STW Zwift Race Series 3 – Winter

17:03 for me as well Nick….depending on how I feel in my warm up, I may well swap to MTB just for the hell of it.

I’ve put all the numbers I can into the Best Bike Split tool and it’s predicting a time of 22:01, numbers don’t look too bad really when looking at distance: 200-236W for the first 4km, then up to 250w to the 5th Km then the 300W for the 3km climb with a drop to 272w for the last 200m or so for some reason (probably because I’ll be puking).

Its when you look at the time and its saying I’ll be at 300w for 11 minutes that is more worrying, according to Zwift my best 5m effort is 299W……. hmmm

I’ve signed up to the 1700 TT to give this course a bash although I’ve woken up today feeling a bit ropey so we’ll see how the afternoon goes. It may well just be a slow pootle/recce rather than any real effort.

Looks like my start time is 1700 so be sure to wave as you pass me 😉

I have a great race plan for next Tuesday, go as fast as I can, die on the hill (probably before halfway) and crawl to the end as everyone passes 😉

I’ve not done a TT or Bologna so it’s going in cold for me as I can’t make the recce ones today.

@Nick what FTP is that data based on?

Didn’t realise there was a chance of a recce ride, signed up with a start time of 17:03. Did my first ever TT on Zwift on this course, 2 laps too so it was brutal! Will have to try out my tactic of going relatively easy on the flat and first half of the climb then attacking the last km or so to the top before recovering on the way down and a full-gas effort back along the flat to the finish. I can then play with the timings of the efforts for Tuesday.

Is everyone nervous as it is a TT or is it the short length of the course that means people have time to practice? Don’t normally see this much on recceing the course!

Has anyone done a race with the Seaside Sprint course before? If so and you have a GPX of it can you let me know? If not I can ride it myself but just helps to gather the route profile!

https://zwiftinsider.com/route/seaside-sprint/

before recovering on the way down and a full-gas effort back along the flat to the finish

The event finishes at the top of the hill so you don’t need to save anything for going back along he flat!

Also if anyone gets bored at the weekend have a go on the Repack Ridge course as well and let me know your time. Don’t forget to make a note of how much you score out of 10 to account for the time deduction for not hitting every star.

https://zwiftinsider.com/find-zwifts-new-mountain-bike-steering-course/

@oopnorth 269

Thanks Nick, good to know so I can see where I kind of need to be.

@robbo1234biking

yeah I think its all of those, there’s an event today a few days before the main event, its short, never done a TT before, watched that Shane Miller video and had a play with Best Bike Split etc

@robbo1234biking I’ve done Seaside Sprint a few times.

4 Laps
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1066320
https://www.strava.com/activities/4069902032

6 Laps
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=680681
https://www.strava.com/activities/3393524064

7 Laps
https://www.strava.com/activities/4206998110
https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1127063

That will change things, thought it was up and back to the start. Only doing a recce as I have little to no experience of a TT race, plus it’s added incentive to get on the turbo this evening. Will do the TT then go for a spin in one of the other worlds afterwards for a bit.

@nixie can you download a GPX of one of those and send it to me. I will PM you my email address. I cant download a GPX from your activities I don’t think?

@robbo1234biking with regard the recce’ing, it’s purely because i’d never ridden it and you can’t ride it unless you enter an event. Many of the other routes we’re already familiar with through normal rides/routes, but this has quite a climb to deal with and it’s good to know how steep it will be. Also, I guess most of us don’t do TTs very often.

[Awaits an MTB race up the Alpe for the next series…]

Well the competitiveness on this series has been turned up a notch! I’m all for it, provided we still manage to have a bit of fun and get fitter in the process. Looking out the window today there’s no way I would be out for a spin in the real world otherwise this weekend.

As for Tuesday, I’ve asked my son to sit behind me shouting encouragement through one of his walkie-talkies a la Mark Madiot.

Awaits an MTB race up the Alpe for the next series…

I’m not that cruel! I can categorically state that there will never be a race up the Alpe…now Ventoux on the other hand…

If anyone else wants a recce but cannot make tonight, the Herd Stampede Mon @ 19:05 is a TT on Bologna.

Robbo are you updating handicaps through out the series? As Zwift gave me an upgrade last night and I have lost 1.5k on chubb club.

Reasons for doing a recce….

– never done any form of TT, let along a Zwift one
– want to get the lie of the land for the format. Probably all sorted by Zwift by would like to have some familiarity with it.
– can’t do the course unless in an event.

I can categorically state that there will never be a race up the Alpe…now Ventoux on the other hand…

You say that like ventoux is betterer

We should update as we go as folks newish to the race scene may find their ftp quickly increases when caught up in the race action. Or may have too low of a reading in the first place.

Alternatively could have lost a whole heap of form over Xmas, or lose a big chunk of weight or gain it over the next 5 weeks. Probably no need declare changes of small amounts 1 to 3w though, unless you do that every race for 4 weeks and you’ve crept up from the start point by 10/12watts or so.

@mjhes – happy to accept FTP/weight changes as and when they happen. As kirky says don’t worry about 1 to 2w but if this builds up over a couple of weeks then it would be worth mentioning.

i think handicaps have always been updated as the series goes on.
much to my disadvantage!!!

DrP

want to get the lie of the land for the format. Probably all sorted by Zwift by would like to have some familiarity with it.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised, as far as zwift and formats etc goes TT is actually very accomplished.

TT is actually very accomplished.

By which he means it makes you suffer and suffer and suffer….

I’ll be doing the Fast Fridays ITT on an MTB if it allows – partly because I’ve never done an ITT before, but also I need to find out how quickly I can do the course as on Tuesday I need to get finished before 7.30

It should do Phil. Last time I did it, I could pick any bike from the garage.

Phil you’ll be looking at 20mins to 22mins maximum I think.

On Tuesday I need to be well inside 22 mins if possible – my start time is 7.08 – I need to find out if that’s feasible.

3.5W/Kg average takes ~20mins, on either a TT bike or the Tarmac Pro or Tron (I didn’t note the bike) at a pretty even power on all sections.

At least it did in Nov 2019.

10 people having a practice run to tonight!

Shame we can’t arrange a meetup on Bologna for a Sunday hills…

Well that’s a different course on a mtb.

There is no flat

So pain all the way then?? Ouch

That’s a bastard hard course.

I actually stopped dead at one point in the hill before I remembered I have a front mech.

3.9wkg/317w average. 20.54.

I’m praying for some weight loss when I weigh in tomorrow!

Managed it in 22:45, lost a bit of time when I got a phone call about 2/3 of the way up the bastard climb but couldn’t have gone much faster so actually quite pleased with that. 261w average, 3.2w/kg, 135th.

It was good having the plan from Best Bike Splits as trying to keep the power where it should be minute by minute, km by km was a distraction from the unpleasantness of it all, will use it again on Tuesday and see if I can get closer to 22 minutes.

First time I’ve ridden that course – it’s brutal, but kind of fun!!
18.30, average 370 watts/4.4W/KG – and got a bloody FTP increase, which is the last thing I need!!!

Was everyone on an MTB?

I was on an MTB – saw a couple of others including you I think Nick?