tuesday) and have probably over done it a little :D. Still got an 'easy' weekend (Grand Rando gravel ride/bivi in the New forest,70 miles on Sat, 30 on Sunday) to recover with 😀 (and plenty of pub stops).
Wednesday did the BRT TT on The Highline. I completely forgot that you have to go up the damn KOM on the lead in. Also forgot it was two laps not one and it nearly broke me when I realised it was 3 climb efforts not two as I'd been riding expecting two! I got silver in this race but was way behind the powerhouse in gold (4.9W/kg for pretty much the entire time!). I was reasonably happy with my effort, especially power up the climb, but was very suprised to find I'd only averaged 4.1W/kg for the whole event. Felt harder than that. https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=193880
Last night I did the BRT crit, 8 laps of the volcano. This event was looking quite quiet until about 10 minutes before and I thought I should be able to place well or win it. Legs were tired so I was planning to try and escape off the front with a lap or so too go and TT to the end. Unfortunately it didn't work out as the field got bigger and I didn't have the legs to attempt an escape. I did however manage to hang on till the sprint but unsurprisingly could not produce the big power. Still was only a second back and never felt like I was going to be dropped. Its been a while since I raced the volcano and its easier than I remembered. https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=194219
One of my fellow DIRT team riders has just informed me that i am currently ranked no.6 in B category. I have won quite a few races of late and in some big series too so i guess i got a good boost in rankings.
You've been absolutely FLYING in just about everything you enter mate. Every time i look you seem to have won your event.
He wouldn't struggle in A at all if i'm correct. He's not the best A... but he's far from a bad A.
Agreed, think he'd be a threat I'd want to stay away from!
Thanks guys. I raced nixie before and got taught a lesson but thats what you gotta go through to get better. I think riding in a team has made a big difference. I will continue racing in B as its going really well in the Team Celebration series and in the TT on Thursdays but i think i will dabble in A when they come to an end. Some of those A riders though have eye popping stats. I raced with the no.1 rider in zwift last week and spoke to him (really nice guy) and he hit 18.4w/kg for 15s and he weighs 78kg! Suffice to say he beat me in that particular sprint.
Another day, another climb for sdw prep. Today only 850m and again not a high pace but it's all climbing
You doing the single or double weeksy. Hoping to get a single I'm myself this summer (west->east).
Blader, I remember racing you but cannot find it in my history. Don't remember being far ahead though.
Some of the A/a+ stats are just plain scary. 350w FTP and 65kg! Eek.
Just the single. I'm not convinced I have the double in me.
Rachael Elliott, a British amateur racer, is one of the strongest women on Zwift. She has ridden more than 30,000 miles in her house. But the social aspect of indoor riding appeals as much as her many victories. Last February, she suffered a stroke while training on Zwift. Other users noticed she had stopped and helped raise the alarm. “I started getting dizzy during my warmup,” she says. “I remember getting off and lying on the floor thinking I was fainting, then reaching for my phone.”
Elliott spent a month in hospital, where doctors said anything could have triggered the stroke. Zwifters sent her an iPad and under-desk pedals so that she could start riding again on the ward. She still has reduced vision; she can ride outside only on the back of a tandem
Didn't know that. Damn!
Other than that, a decent article
Jumped on yesterday and rode for 45s... Yes really... 45s ! Decided my legs were simply not up to it, so jumped straight back off and got changed again.
Today i'm finishing early and my lad is away, so my plan is to jump on the Zwift bikes about 1.30 or 2 and do a decent 2 hours maybe 2.5. I want a lot of climbing in there, maybe a 10 min rest break too to simulate some of the SDW riding. Arguably i should be going more than 2.5 hours i guess, but i'm not looking for a full ride day simulation as such.
I had an off last weekend so the turbo has been set up again and the Zwift membership renewed unitl I'm fit to ride outside again.
Got the week off work this week and not much doing so I've decided to sign up for this:
https://zwift.com/events/view/193791
80km event tomrrow afternoon, it'll make a change from the ususal 1 hour Zwift sessions I do. I'm expecting it to be incredibly dull but you never know, I may be surprised!
I'll join ya mate if you're thinking say 180w for it ? No plans for tomorrow here.
I normally just go by HR when I'm on Zwift so for something like this I'd aim to stay around 135bpm but I'll happily give that a go at 180W
PErfect. I'll see you on there matey. Won't be going crazy here, so if that pace is a bit high (or low) i can work around it
Great riding with you mate. Made it much less horrific.
Was funny when we reached half way and I was way way under yesterdays time in same route.
But plugged on and used my power to sweep up 3-4 groups into a big group. We then flew along till volcano kom 2nd time round. My legs had peaked by then and all the people I'd brought back all dumped me on the climb. Lol.
It was then a trio to the last climb, where they dumped me and I solo ttd to the line.
Long turbo, too much effort, speed and power. But enjoyed it.
I may die now
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=193791
Cheers Weeksy, that was pretty enjoyable in a sadistic kind of way.
You knocked a hell of a lump off yesterdays time, flying on the first lap. You were steaming along when we dragged back that first group, made up 30s on them in next to no time. If I hadn't got distracted by my phone and lost the group then I reckon we could've reeled in the next group up the road as well, maybe next time!
The second time up the volcano climb was tough, my legs were really feeling it but I got stuck in a bit of a battle with two other riders so ended up overdoing it there so had to ease off after that. Managed to get some life back in the legs and ended up getting pipped in the sprint by 0.02s.
I figured once I'd finished that I'd round it up to an even 100km which probably wasn't the best idea and I'm absolutely shot now. Time for a recovery beer or two now.
cheers for the ride-on Weeksy,
not my best race, 2 lap park perimeter, bit lumpy for us heavier folk, 13th in B 3.2w/kg, front group for a while, got dropped, cruised for a bit waiting to be hoovered up by a group behind, got dragged along for a bit, dropped again, did the last couple of km with 1 other, didn't have the heart to contest the uphill finish so rolled home, still feeling iffy without actually having any symptoms,
Frustrating effort for me last night. 10 laps of LaGuardia. Slightly different format in that the top ten got points based on position across the line each lap. Sounded interesting and a bit more suited to my tired legs, or so I thought. The first speed up started half way around lap 1, uh oh. I managed to hang on for that one, placed better for lap two and still there at lap three. All fell apart on lap four though and I dropped off the back. I finished the rest of the laps but at a sedate pace. Clearly one day recovery was not enough after IRL rides and 5 mile run over the weekend.
The last week I haven't been feeling much benefit from the Zwifting. Still on the Gran Fondo training plan in prep for the Jennride. Last night I didn't have much time so did Jons Short Mix Instead. I have done this before but never been able to hit the 800W sprints. Last night I managed all 3 no problem as well as the 1 minute 400W efforts. So finally starting to see some payback for my efforts! Couple of weeks to go and I have run out of Gran Fondo workouts so I am switching to some ASBA Cape Epic workouts instead.
Sounds like you are making progress robbo. Good work. 👍
weird one tonight, Team Celebration, just B's together, but it went off so quick, thought id be able to hold until Box but got spat out the back, ill blame the kids as they were arguing about Minecraft - just felt hard work, which of course it should, but hard in the laboured way, not in a good way, however, my time up Box was the 2nd quickest I've done, as was my London Loop, ill take something from that
What sort of time do you do up Box dirtyrider?
I'm stuck at 8.26min and cant seem to go any quicker. I think that equate to around 366 watts average for the climb at 102kg.
Dirtyrider - by all accounts that team celebration race was very rapid. I did the morning race and finished 3rd but it was well over a minute slower than your race.
Pjm84 - i did a negative split up box hill this morning, first lap was 7:15 and then second lap was 6:55. Could have gone quicker but it was a tactical team race so held back. Thats a very good time you posted baring in mind i am 25kg lighter.