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@weeksy - today's a rest day. Tomorrow night is an FTP test around the volcano route - see if I can set a new PR time while I'm at it. 😀
Get those demons under control hey Nath 😀
How much longer have you got the Stages?
I see that il pinguino, my nemesis in the STW Zwifters weekly distance league, has outdone me once again! 😉
Probably an easy spin around the Pretzel for me tonight unless I MTFU and get out for a ride.
Tomorrow night is an FTP test around the volcano route - see if I can set a new PR time while I'm at it.
TT bike and 808's 8)
I might do the KISS race this evening - not sure yet though as my legs are slightly tight from a 10K race yesterday. Might just do one of the FTP builder sessions.
Clearly the TT is the fastest outright bike... but is it as fast as being able to draft on a longer route like the volcano?TT bike and 808's
Also, is it the bike to go for when going for the green jersey? I suppose you [i]might[/i] be able to get a draft on a normal bike at exactly the key moment, but you'd need a bit of luck!
Clearly the TT is the fastest outright bike... but is it as fast as being able to draft on a longer route like the volcano?
Well that's what i was getting at earlier when talking about times up Box Hill. If the route is sufficiently busy and you're jumping from draft to draft I reckon it's quicker on the road bike. Volcano route is pretty busy.
crosshair - Member
Get those demons under control hey Nath
How much longer have you got the Stages?
Yeah - I'm going to do a 10 min warm up. Reset/calibrate everything then start the 45 min ftp test using both the vortex (mio) & stages (zwift).
I've just renewed it for 1 more month..not sure whether to buy one or not...£450 is a lot of money right now 😆
I have a Cervello S5 with Enve's on now 🙂
(And a Triban 5 IRL 😀 )
@Nath- you could give yourself a treat when you sort a job out 😉
I started off with a nice cruisey pedal.... then found myself around the volcano and thought "i wonder what lap time i can do on my own....?"... It seems clockwise is 6mins 13 for 6th and STW on todays leaderboard..... "hmmmm what about the other direction..." It seems it's 6m 09min for 6th on the leaderboard for the STW team.... I then cruised round some more and thought "ooooh here's the village sprint"... I put STW 7th... LOL....
I then thought "damn, what are you doing you crazy boy...." and took it easy 🙂
Looks like I'm about to enter my first Zwift race, tonight's KISS at 8pm (Cat D). Provided Mrs. Pierre is home in time for both of us to put the little one to bed and I can get the bike set up in time.
Silly question, but what else do I need to do...?
- registered on Zwiftpower.com and linked that profile to my Zwift and Strava accounts
- changed my surname on my Zwift profile to [surname] KISS (D)
- logged in on Mobile Link, found the race and added myself to it
Then, I'm hoping I can get everything set up, ride around for a bit as a warm up, and then... do I get magically teleported to the start of the race as it starts, or is there something else I need to do?
@weeksy - ah you're doing it CCW?
I have to do circuits clockwise, unless I'm forced CCW, my tiny brain can't compute it. 😆
5:10 is tomorrow nights target.. https://www.strava.com/segments/14032406
I tried both directions.
.hen, I'm hoping I can get everything set up, ride around for a bit as a warm up, and then... do I get magically teleported to the start of the race as it starts, or is there something else I need to do?
Anytime within 30 min of race start a new button wikk appear when you press anywhere on screen. When you get to within 5 min of start time it auto takes you there into start pen.
When the countdown hits 0s be on a decent pedalling power, its weird in that way, if you wait, you'll be on 0w, everyone else on 300+
5:10 is tomorrow nights target..
Was that 5:14 off Vortex power or Stages power? What was the difference between the two?
mrblobby -Was that 5:14 off Vortex power or Stages power? What was the difference between the two?
Stages. Probably be 4:30 with the Vortex 😆
do I get magically teleported to the start of the race as it starts, or is there something else I need to do?
Before the race starts (30 mins I think, might be shorter) a button appears on screen to take you to the holding pen. You can ignore it if you want, but at about 5 mins to go then it'll tell you it's taking you there unless you click not to.
In the holding pen you're on a virtual turbo so you can still warm up and give people the evils with some intervals, etc.
Then as the countdown comes, (and assuming you're properly racing) start gunning it with the aim to be pretty much at full sprint when the counter hits zero, because otherwise you'll miss the fast train. Hang on until it either slows back to a more rational pace, or doesn't but you blow up horrifically and disappear out the back as if someone just pulled a parachute brake on you.
Good 5 minute effort that 8)
mrblobby - Member
Good 5 minute effort that
Thanks! If I used the FTP 8 mins x .9 on that ride I'd be a very happy bunny!
(367 x .9 = 330)
https://www.strava.com/activities/843039476#20552684898
@weeksy, theotherjonv - thanks! Great advice, and something that would have no doubt flummoxed me if I didn't know. I'll try it tonight and report back tomorrow. 🙂
Good luck Pierre !
@nathb some good numbers there, just out of reach for me. Panagua used to be called Bigfoot, my local shop and club.
BRS TT tomorrow night for me, and then more training the rest of the week.
Nowhere to hide on the volcano flat track is there...
Managed to hang on with the main group in KISS C until the last KM and then it all fell apart. Lost about 6 spots in the sprint. 14th on the live results...
I did the EVR cat C, rode in a group all if the way for the first time ever, big difference from the near solo kiss races. Was a STWer in the group John Lightfoot, I just held him off on the line, finished on same time. Good race.
That was me. Great race. Completely different to the last KISS race. Cracking group that stuck together near enough the whole way. Thought I'd lost it up the last big climb as I got dropped but managed to catch a random group and got a tow back to the group and on towards the finish but just got pipped in the sprint. Most enjoyable race I've done on there without doubt.
How did you get the STW tag on Zwift power?
go to your profile and type STW where is says team.
and then you should show up on here:
http://www.zwiftpower.com/team.php?id=756
bugger. got an upgrade tag. 3.4 W/Kg.
no wonder I've only just stopped feeling sick...
Cheers. I'm in. Well done on the upgrade!
I lost the other 2 in the group when you dropped back, you were 15s back at one point and then 20s ahead, you did well to get back and they where only a few seconds ahead of us in the end. That bloke who joined us for a while came from nowhere then then he zoomed off on the big climb and finished minutes ahead.
@jambo surely an upgrade tag is a good thing! Nice work 🙂
Yep. Although not sure how riders in the same group for the entire race managed to sneak under the limit. I was sitting in as much as I could.
The 'winner' crossed the line 2s behind me.
Definitely got lucky catching the group that came past. I wasn't getting back without them. Then all of a sudden, turned a bend and you lot were there and then I flew past but couldn't quite sustain it and you came back and held me off at the line. Quite nice to finish on the same time after riding together for the best part of the race. Cracking ride that. Will try and do more of the EVRs now.
Smarter not harder Jam bo 😉
The 2nd placed B in KISS EU last Tuesday only used 3.3 🙂
Yeah. I get that but not sure where I could have saved a lot. Only one spot where I put in what I'd say unnecessary effort in when I went for a flyer up the climb out of the tunnel on the last lap but couldn't hold the 3-4s gap I pulled on the main group. Apart from that I was just about hanging on the rest of the time and had bugger all left for the sprint.
You almost need to meter out every pedal stroke. Use real life tactics. Only move forward on someone's wheel, never take pulls on the front, attack every rise or small hill full gas, do the bare minimum on the downs and bridge across to the next bunch the second you have recovered.
And slaughter the start- with an Aero PU. (EVR are KISS rules aren't they?).
This was the KISS C race. Strava scan is complete and adjusted me down to 3.1. I reckon I'll get 2nd place once the results finalise.
I was just happy to be able to stick with the lead group for most of the race. Just wish I had a bit more left at the finish as I lost nearly 7 places and 7 seconds in the last 750m. Felt like I was going backwards.
Well that was interesting.
I was on the line about 14 minutes ahead of race start, so did some little sprint intervals and generally kept the legs moving, started upping the power with about 20 seconds to start and somehow managed to jump away from the group in first place at about 400W!
...only for about five seconds though, I was quickly caught and there followed about two minutes of "this is stupid, I can't keep this power up for ten minutes, let alone an hour" before things calmed down a bit and I hung on to the front pack. Although not for long, I got dropped about 2/3 way round the first lap, but ended up in a... whatever the opposite of breakaway is, just two of us about 40s behind the lead group but about 1m ahead of the grupetto.
And that was the way it stayed for a lap and a half, more or less. C Stoddart of Canada and I traded places and the gaps stayed the same to the front and the group behind, although something started feeling a bit weird half-way through the second lap. There's a tiny rise in the road on the way toward the volcano and my power numbers started dropping - I could feel the rear tyre slipping on the turbo. I knew I'd pumped it up and wondered if I'd forgotten to adjust the roller tension or something. It didn't seem to happen on the flat and as long as I kept an even pedal movement without jerking it was fine, but anything over about 250W and it started slipping.
Anyway, Stoddart and I stayed together (though he seemed to be on my wheel more than I was on his!) until he dropped me about 2km from the finish - we were both upping the pace and I just couldn't stop the tyre slipping, so I ended up finishing about 10s behind him, knackered but pretty pleased with how I'd done.
And then I checked the turbo and found I had a flat tyre... bugger. How the hell do you get a puncture on a turbo? I'll find out later.
And it looks like I've got a UPG disqualification with a not-quite believable 3.04 W/kg (I think the flat tyre may have affected the turbo's power reading, I didn't have the Stages on today), but I'm not complaining too much. Looking forward to the next time!
Thanks all for your help so far. 🙂
looks like strava has adjusted you down a bit, enough to not get an UPG tag but zwiftpower doesnt seem to have recognised this. looks like you should be in 7th in D. not bad with a flat.
i got my first trophy!
I had a drafting boost at the start for the first time, made the manic start much easier until I cruised in to 2nd.
@Pierre, some soft compound racing tyres don't play nicely with turbo/rollers, they heat up and the tube bursts - could be a possible puncture source.
@Pierre: I've had multiple punctures on my turbo. No idea why!
Good work jam bo! And thanks for the info - at time of typing, I'm still UPG, I guess Zwiftpower's still importing data. And yes, I feel like I need to work out how to save some energy for the finish.
@fifeandy, thanks - this was a Vittoria turbo tyre, the red one. I'll have a look at it tomorrow.
@ Jambo, 3rd mate, bloody good work.
@Pierre, i've raced and ridden with Stoddart before too 🙂 We had a cracking battle once upon a tiem 🙂
What's the plans for everyone today ?
I'm on an enforced rest day as i couldn't get over to Luton at the weekend to see my mum, so off over today instead. Which means i won't be home until 8pm or so... So no riding..Which is a good thing.
Tomorrows plan is Parkwood and pushing to or even past 1hr 30min on the turbo.
My legs don't actually feel too bad (perhaps I wasn't trying hard enough!) so I'm actually contemplating the KISS Europe at 8:05. In cat C, just to experience what being fully shelled out the back feels like, probably.
btw, the puncture appeared to be a random rupture of the inner tube at the join. Let's hope tonight goes better...