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What a great write up. Third of six is still third. I’ve never managed a podium, so don’t knock it.
Good to see a few of you are flying the stw race flag, my participation is dwindling of late, my TT Tune-Up plan has become largely vile in the last few weeks.
Had a rest day yesterday, felt strange as per normal not getting on bike at all, hoped I'd have a strong day today.
But today has been a write off so far, woke at ~0530 but ended up back in bed from 1000-1400ish and I'm still struggling to get in gear!
Hoped to do stage 1 of Innsbruck tour, next start 1800, having originally signed up for 0800 but felt wiped.
Supposed to do another TT Tune-Up workout today.
Hoped to do the Kirchmair double sprint race events today at 1805/1835, one lap of New York Perimeter and London Classique respectively. Both very short ~10/11Km events.
Right now I've no idea what I'm going to do!
Are tt bikes faster in the zwift tt events? (I know they are faster just riding around but wasn't sure about in tt races)
I've never ridden a tt event (well, officially anyway! Lol) but aren't the tt bikes auto assigned for the races?
@ n0b0dy0ftheg0at
We're you going to do all the of those rides/tuneups today? That would murder me.lol
Zwift TT races normally/always have drafting turned off, some specify TT frames only, others will let you ride race frames.
Some TT events auto assign a TT frame.
But the TT frames are quicker on flatter courses because they are more aero.
Managed to do the short Innsbruck route using the late join option, then the second Kirchmair sprint race but missed the pen start and then a ~1.5 laps of Watopia Flat.
Legs felt good for the intervals I did, but even now eating dinner, mentally I'm ready for bed while watching Picard!
I'm liking Picard too so you must be tired if your struggling watching that.lol
I'm going to do either the 3.30pm or 4.30pm Innsbruck stage 2 tomorrow. Missed stage one.
Probably the A, 2 lap..... as it's "not a race" and the only way to get better at riding further end climbing faster is to do both of those things, right?
I don't always trust my logic though and no bloody energy drinks before the ride this time! 🚽
2-laps of the UCI course is no mean feat! https://zwiftinsider.com/innsbruck/
Good test of pacing and saddle resilience on the turbo, given it will likely take approx 45-60 mins per lap, never done the complete segment to date myself.
****! That long a lap, eh?
Going to be "fun".lol
Going to do Innsbruck at 1.30pm instead as have a bit of free time come up.
It's not too bad. I did stage 2 yesterday and my group averaged just under 20 minutes a lap. Finished 54th on ZP, managed to lose the first group by misjudging my ultra-draft technique and dropping back on the descent.
I discovered an interesting issue with my setup yesterday doing the Innsbruck circuit, two climbs up the hill. In the lead up to the first climb I was feeling fine, peaks of 350 watt and 250 comfortably, I reached the climb and really struggled to hold 200 watt, normally I just put this down to being a rubbish climber but it was annoying me thinking its just watts, why am I struggling so much with less than 200 watts. I had noticed a bit of tire squeak on the climbs but didn’t take much notice of it, the climb is long so in my frustration I got wondering if that was where my watts disappeared to. I stopped on the way down and turned the trainer difficulty to 0, second time up the climb was a completely different experience and I was 2 minutes quicker and still not feeling totally wrecked. It amazed me how many watts that squeak was robbing on the climbs, is it any wonder I was totally destroyed on vo2 efforts in training programs
I’m off to investigate and clean/degrease everything to see if I can stop the slipping. I’ll up the tension but the cyclops Magnus I’m using has a preset tension thing built in that I need to override.
2:22:41
I didn't expectthat level of difficulty to be honest and I think I rode in a parallel universe to you Flaperon.lol
There was a bit of chatter about it being a group ride at the start... Bit of banter... Then it starts and it's a full bore race from the get go. I always struggle at the starts and a third of the way up the Kom I'm just going backwards. Rider after rider just going past. An endless stream yet I can see there are still a lot behind. Just dig in, spin away in the granny ring and just wait for this endless hill to end.
With all the fans on and spraying water over my head and face i still feel like I'm on fire. My arse IS on fire. Shuffling around for a spot on my ride bones that doesn't hurt. No success. My beer belly gives me a good boost on the steep downs and I catchup and pass a fair few. I know they will likely catch me on the next Kom but nice to gap them here if poss.
Second time up the Kom I'm hurting but it's become all robotic. Just looking at the wastage or cadence occasionally to keep track of pace. No blobs to speak of. The odd duo of riders pass but most are just solo like me. It's TT basically. Try to keep a few (now) familiar names either a decent distance behind me, or try to hold on to riders in front best I can.
Grind away in the granny ring and I can see the end of the Kom is in site. Over take a couple of people at the top. Not sure they were bothered to be honest but made me feel better.lol
Got the Aero PU and went down the hills,aero tucked in on the steep bits to save legs and used the Aero PU too. The last hill before the end is tiny on the radar but bleedin MASSIVE at this stage. For my mind and legs anyway. Overtake a couple that passed me earlier and managed to stay out of the saddle for most of the last km... I'm chuffed with that as my quads usually just give up.
Massive hot spot on my right foot too. That's a fist EVER for me and really uncomfortable.
Hardest non race I've ever done.😁
I'm not showing up on Zwift stats for some reason. Not bothered though,I didn't come last. That was looking a distinct possibility at some point.
@Daz
That's hugely frustrating to say the least, that the trainer had been robbing you of watts!
I low wattage is totally down to me I'm afraid.lol
2 mins difference up the Kom is massive.
Odd, not showing on Zwiftpower either.
So basically it doesn't show me on Zwift results or zpower?
Any idea why guys?
Well I rode outside. 18 rides this month, just 4 not on the turbo. But the ‘dirt destroyer’ and some group rides must have done me some good as I was able to go at the hills harder than my mates. Which is not usual.
Still I wasn’t hungover and it could be a one off. Still I’m taking it
@poopscoop no idea why but I’d be cheesed off not to see it based on how hard that sounded!
Well done for finishing the 2-lap poopscoop, I've not long finished the 1630 1-lap in 46mins23secs, sticking to 34/16 with ~33% slope feel up the KOM.
My legs are feeling it a bit after yesterday's intervals, I very much doubt I could keep anything like that 255W for another lap, I would more than likely be lowering slope feel to ~10% on the second climb... Reducing power, vastly increasing time to summit.
Today's Pedalhounds was cancelled yesterday due to wind, so I thought 'ok Zwift race then'. Shortly after I twisted my knee at work so no Zwift either. Sulking
Hard fought battle for 139th in the 3R sand & sequoias this morning...
Did the 16:30 Crit city Race yesterday - typical mad start - then all of a sudden my power drops and I have to change to the hardest gear and spin like mad to keep up - manged to alter trainer resistance to max at the same time but did not make any difference. Spinning (for me) at 105 - 110 rpm to keep at approx 280W - kept up with the field but couldn't keep 130 rpm for long during the sprint. Checked on strava later and it looks like I had a power drop. Will try and move the dongle closer to the turbo trainer to stop this happening - done this about 3 times now
A very very frustrating thing when it happens, especially when you're doing well etc.
no mains power in the garage I've moved my turbo into so just bought one of these, did a session without a fan on sunday and it was sweaty going:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ryobi-R18F-0-Cordless-Hyper-Green/dp/B01DNU4MD4/
amazon warehouse deal so got it for £40. I already have the batteries so works out ok.
Anyone coming in to support in my quest to take on the King of C at 16:45 ?
Best bike frame and wheels for Crit City? Tron bike with not much climbing on lap, or something aero like the Cervelo R5 with Zipp 808 wheels?
dunno but thats what i'm on today yes
That was a proper tasty race bunch, 2 top 15, a top 30 and several other well ranked.
I dropped my chain at the start of lap 6 and had to go deep deep deep to get back on once i flipped it back on the ring.... but it killed me...
That said.. i timed the last km well, so not sure i'd have done any better even if i'd been slightly fresher.
5th got me 7.5 ranking points though which is super
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=344452
Bloody great effort there mate.
I can but dream!
Finally bought myself a smart trainer which I pick up from the shop tonight hopefully. I think I'm about to be found out on my current FTP because the dumb trainer has no hill resistance...I feel like I've been cheating! 🙂
How have some of you got on when changing from dumb to smart trainer?
I can’t remember what it did to my FTP/Power but it was overall a very positive experience. I don’t ride on the road so I’m not sure what ‘road feel’ is, but everything seems so much more secure and bombproof on a direct drive.
It’s the whole fit and forget, don’t worry about tyre pressure or lots of calibration, just get on and suffer 😉 I say this now as a happy Elite Directo owner. I was saying it less when returning the third of my TACX Flux S in less than year.
What did you go for?
Same as you Alex, an Elite Direto, it's good to see you have a positive experience!
I'm quite excited to try it out, tonight if I manage to get it all set up in time.
I’m about to be found out on my current FTP because the dumb trainer has no hill resistance…I feel like I’ve been cheating!
power is power.
unless of course you were using zpower....
It’s worth reading the blurb and doing the calibration. For which you’ll need to read the number off the bottom of the unit. So do that before assembling it! Then download the app and it’s all pretty straightforward from there. I’ve used both the ANT and Bluetooth connectivity and they seem pretty consistent.
Oh the system to switch between QR and Thru Axle is very neat as well.
Cheers Alex!
Right. Need to get (significantly) fitter and lose the 3.5 stone I’ve put on the last 2 years of limited riding.
Where do I start with workouts/rides etc? To give an idea of my start point, I cruised round a bit last night at around 100w, lasted a bit less than 10 mins, finishing with a hard as I can for as long as I can effort of about 30ish seconds, reaching the dizzying heights of 450w 😂😭
Long way to go... any tips appreciated.
For now i'd stick with that...
Pick a course, say Watopia Hilly, then do a loop, will take 20-25 mins. Gives a different bit of terrain etc and you get to complete a course 🙂
Help needed for the smart trainer newbie 😉
So I set up the new smart trainer last night, eventually got it calibrated through the Elite app once the app decided to connect, all was good. Connected to Zwift easily using the trainer and a cadence sensor.
Set off and the flats felt too easy, like I was running out of gears and not really getting the watts I was expecting from previous sessions on the dumb trainer. I would be spinning at 80rpm and only having 150w-180w almost in my highest gears on the big ring, I'm on a cyclocross bike with 46/36 front rings and a 11-36 cassette. I got resistance on the hills as expected and this obviously slowed the avatar down, I was often left for dead especially up Box hill, but the watts went up accordingly.
So was the dumb trainer flattering me previously and this is actually my level, or is there something I'm missing? I kind of expected to be in the middle of the cassette on flats, do I need to use a road cassette, would it make any difference?
I have also done a spin down on Zwift to see if it changed anything, it didn't.
Tips / feedback appreciated, I'm thinking it may be a case of MTFU and start spinning faster and harder to hit the higher watts, I'm more of a masher than a spinner.
What trainer level setting are you all using in Zwift, 50%, 100%? Would this help?
50% or so for me.
Don't know about you particular trainer though. Does it have a calibration ? Do you have an FE-C option in the pairing menu etc ?
80rpm on a 46 with say even a 13-15 seems low for the power output, i'd be expecting to see 200+ maybe even 250-300 at that rpm in the smaller cogs.
@tomhoward if you have a turbo and Zwift, try joining a workout plan that meets your aims.
I'm on the final week of the TT Tune-Up workplan on Zwift, it's the first structured plan I've ever undertaken, it's helped give me a much more solid foundation coming into this year's outdoor season. Things got uncomfortable for me around end of week 5, because I can't hold ~140%+ of my FTP repeatedly for ~2mins+, so during some workouts I had to dial down the intervals requirements to realistic levels.
It's also helped me lose ~3Kg since the start of Jan, despite the silly amount of snacking I've been doing, for example (my worst sin) three 6-packs of hot cross buns most weeks, which is ~3000 Calories alone... Almost the equivalent of 0.45Kg of body fat.
https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts/tt-tuneup/
@tomhoward - I’ve use the FTP builder and now the Dirt Destroyer. I found the latter actually quite useful for MTB (lots of low cadence/high wattage work). Their is quite a lot of stuff on the web saying the Zwift plans are rubbish, but I definitely improved my FTP last year.
Without the structured training, I find Zwift a bit hard work. I don’t race so need some structure. I tend to switch between training plans and ‘hard’ group rides. I can never properly complete the training plans as they want 3-4 sessions a week and a lot of the time I’m travelling for work.
@oop north. Sounds odd. Did you get the calibration spot on? Mine was first time. Number on the unit matched the number on the App. I did get an increase in FTP over the month I’ve had the Elite. I don’t know if that’s a) a real increase b) the Flux was under-reading or c) (most likely) I changed the completely trashed BB bearings when I switched to the Elite.
The FTP upgrade wasn’t massive tho. Back to where i was last year. And now near that FTP (which is a somewhat miserly 256) I’m properly knackered so it feels about right.
Trainer difficultly 50%. On the 15% climb to the transmitter, defo noticed it was harder than the Flux which only went to 10% incline.
@Weeksy Yes I calibrated through the Elite app, it took a while for the app to find the trainer, on bluetooth, but once it did it seemed to calibrate ok. Like I say, I've also done a spin down on zwift too.
@Alex I know you have the same trainer, how does yours feel on flats? The calibration was 2 points off the number on the bottom, which they say is okay if within 3 points. I have the Direto OTS 2, so I'm not sure if it's a different model or not, I'm not sure how to adjust the numbers.
I am thinking the dumb trainer was giving my wrong results but it's more the watt output that bothers me, I feel I should be getting more at that RPM and the cogs I'm using.
@oopnorth - you have the new version. Ironically it’s meant to be more accurate I think. 2 points is fine.
Thinking about it, on the flats I’m in a 50T ring on the front (maybe a 48, can’t remember) and half way down the block (or maybe 1 higher) on a standard 32-11 set of ratios. I reckon I’d be pushing 85-90RPM and 200-230 watts if I was trying reasonably hard.
If I get a min today (before heading off to Spain Yay 🙂 ) I’ll try and confirm those numbers.
A quick google makes it seem like its a common issue, people saying its off by 50w compared to a power meter. They sound like similar problems to mine.
I'll delve further and probably contact Elite admin
Interesting, it looks like Tailwagger of this parish had exactly the same "issues" with his Direto as I do....
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/elite-direto-owners/
What sort of numbers were you and are you now producing and how much riding do you do?
The Zwift world is littered with people getting upset when getting a new accurate turbo compared to some that made the numbers up.
My Direto reads close enough to my 4i cranks when I run both.
I'd lean on the side the Direto is correct and you need to recalibrate your brain to accept the lower numbers unfortunately.
FTP of 250 is pretty good. Yes there are loads of people with a bigger number but stick most MTBers on a turbo you'll get lower numbers than that.
Make sure you have all 3 boxes linked to FEC if you're using ANT+. No idea what it should be on bluetooth.
I get that Tom, and that may well be the truth that I have to accept, but it just doesn't make sense with the wattage that is coming out on Zwift, compared to the rpm and gearing I'm using. A 80rpm on a 46/15 gearing should give more than 150w-180w on a flat course, before I was mid cassette easily hitting 250w-300w, yes I know it was a dumb trainer but it seems a large fall in power. I'm quite happy to accept the reality of being rubbish if it is accurate 🙂
I'm going to try an ANT+ connection and see if that helps, trying the FEC that you and Weeksy suggest.
Cheers.