STW Zwift Race Series 3 – Winter

Evening all. Slight update for tomorrow night.

Sprint points will only be awarded for the fastest sprint time. There is no official lap of seaside sprint so I am unable to get data to award points.

See you tomorrow evening. Looking forward to it. Should be a good one. It is a fun course with some rolling terrain.

It is a fun course with some rolling terrain.

The esses are not “fun” 😛

Yeah they are 😃. Show you tomorrow 🤮.

So race day. I saw Phil had a recon race on the course last night – not sure if anyone else has?

Are you racing as an A now @phil56?

The fastest times on the sprint are likely to come on the last lap because of the course layout. This is one of those rare occasions that the finish line is the end of the sprint so there should be a mad dash to the line. You come onto to the sprint via a brief downhill as well!

not sure if anyone else has?

nope! Looking forward to this as never ridden the course before!

Never ridden the course – these rolling bits sound a bit like hard work! I looked at the profile on Zwift Insider & it looked largely flat. Is it going to be one of those deceptively knackering courses.

I am looking forward to it after the poor effort I mustered last week!
I might dangle a piece of cake from the back of the garage door to encourage me to ride faster… 🙂

Yes it’s deceptive, plenty of places to get worn out and places to hang people out to dry after a big effort. IMO fastest sprint will only come on the last lap if the groups are big and the pace hasn’t been too hot. I think it’s more likely to come earlier.

@robbo1234biking I entered the B cat, I didn’t know until afterwards that Zwiftpower had bumped me up to A minimum.

It’s ironic – apart from the odd recon ride the only racing I’ve done this year has been the STW Winter Series, where I can’t make any real headway into the results – but my efforts have now got me bumped up!

The rollers are kind of like those from last week’s crit….just higher…..and more of them….

https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/02/zwift_suspends_digital_dopers/

Ok, which one of you was it?

Regrettably no race for me today – just had to have a wisdom tooth out [which was a nice surprise for the morning] and under instruction to the effect of “no vigorous exercise” for at least 24hrs.

Sorry to hear that @dangeourbrain, hope it settles nicely.

I’m still without my trainer. Maybe I’ll be back next week 🤔

@savoyad the lengths I’ll go to to avoid a repeat of last week eh!

@savoyad the lengths I’ll go to to avoid a repeat of last week eh!

You could have asked the dentist for a blood transfusion at the same time?!

@phil56 you scored points two weeks in a row! Going for the hattrick this week?

Congrats on the upgrade @Phil56. It is a blessing and a curse isn’t it?

You could have asked the dentist for a blood transfusion at the same time?!

Laughing gas or Tramadol more likely..

You could have asked the dentist for a blood transfusion at the same time?!

Yeah I’m not sure if the performance enhancing benefits of novocaine but in the upside I’ll be lighter now, so it’s got some benefit I guess.

Good luck for tonight all, i’ll be watching some/all of you at various times during the race, but as i’ve said before, racing at 7:30pm just isn’t for me. I’ll be doing a race at 13:25 with the Crit after doing some rowing

@weeksy what rowing workout are you doing? Something specifically to complement the cycling? Used to be right into it (intervals mainly) but haven’t used my rower for years now! Also have you seen the people who’ve bodged their rowers into Zwift?! (Apparently they’ve been working on integrating it official for a while too!)

what rowing workout are you doing? Something specifically to complement the cycling? Used to be right into it (intervals mainly) but haven’t used my rower for years now! Also have you seen the people who’ve bodged their rowers into Zwift?! (Apparently they’ve been working on integrating it official for a while too

Nothing too crazy or structured, Even though i’ve cycled a lot it’s never really seemed to do much in terms of weight. Now a lot of that is of course down to me and a rubbish diet, but i’ll struggle to massively change that, so Mrs Weeksy was chatting about something other than cycling/walking for herself and we decided to get a rowing machine.

The obvious answer was a Concept 2. But with used ones way out of warranty doing £800+ we put some bids in at £700-750 for ones ending close enough for us, but they all went up over £800.

We thought about hiring one, but that’s £80 a month at the moment which seems a bit ridiculous.

So we ended up with https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/V-fit-Tornado-Air-Rower-Rowing-Machine-r-r-p-390-00/151058378853?epid=1312710763&hash=item232bc7f065:g:~ZwAAOSwc6ZcWVuG

One of these, which is a cheap and cheerful (sort of ) version. It’s a little ‘short’ for me in the context it doesn’t allow stroke lengths quite as long as i’d like, it’s also quite a difference in power/speed/time compared to a concept 2, i can row 500m splits on a concept 2 in 2min 10 for 10km, this is registering me closer to 2min 30. But as long as it’s consistent to itself, it doesn’t really matter.

Everyone has used it since it was put together on Weds night, the boy did 10km on it yesterday in 3 split sessions.

Back in the day when trying to get down from 20st i used the rower a fair bit and i think it gave a bit more of an overall body conditioning and a different type of workout compared to cycling. I’m also hoping it helps a bit with leg fatigue due to using different muscles than cycling every single day.

Once i get used to it, i’ll also integrate some kettle bell work in with it too.

Regrettably I’m out this evening too. Suddenly having some migraine related issues which seem to have flared up following last Saturdays STW crit, feeling very heavy headed and spaced out since, so I don’t want to get sucked into racing and cause further problems.

Have a good one, all the best!

I’ll be at the start probably. Tinkered with the tacx and it’s not grinding now.
Might just cruise so it doesn’t crap out again.

I’m out, moved house this week and turbo is ‘somewhere’. No chance of finding it this week I dont think. Enjoy!

Regrettably I’m out this evening too. Suddenly having some migraine related issues which seem to have flared up following last Saturdays STW crit, feeling very heavy headed and spaced out since, so I don’t want to get sucked into racing and cause further problems.

Oof… read the other migraine thread on here posted a few days ago..it seems EVERYONE is getting them at the moment..
I had a migraine saturday eve (took a triptan) and again Sunday eve (again, another triptan)..felt like a zombie yesterday..could barely focus and function at work. I was on the verge of pulling out from today, but have woken up feeling a fair bit brighter so will give racing a go tonight.

Not sure what’s going on in the world (bar the obvious!) to cause everyone to be getting more migraines.. My OH had a terrible headache too.
Prob a combination of WFH for most, the stress of home schooling, and the fear that COVID isn’t going away anytime soon??

Anyway, heal up doude..

DrP

Thanks DrP, sounds similar to your symptoms.

Could be down to bad hydration prior to the race or going out too hard, but yeah, felt crap ever since. had it before with a ramp test where I had a bit of acute pain in the head at 400w. Could be a BP thing…

Anyway, best to rest and see how it pans out, only chilled riding for me this week.

Definitely feeling Zombie today.

Sorry to hear about all of the dropouts this evening – especially those suffering with illness/injury/ailments!

Hope you all get on top of them soon.

As DrP says, I do wonder how much of all this is down to the continued working from home, home schooling, being stuck inside etc.
I think people’s mental health & general well-being is taking a real battering.
Yesterday I did the Robbo workout at 6:45 but then spent over 10hours sitting in my home office to make up enough hours to enable home schooling on a Thursday. I didn’t go out & the furthest I walked was a few steps around the house – I have noticed that stress levels seem to be rising and it is hard to see the end to all this.

Hey @oopnorth. That sounds pants. It’s the right thing to do though. One of my colleagues has suffered more recently than normal as well. Frustrating but your body has a habit of telling you when you need recovery not stress.

Prob a combination of WFH for most, the stress of home schooling, and the fear that COVID isn’t going away anytime soon??

That’s a good point. It can easy to view the exercise as the issue but life stresses can have a massive impact on that. This lockdown def feels harder than when the weather was nice etc.

Stupidly I forgot to do a training session last night on Zwift so have to do it today, not a hard one but not the best prep for a race this afternoon! Should have 5 hours or so between the two so plenty of time to rest and refuel.

I think people’s mental health & general well-being is taking a real battering.

I know mine is, mentally I’m completely shot and my sleep patterns are all over the place. Physically though I’m in my best shape in years thanks to this race series, the 90-day exercise challenge and Chub Club so it’s not all bad. Hopefully when some sort of normality resumes I can make the mental side better and keep most of the physical gains. The physical side is the only thing keeping me going really so even if I was on death’s door I’d still be at the start line!

Is it too late to join in on the fun? My new trainer arrived yesterday.

Think I was one place in front of you @dangeourbrain in last nights TDZ shorter ride

@tomnavman ah you were one of the two who popped the aero at the end then? Thought I might sneak into top 20 but when I saw first one then the other pull away with the little blue balloons I didn’t see it happening!

I know this is boring because repetitive, but quick shoutout to @robbo1234biking – yes it’s just indoor bicycle racing, but this series is also – as we see today, yet again – making a tangible difference to people’s well being at a difficult time, and I don’t think that’s something we can acknowledge enough…(I’ll dislike you again later, of course).

haha yes, sorry! I had saved that up for most of the lap to use at the end. I was hoping for top 20 as well, but just got pipped on the line by the other person who pulled away

yes it’s just indoor bicycle racing, but this series is also – as we see today, yet again – making a tangible difference to people’s well being at a difficult time, and I don’t think that’s something we can acknowledge enough

@savoyad I know I should be using all my free time during lockdown to become super fit, but tbh my motivation is at an all time low and has been for a while! Except for walking, I can’t even remember the last time I did any exercise other than Zwift… and if it wasn’t for the original STW meet-ups, the TTT (so well done yourself also, for organising that!) and now these races, I probably wouldn’t even be doing that! So it all gets a big thumbs up from me 👍!! 😃

haha yes, sorry!

No need to apologise! tried to catch you both dashing for the line but couldn’t muster much above where I’d been all ride, just no legs left for a good sprint.

Still i’ll take a decent pace and no sprint over none of either. I was broadly pleased with my effort last night, was a good steady effort, a reasonable power for the whole ride and I didn’t feel like death afterwards so a vast improvement on the last few months and certainly last week’s crit!

Totally agree with comments above and the stresses of Covid, etc. I actually am in work but most of my staff are out so ultimately I am doing more to cover certain jobs which would usually be picked up with more staff in, plus one of them has tested positive for covid so I’m now covering that role too, it’s hard to get my own work done.
I’m not usually bothered by stress but I think it’s beginning to get to me, I had to let staff go in Autumn which was hard when many of them were very competent and valued, but the hospitality industry has really taken a hit this year and all associated businesses are suffering.

The one positive is the Zwift and all the STW activities related to it, it really gives me a buzz and I look forward to all the events each week, so thanks to @Robbo1234biking mainly as he organized the series and the workouts we are doing, plus all you others who have got involved to create meetups or just take part and have some banter…it really helps get through the dark days!

This lockdown def feels harder than when the weather was nice etc.

Indeedy… I’m so bored. I’m forgetting what activities I used to do when I had my kids for the weekend…
At present we jsut watch screens, do a bit of board games, and a short scoot/skate/walk….
So effing boring.. we’re all bored and stressed!!

I guess we used to go swimming…play parks… climbing walls… skate parks etc etc…
Meet frineds… Meh..it’ll come back..

And YES… tZwift/SWT rides are brilliant in actually keeping me motivated and mentally healthy.
Actually having an ‘event’ in the diary is really important for me.

The new skills I’ve learnt (actual training programmes..better pedal technique..how to live stream etc) are all bonusses!

DrP

Is there a Paul S on here or someone who I have missed who want to join in? There is someone signed up on the race but Im not sure who they are! Could be a username that I have missed. No issues with them joining in but want to check I haven’t missed something!

@robbo1234biking….

I don’t think it’s related to your above question, but there was this request a few posts above about joining in…

tomnavman

Is it too late to join in on the fun? My new trainer arrived yesterday.

Thanks @stumpy01 – @robbo1234biking has been in touch on PM, all signed up for tonights sufferfest!