STW Zwift Race Series 3 – Winter

Camera from behind, clever.

I’ve found the SPotify playlist “run’n;bass” doesn’t get flagged (in the UK)….

Righto..as it’s just a short race tonight, anyone fancy a group spin after at 2000?#
I’ll happily ping a meetup to the group…
Maybe “sand and seqioas” as a flattish low tempo ride?

DrP

Yeah that sounds good DrP, count me in.

Think you have sent the invite out for 18:30 DrP! Trying to tire people out in advance?!

Lol post race at 18:30

invite sent out..let me know if you’ve not got one..

DrP

(also, corrected to say 2000..)

Thanks DrP – I’ve accepted

So glad this is short race of pain, once again I’m feeling wiped, despite taking things mostly easy after last Tuesday’s race. Hoping to continue the run of improving my best 20min effort each week as I’ve managed for the past three, but just like last week, I far from feel capable of anything much an hour before the race start!

Can I have an invite please? Not sure I’ll make it after the race but a warm down sounds good.

please can you re send an invite Dr P.

Same here please.

i’ve invited all the XX “STW” Zwifters following me…

Jsut look for “DrP STW” and follow moi…

then i can invite..

DrP

Unfortunately can’t make the post ride cool down, although I may not have the lungs or legs after anyway 🤣🤣

I need a new turbo.

What has happened to your turbo?
Maybe we should recommend what we have?
I have a Xplova noza s, works pretty well, currently being repaired tho, Bluetooth connection doesn’t work 😭

Tried to join post ride but too late… barely turning legs over so probably best.

That was brutal.

That did not go well 😂

Tried to join the post race ride but had missed the start by about an hour I think (the auto join was both a blessing and a curse, making me get off the trainer to decline).

Think I crawled home in 54th

Thst was horrific. Who was in the group that covered aprx 30th to 38th? We did well!

That’s the hardest, shortest race or event that I’ve done, if that makes sense – definitely feel worse than after the TT. I think it’s the short lap and close racing that mentally drags a bit more out of you.

Pretty much fell/crawled off the bike, tried to join the post ride meet up but barely got the energy to lock the garage up! Well done all!

Yuk…legs not feeling that after yesterday

**** me. What a start!! Despite doing 300+ out the gate I soon found myself right at the back and had to then sprint at 500 for WAY too long to get back onto Robbo’s group, which pretty much ruined me (then we got dropped and it was just us!) Was basically just hanging on from then on & let him and R. Manwaring (who dat? 😀 thanks tho 👍) drag me till I let them go after the last hill! (Side note… whoever said you can’t draft on an MTB could not be more wrong cos I just wheelsucked like a **** all the way round 🤣🤣)

So that’s what it feels like when you’re properly rested! Enjoyed that, managed to hang on to the second group rather than getting dropped straight away and limping to the end. Enjoyed the sprint up the hill at the front of the group but couldn’t keep it going on the descent so couldn’t get away, then didn’t quite have the legs for the sprint. On previous races when I’ve been tired I’ve not managed an average higher than 240w while tonight I did 281 so happy with that. Might even get a new ftp out of it.

Who was in the group that covered aprx 30th to 38th?

👋

Punching well above my (power to) weight in that group. Tried to get away on last downhill but no dice, came 37th.

FTP up by 5 to 285W. That might be the last time I see points in this series

I’m impressed you guys know who you’re racing with and can remember, I’m just trying not to collapse.

Cracking race with whoever I was riding with and kudos to the guy who held off my attempt at a sprint.

Really thought I was going to puke afterwards.

Thanks again Robbo, top series.

Enjoyed that…felt better than I thought it would and was expecting to blow up at some stage…so was probably a bit too cautious and slightly kicking myself for not trying to catch Steve (I think) and Lee when they created a gap. I thought we would get them back with the group but was wrong

Went for the sprint at the final corner and took the win in the group…surprised myself!

Goes quick doesn’t it but they are very addictive.
Soooooo…anyone fancy doing the Aussie double header one at 7:05am and 7:30am tomorrow morning?? 😜😜

Not sure how but I somehow managed an FTP increase despite my efforts to do as little work as possible. Only, Zwift being Zwift I don’t actually know what my new FTP is.

Hugely please with the blistering attack which netted me a frankly glorious 44th(?) place.

Lap 4 I picked up a feather and was thinking of holding on to it for the last lap but going in to the climb I saw someone catching, then passing our little group at a rate of knots.

So I rode the first half of the climb pretty hard then popped the feather to catch/hold the wheel of Nelson(?) over the top and then wheelsucked for a lap to get a lead on the 4 or 5 riders I’d been with.

After that it was a case of hanging on to those lapping me and managing my decline!

That absolutely killed me. Tried to join Dr P’s warm down ride but within a few seconds I knew I couldn’t do any more than just turn the pedals, so bowed out and just spun for 20 mins, struggled to get above 140w for all of it!!

Definitely burned everything I had in that race, the start was brutal! Saw everyone just disappear, caught a few out by surprise as 30 seconds in there was a fast few who shot past me like I was standing still. Managed to keep my power up for every lap so picked up places slowly throughout the race and pinched myself up the climb and through the rollers so have been rewarded by a big increase in FTP. Was 237 now 257. That’s a jump of 27 since race 1, over 11% more. Does that knock me up a category? Hope not!

anyone fancy doing the Aussie double header one at 7:05am and 7:30am tomorrow morning?

I’ve done that before… it’s genuinely very unpleasant 😃

@snotrag and @jimdubleyou I was knocking around with you guys. It was a good effort.

I had trainer lag after a few laps in mind, the downs and ups were being felt the wrong way around which really doesn’t help. Bloomin thing.

@zilog6128 is it bad yeah? I’m thinking one might be ok but then the next 4 laps could hurt.

Alternatively there is a 6 lap ZHQ crit event at 7-30am too…I think I’ve become addicted and will turn into @weeksy 🤣🤣

Well that was hard, but good. Got more out of myself than I expected having not felt 100% for a few days – amazing what a race brings out of you.

Didn’t mess up the start for a change but missed a break with a faster group, couldn’t catch them and was in no-mans-land for a while so eased off a tiny bit to the group behind with oopnorth, euain, steve clowes, jack and a few others I think (sorry I can barely remember my own name when I’m blowing out my ass).

Stayed in the group for a bit but saw Steve getting a little break a few times so pushed it to follow him and we got a break from the group. The rest of the race was spent trying to hang on!

Thanks all it really is the highlight of my week just now and of course to the main man Robbo for sorting it.

Oh and another FTP increase from 238 – 241.

Thanks everyone for joining in tonight.

Onto the results. These are provisional in case I have made any mistakes. Please let me know.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QPxMGqez2VsN-4mD17f90t06NzqSLMMoGe4cUEK1E3U/edit#gid=607126857

Cat A:
1. benman
2. Drp
3. phil56

Cat B:
1. kirky72
2. w00dster
3. J-R

Cat C:
1. Haloric Jr
2. oopnorth
3. Haloric

Cat D:
1. crust
2. lewisdeacon
3. whirld

Overall Race Winner (with handicaps)
1. w00dster
2. kirky72
3. benman

Series Top 3 (including sprint/fastest lap points)
1. kirky72
2. w00dster
3. J-R

Fastest Lap
1. Paino
2. Nixie
3. benman
4. kirky72
5. w00dster

Sprint
1. Paino
2. nixie
3. DrP
4. danielcbaron
5. J-R

Green Jersey Race
1. Paino (24)
2. Nixie (22)
3. benman (6)

Next week is 4 laps of seaside sprint which is quite a good little event only course. There are usually a few races each week with it if anyone wants to have a go in advance.

Dont forget to have a go on Repack Ridge as well. There is only 2 weeks left! The leadberboard is currently:

1. slowpuncheur
2. robbo1234biking
3. dangeourbrain

For those interested in joining with more STW Zwift fun(?) there is a TTT on a Thursday evening:

Zwift Team Time Trial, Thursday

If the Haloric shed-of-pain was a cup, it did full on overfloweth this evening.

I managed to hang with Jack for most of it but kept struggling just on the brow of the climb, got dropped at least twice and managed to get dragged back on by other stragglers.

For some brain-addled reason I thought there was one more lap, so didn’t quite give it all until I was in the last 200m and realised what was going on !Doh.

Was 2 watt off an increase, so must be coming back into some sort of form.

Not enough warm up, wearing my Dafeet etouch gloves to try and stop my bars turning into a sweat swimming pool surprisingly made my hands boil and I felt completely spent mid race. But ItsOnlyMeLee opened a gap to the rest of our ~10-strong group and persuaded my legs to try and go with him, I was on the verge of cracking for the last couple of laps, but somehow my feeble sprint just edged the finish.

Given the mid race blip, I’m shocked to report another little FTP increase to 291, my mission is to try and report a true weight drop before Sunday!

Soooooo…anyone fancy doing the Aussie double header one at 7:05am and 7:30am tomorrow morning?? 😜😜

@oopnorth i’ll sign on, if I make it out of my pit in time it’ll do me good.
I completely blew up about half way into lap 2 tonight so could do with trying to restore some faith in my ability to turn pedals.

is it bad yeah? I’m thinking one might be ok but then the next 4 laps could hurt.

@oopnorth
You think, oh it’s only 2 short races, how bad can it be? But of course you give 100% on the first, get a too-short rest and then find yourself back in the starting pen, with ruined legs, realising in 30s you have to somehow do it over again! I found it very demoralising! Probably great training though 😀

What has happened to your turbo?

It made an unpleasant noise a bit like trying to put a car in reverse at high revs and felt terrible, then I made an even more unpleasant swear and left the room.

I’m just gonna jump in the shower and eat..so will do a proper little write up in a bit.. but.. oof..!!!

Quick question…. my 20min effort there was 317 watts… 95% of that is 301W.. but zwift hasn’t ammended of told me of an FTP increase… how come???

I guess that was a genuine 20min effort, so my FTP is now 301??

DrP

bloody hell – if you lot keep improving every time out I’ll be racing for last, next time I can join a race

Some of you lot are rapid! I had a decent start (or so I thought) until we turned a corner and saw the lead group shoot up the roads like rats up a drainpipe. We formed a decent group at 25-30odd place but after no power up at all on the first 4 laps I was getting fatigued and a bit peed off! Kept with @OopNorth, the goat, Lee and a few more but like @Haloric I made the last kicker thinking; one more lap – how wrong I was. Looked up and we had 300m left so sprint was a bit limp. Time seemed to bend. I was clock watching after 4 minutes and the next thing we were sprinting for the line. Definitely Type 2 fun:)

Phwoar, that was haaaaaard. Not sure I’ll be doing a crit again out of choice anytime soon. Absolutely manic start, 500w out of the gate just to hold the 2nd group. I was relieved when the fast folk broke free, the pace dropped slightly, but I still felt like I was barely clinging on. There really is nowhere to hide on that course. Those rollers are as bad as the climb! Despite only getting 2 actual power ups (10xp – gee, thank you) I managed to cling on until the end with the 2nd group but I have no idea who was in it, thanks for pulling me round though.

Type 2 fun as always. Cheers Robbo, you awful, awful man 😉