Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

Did my usual MGCC race this morning and was in pretty good form. It was 2 laps of London loop so have to pace yourself for double box hill. I was in the lead group from start to finish and talking to the ride leader over discord the guys i was with are very good riders. Both box hills were pretty full on, first climb done in 7:27 and second lap pretty similar so quite a hot pace. It was a 4 way sprint for the line and i just got pipped by a bike length so ended up 2nd in Cat B and actually 5th in the entire race. I felt fine after the race like i still had some in the tank which makes a nice change.

5th overall.... Damn... Good going. Got to be happy with that.

Not as great as it sounds weeksy, turns out there were only 3 cat A riders!

Mr Blobby went out today and burned 800calories per hour on a Z2 ride.

240 😮 😀

I can do 242 in Z2 nowadays too 🙂

[img] [/img]

Hmmm. Half tempted to try A's this evening. I wonder how CVR are calculating points now with staggered starts? Will I get more points for mid pack A than top 1/3rd B I wonder....

First guy I BC stalked is a Cat 2 with 7 points so perhaps B would be better after all 😆

Is there a way i can work out what my zones parameters are by using zwift? I am considering some structured training but not entirely sure how i calculate my zones.

Just enter your ftp and then in the workouts, your zones will be set.

Or enter your 20 min power in here:

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/20120925-Power-Calculator-0

I can do 242 in Z2 nowadays too

Fair point well made 🙂

Although hopefully Nath will confirm the sighting of bent elbows at Hillingdon yesterday 😀

Until nath does actually confirm that then you crosshair will still be called The Windmill. Thanks for the link will give that a try later, will it work out my possible HR zones?

Yes and power.

Yep, elbows were bent when we weren’t just cruising. Zwift drafting is often called unrealistic, but behind CH yesterday I was doing like 1/2 the watts as him to keep in his draft. Some of the numbers were mental!

I think KISS looking good tonight! It’s been a tough day at work and I’m on the train due to weather so up for venting some frustration out on the track 😆

I think the Zwift draft is unrealistic because nobody actually picks up the tab for being on the front 😆

The A bunch is usually 30mph and that took you 444w yesterday. When is anyone in a Zwift race cruising that high on the flat? It's usually 290-340 when I watch the stream.

Thanks to the obvious limitations of physics, I couldn't get anywhere near the benefit when following you 😆 Yet on Zwift, I can tuck in behind any old bean pole.

Crosshair - i went on that link and worked out my power zones easily enough but what figure needs to go in the FTHR box? Is that my max hr or my avg for the 20 minute ftp test?

Your 20minute HR mate. Not adjusted at all, just the average as is.

Yeah but I’m not exactly a fish when it comes to aeroness!

Some really good results there guys well done! (Sorry just been catching up on this incredibly fast moving thread!!)

Finished work way later than expected so cutting the KISS race fine - currently rushing to get home and sorted for it! See ya’ll out there!! (Hopefully)

Good luck Nath, hope you make it! I think it's got to be B's for me, I'm scared I'll get dropped in A's 😆

Zwift and my heart rate monitor were freaking out 5 mins prior to the race - annoying as I actually had 15 mins to do a proper warm up...

Anyway joined the line with 60s to go and the rest was history! No idea where I came but that was fun!! Heart rate back up to 201!! Always a good sign.

https://www.zwiftpower.com/race.php?id=14518

Must be a glitch in the matrix Nath...

I was in the same race but in the C's, lined up, warmed up, feeling good, as soon as the gun went everyone disappeared, no other riders showing at all...

Kept going hard for a lap thinking people will eventually reappear but nothing....

I had the opposite last night. Loads of people racing, barely any in the results.

That was eventful!! As I was warming up, everyone realised that the event module was missing!! Zwift were having server problems.

As the start time approached, Nath text me to say he was in! Nothing to lose (the B race was 3 minutes later) so I risked logging out and in. Yes! In with 90seconds to go!!

Without a proper warmup (I had resigned myself to not starting) the start was brutal!
First lap was tough just to hang with the group. I sagged the bunch by doing just enough to get to the front and then drifting back. Still, any time the road went up, the attacks came and it was painful. HR was in the 180's each time. 1 lap down and I was still in the lead bunch.

Lap two and things got worse and I just tried my best to lower my HR wherever possible and then get a run up for the little gradients. A few attacks went but it's so tough to outrun a group this fast.

Last lap then and things eased off as people looked at each other. Turning in away from the river with about 4 miles left, things hotted up but luckily I felt better all of a sudden! A couple of mins of subtle recovery had done the trick. Goal now was simple- cover EVERYTHING.

Sure enough, moves started and things strung out. With my sugar fuelled afterburners kicking in, I was holding my own and got the sense that people were fading. On one of the downhills, a really savage attack came so I burried myself to cover the move. HR was now in the 190's.
Music cranked up and legs flying, I realised people were drifting backwards. This was ace! I had used a Power Up each lap but was sat on an Aero so I bided my time. I knew at this speed, 0.5miles would be about 1 minute so I waited. HOLD!!!

With one DQ and a ZP guy away, I was in a small group. 3,2,1 launch and hold!!! Hitting the space bar, I drilled it but not too hard. All the intervals paid off- I knew exactly how to pace this. Sat on 500w or so I had a 7 second gap so just kept it where I was. Max was only 720 for the race.

Second place 8)

Nice one! Well done CH!

All that sugar helping? 8)

Pity ZPers aren’t DQ’d from B races too! Were you with the A’s then? We had a massive group this evening, very difficult to pull away, tried a couple of times 😆

I did pop a caffeine gel. Those berry ones are tasty!! Thanks again 😀

Nah, we started at 20.03

well done all who raced - at least for getting off yer arses & riding ( 😳 )

WaH for me tomorrow so my luch break will be a race I think

CH - you saying that the power-ups last for 60 seconds ? (I'd have guessed at 20-30)

No, the aero is about 30 but I wanted to have it for the last bit of uphill before the roundabout.

I had 7 seconds lead by the time it ran out....

...and just looking, I covered that 1/2 mile a bit quicker than 1 minute anyhow lol

Ah, I see - wouldn't you be better off having the aero on a flat bit where you're travelling at a higher speed (or isn't that how it works) ?

(and)

can you still draft somebody who's got an aero going ?

[img] [/img]

Possibly, I just figured that getting the jump and the surprise was more important. Yep you get epic draft! Leap frogging someone else using a PU is great tactics 🙂

Good power, that - I do a workout now & then that asks for about 600w for 30 seconds and that's HARD for me, especially the last couple (and that's with 150w recovery in-between)

1 min PB is 660 but not at the end of a race 😆

At my weight, the Thruxton Crits usually need 550w or so for the last 1 minute for me to be anywhere close to the top ten.

Just because I'm still buzzing on caffeine gel, here's Thruxton for comparison. Uphill to the line so a little slower but actually VERY similar.

[img] [/img]

I can’t belive you used a caffeine gel st 8pm, you nutter!

Little disappointed in my place, I could have given more.. not following my own advice here 😆

Well, 19.30 to be fair 😆 I was half asleep so needed a kick!

Just for the banter, that's an 18% improvement in finishing spot since my last KISS B race on 21st September. I'd say that was structured training for the win, no? 😀 😆

HArd to argue with that really.

Might have been the gel. Could it be a 36% improvement next time if you take two?

I'm going for the 11.20am Volcano WBR Fire race today. It's only a short one being 4 laps of the CCW, but i can extend the warmup and cool down to make it into a reasonable length. Will be interesting to see if i can push myself harder knowing it's over in a short time.
Not the biggest capacity field at the moment, but posssibly after last night with your KISS issues, that's not a bad thing.

The whole event module dropped out! Even the mobile app said "no more events today" I think the preceding race got lost altogether!

I'm wondering about that 11.20 too. Had a couple of weeks of just gente riding while I've had a cold; not sure that'll be a very gentle reintroduction though. May need a dropout to save me

I'm hoping the 25-27 mins is the saviour. 4 laps at 5.30-6min and an intro.

I've had 1.5 days of rest, so i should be on half decent form, but i'm struggling at the moment as we know with the high intensity stuff, so this will be hopefully ideal for that.

Can anyone advise me on what i did wrong to not end up racing last night?
Went into garage at 6.30, turned everything on to make sure it was updated etc. Went back into house, entered 7.35 4 lap race via app on phone. Then went back down at 7.25, started pedaling round London expecting to be dumped into the starting pen around 7.30, but nothing. Phone tells me your race has started but pc just shows me riding round. Am confused.

sounds like the whole thing was struggling yesterday; unlikely to be anything you did or didn't do (other than be lucky enough to notice early and log out/in)

Yep, what scaredypants said. That was the race that got lost. It was only because Nath text me to say he'd gotten into KISS that I had time to log out and get back in again.

OK, ta

If it makes you feel better Mos, this is the first time in a long long time.

Loads of people were disappearing from the screen for me yesterday evening - their end seemed to be struggling. There were also an unusual amount of people (50% of riders?) in basic dark grey + zwift logo kit, which might be a fallback graphic if the data from the servers to the clients is struggling.

Was showing 3.5K active users at one point.

3000 riders online last night, not sure whether that's the anaerobic threshold for the Zwift servers but I hope it's not a regular occurrence!

Winter is upon us, it's not going to get better in the numbers in that context. I'm hoping Zwift realise some of their mistakes from previous winter and up their capacity.

Currently only 843 on-line, so daytime could be the optimal.

Weeksy that 11:20 race is showing as a 25 miler, am i missing something as that isnt a short race? The 11:00 EVR is much shorter and its on the road to ruin course.

Not on the mobile App it's not mate... its showing as 4 Volcano CCW.

But yes.... on ZP it's showing as 25.. Hmmmm

App's usually more accurate IME

I dunno now, i'm provisionally entered in both... If i wait for the 4CCW at 11.20 though and it's 41km and i'm going off at <6 min laps, i'll die a long long time before the end.

hmmm, haven't had a proper go on the new bit - field's a bit bigger too
we'll see how quick I can get ready to go
#inforboth

The new one has a hill... .a BIG hill...Big hill = last place for weeksy.

doesn't look all that steep weeksy, just longish (or is that worse?)

LOL if it's not flat, i'm screwed... Sod it though, i've not ridden that one before, i'll race that with you... well, not WITH you... but in the same race 🙂

I am in for the EVR race at 11:05 so hoping i am ready in time.

I'm ready, just watchingg what may be the last 10 mins of Walking Dead... if it doesn't improve in the next 10 mins it's getting deleted from my planner.

well, not WITH you... but in the same race

Good luck!!

42 points for last nights effort 8)

I missed the start by one minute due to Yodel turning up with a parcel as i was heading to the garage. He took an absolute age to get it out the van, i was cursing under my breath and then realised i should be thankful its turned up as its Yodel.

FFS lads, don't ever make me race that layout again !

What happend to "Just 1 short hill"

I think i'm dying !

I take your point weeksy, that hill's a bit of a grind !

Did OK, and think I nearly got to the first crest with the grown-ups. Rode round with a group of 4, then 5, then 4. 3rd in that sprint; had nothing.

Garage floor tells a story too 😀 :

[img][url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4530/24391517168_4be5f078ce.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4530/24391517168_4be5f078ce.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/DaoUgs ]IMG_20171108_115828[1][/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/23823661@N05/ ]scaredypants[/url], on Flickr[/img]

To be fair though, it was a cracking race. Full of battles, position changes, i'd pull out 5-6s on a couple of riders, 5 mins later they were 10s ahead of me, i'd catch them again, we'd ride together then 1 of us would pull away.... then get caught.

In the end we were doing the lower volcano bit and the 2 lads i was with pulled 3s on me.... I clawed it back just before the tunnel back the the island and with 1km to go i pulled the pin ! i pulled out 30m on them with 500m to go.... i was dying and putting out 450w..... looked at their figures and Shap was pulling 650w ! Noooooo. I pinned it again with 200m to go and got 600w or so to hold him off by 5m ! I died shortly after and collapsed on the floor.

Had you never ridden it before! It's savage 😀

Well done Weeksy, a nice few ups and downs in the power trace 🙂

I did a gentle loop of it about 3-4 days ago but was sticking with 180-200w so you don't really notice how hard.... Once the up was done, it seemed to be flat for a bit then just a steady 2-3% everywhere... I was dying ! I had peaks and troughs in my efforts, just grinding out 200w at one stage, then finding 270w again for a bit... On the downhill we caught and passed a couple... on a few climbs we found a few who were bailing..

Can't see how i could have put in more effort in honesty.

Top effort Weeksy!

Hopefully will do the Chop at 7pm this evening. That’ll be a new format for me.

my group was ded cagey - baseline power was maybe about 225 but they kept surging and one was a little (54kg) Japanese guy who was away on every little lump

(it's like a different race for those guys, blazing up the hills and struggling on the flat - I think he was the antiweeksy !)

Weeksy- I did mean ups and downs as a compliment btw 😉 Some good variability there.

78 points from last night 🙂

1st & 2nd got 261 and 202 respectively!

Tonight's a rest/commute then may try KISS tomorrow eve depending on the course, anyone joining? The Flat race was pretty identical to Crits bar the HUGE efforts required to just stick with people...

Garage floor tells a story too

Wow! Good haul Nath!!!

There's some serious talent in that pool too Nath. Like Cat1 level- so it should have been tough 😉

You did Mathew Burton TFC in the sprint by the looks and he's been doing ok in the Tacx Crit series!

lol tough crowd, -9 points for today