I can see this being a tough race

think I’ve been doing Zwift wrong all these years… EVERY race I’ve ever done has been a bastard… where are all these easy ones I’m missing out on?! 🤣

where are all these easy ones I’m missing out on?! 🤣

IDDQD

I’ll try typing that into the chat window & see what happens…

@stumpy01
I woke at 3am on saturday with a raging sore throat, cough, and feeling very short of breath… so not just positive for me, but positive WITH symptoms…
Sleeping 12-14 hours a day (whcih is actually lovely!!) , but alas, having to work (from home) today as other staff in my surgey are on the tail end of COVID, but aren’t fully set up to work from home…
Could really do with today off, but it’s not too bad at the moment.

I feel really rough in the morning and early eve, which just sends me to bed..
1930 tomorrow MIGHT be ok..i’ll see if i can stay awake for the race!
I REALLY don’t want to push myself to exhaustion adn do myself an injustice though. I did a super gentle ride yesterday (tick-tock, which is flat..averaged 100w) just to keep the legs turning..

DrP

@DrP – I think I’ve been very lucky.
My Wife has been barely able to get out of bed, with very bad flu like symptoms.
Just walking up the stairs has her out of breath and she’s being going to bed very early.

I did Serpentine8 yesterday afternoon and tried not to get carried away. Kept mainly in the blue/ green and it wasn’t too bad.

This morning’s workout was supposed to be 3×8 30s efforts at 170%FTP with 30s rest.
Did 2, dropped it 5%. Did another 2 & dropped it another 5% 🤣
Then ditched it after the first set and did a gentle potter instead. Truth be told, if have found it a tough ask even without the Covid excuse!

Take it easy tomorrow!

Unfortunately I did a TdZ at the weekend and got an FTP increase 236W.

Can’t complain too much I suppose 🙂

P

If it’s any consolation Paul, mine is also up so I doubt I shall be troubling the heady ranks of points again this week

Robbo, could you send me a link to races please, I didn’t get them originally,

Feeling optimistic that I might make the starting line tomorrow due to finish at 6:30 and 25/30 mins to get home.

Don’t worry about an handicap, I have no idea about current weight or FTP other than they both seem to have hit the skids.

I’ll just race (or attempt to) and see how far I come down on the road.

I wouldn’t mind giving it a go too….

Hopefully no IT issues this time!

Also is there a TT on Thury this week?

JB

If anyone wants a slow group form up on me 😂

Greater London Loop Reverse is the course for tonight which means the hill comes early on in the day with a long fairly flat drag to the finish. KOM points available for the Fox Hill Climb

“Greater London Loop Reverse” Route Details

Unfortunately I’m not going to make this one, the cable in my sram apex shifter has chewed up the mechanism and I don’t fancy racing in one gear… Good luck everyone

If anyone wants a slow group form up on me 😂

I may not want to but last night’s first-gym-session-in-a-very-long-time has left my legs a bit empty today. Hopefully judicious application of cake will address that by the time we make the start line.

Well I’m gonna stick this up here so people can watch me die on a bike in my kitchen, or..if I’m feeling proper rough I’ll just spectate and stream the race, watching various riders as we go..

DrP

Might not be able to make it on time tonight for various reasons. Or I’ll just scrape in time and have no sensible warm-up! 🤣

I’ll be do a workout instead if I don’t make it and the next TDZ tomoz am.

Unfortunately, I know I’m definitely not able to do next week as I’m at work. Bit rubbish but hey ho.

and have no sensible warm-up! 🤣

No what now?

I think I will be giving this evenings race a miss. Got an early shift tomorrow morning and I’m tired.

Think I’m sitting out too, have a rubbish cold brewing. Enjoy all!

Watching from work. Tenner please on @Savoyad for the win at 2-1 & @J-R to win overall handicap race at 5-1. Quids in. Good luck all.

Made it in time, but the app is giving! Me grief again. It’s sync’ing intermittently tonight, so long as I say least get to say hello!!

@paino
You watching through zwift or the stream?

Don’t think we’ll see much of the fast guys n my stream tbh 😀😀🙃

DrP

My warm up is 10 mins spin and a mint aero!
I’ll be off the back right from the start if normal Zwift racing rules apply!

I notice I’ve been bumped up to B group on ZPower now too, not good.
Can’t stick with that lot for more than a few mins!

@DrP via the stream if my work WiFi deems watching a sweaty man in his kitchen as appropriate.

Bah, missed the start because of a poxy meeting that should have been a three line email.

Meh computer says NO! 100m up the road and zwift crashed

Gah, spent 10 minutes trying to get my turbo to connect.  Zwift thought it was connected but it was showing 0 rpm and 0 Watts. Finally got it to work 20 seconds after the start so was on my own again with no warm up.  Then my HRM wasn’t connected either.  Made it 1/4 of the way up the hill and gave up with a bit of a tantrum. Really &$#*ed off with that as I think I could have done well on that course. Too late to do one of my training rides now as well.

Have “fun” everyone else!

What happened at the start Doc? I came on a few mins late and you were near the back, then destroyed everyone on Fox hill

Apparently he’s got covid @weeksy – didn’t look like it was having much of an effect as he literally flew past me 🔥

As predicted, got dropped on the hill, but managed to stick in with a group and maintain position u Tom the end.

Only feel like puking now, rather than half way through last week and and FTP increase @robbo1234biking – 277 now. Almost up to pre covid levels but certainly doesn’t feel like it!

Cheers Robbo/Gents that was fun again.

And ‘Hi Phil!’ Apologies I’m still working out how to ride a bike; without ‘companion’ (which seems to behave more like ‘drunken friend’).

Hard one this week,as expected, I couldn’t keep with the leaders over Fox hill, someone came past near the top soryr cant remember who, but try as I might I didn’t have the legs. I dropped back to the next group on the road and we pushed on to catch a couple up the road. It all stayed together until the escalator where a not very ill looking @DrP just took off.

I tried to close the gap, but for some reason it just kept growing, then I noticed who it was and eased up a bit. My group worked well, or well enough anyway 😉 P.Tunstall, B.Clark & C.Lees, we all pushed on to stop the group that was only 19secs behind, racing for time at this point. I sat on from about 5km out as I was dead in a vain effort to have something for the end.

All was static until the sprint, I thought that I had managed to get a jump on everyone with about 400m to go, that was until rocketship Tunstall came past me. I tried to get on his wheel and get him back, but just got towed to the line for 13th I think, same power 236W so thats 2 weeks on the trot.

Well done the winners and thx as always Robbo1234biking

Paul

It made me laugh watching DrP’s stream from last week, just after I mentioned my skewer had come loose between the races, you can see him jump off the bike and check his.

I wonder how many others did the same.

P.

@weeksy…
I’m feeling like a car starting in the cold at the mo…
I had a feeling I’d be OK cruising at 250-300 watts, but pushing above that was really hard..
I figured there’s no point in the mega watt bomb that the races always start with as it’d kill me straight away… and I’m not competitive for the top spots tonight, so just cruised off the line and warmed up to climb at about 300 odd watts.

I could really feel it in my chest (the live stream doesn’t show how HARD my heart was pumping!!).. oddly I couldn’t get anywhere near my max HR (or the HR i normally get in the races..about 188-190) and felt like I was topping out at 175..

I like the hills – they suit me and my light frame..

Then after the climb I got stuck cruising about London on my own!!!!
Numpty!

My main mission tonight was to ride, but NOT kill myself… position/race wasn’t important…
I feel I achieved that… thankfully feeling tired but not ill..

DrP

Well that was an interesting hour.

Started with me having to do a Zwift update that seemed to take for ever then I had to load and reboot Zwift 3 times before it would connect to the turbo correctly. By the time I’d sorted that lot out I arrived in the pen with 1 minute to go and no warm-up at all! Just went for it as soon as I hit Fox Hill and managed to pass two people, reaching the top just as I joined up with @woodadam. We stuck together for the rest of the race, massive help there in keeping my speed up! Sorry I couldn’t do the 30 sec turns you asked for, was on the limit the whole way round! Did try for the sprint to the line but you beat me in the last few metres as my peak power is rubbish, more of a diesel engine.

Was good fun regardless and I’ve been rewarded with an FTP increase to 213w.

Managed to put more of an effort in than expected. The group I was in seemed to be right on my limit as always, c.charles, j.jordon, j.jones and n.donnelly.

Really didn’t think I’d have anything left for the sprint but the music kicked in at the right point! But I got the turbo rocking, thought it was going to to over! Gave myself a massive stitch and a stabbing cramp right in my calf in one swift manoeuvre! Got a limp now 🤣

@reluctantjumper – that makes two of us on the limit. 🙂

I didn’t think Fox Hill would ever end. I was very much hanging on, and hoping for the end to appear.

Good fun though!

Thanks for everyone for taking part in the series! Hope you all enjoyed it.

The results are provisional in case I have made any mistakes. Please let me know.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wj8liqQsCZniRGgbnhRASZx73G14bpzfHpWWyuGq1lo/edit#gid=1628366731

Race 3 – Greater London Reverse

Overall Race Winner
1. Savoyad
2. Kirky
3. donnersrider

Overall Race Winner (with handicaps)
1. msjhes
2. Paul-S
3. jimdoubleyou

Fox Hill KOM Points
1. donnersrider
2. savoyad
3. phil56
4. DrP
5. sturdylad

Green Jersey Standings
1. paino
2. donnersrider
3. DrP

KOM Standings
1. donnersrider/savoyad
2. DrP
3. phil56

Series Top 3 (including sprint/fastest lap points) Best 6 race points counts
1. Paul-S
2. msjhes2
3. J-R

Combined Sprint and KOM Points Total
1. paino
2. savoyad
3. donnersrider

I have set up a GoFundMe for people who have enjoyed the series. This time around we are raising money for Diabetes UK. Slowpuncheur has been a regular in this race series from the start. On Fathers Day last year he ended up taking his son to hospital as he wasn’t feeling well. Many hours later they were delivered the news that his son is Type 1 diabetic. His son has adjusted well to the changes in life and continues to do everything he wants to. Diabetes UK helps his son and others like him through investment in Diabetes research and support for other Diabetes sufferers. I know there are also others on the forum who have diabetes or close family members with diabetes.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/e3732-stw-race-series-fundraiser?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

Boom! Dead Last!

Although had I not had to pause just over 6k from the end to deal with an idiot greyhound who had done an idiot thing (which happened to be the best thing ever for him) on a walk and needed manhandling on his return I may have actually not been last… dog like four legged mammals are dicks.

Still my only goal is to finish every race so… thanks for the race!

@reluctantjumper – it was me caught at the top of the hill, and we half tt’ed to the finish, where i pipped you by a smidge by cunningly nearly killing myself in the last 400m.

I’ve got nothing on the hills at the moment, and can barely reach my FTP for a few minutes, let alone an hour.

Ant Mitchell = @haloric

suprised myself with that one as ive bern really off form, not eiding much and when i do strugglimg to maintain 300w for amy amount of time. no kotivation for races.

cold ovwr the weekend and long day on foot today.

planned to just try and hang in whatever group i found myself in and not stress if i missed the front.

thankfully we crusied a bit before the climb but managed to warm up. that climb is just a nice length for me to have a tilt at before blowing up, just tried to time it so i could go over the top with somebody to keep company. teally pleased that turned out to be Savo, a bit suprisef i managed to climb alongside him.

we gradually clawed back time on the leader whilst eeking out a bit more time over the 4 or 5 man group behind.

we just about caught up with 4 or 5km to go and a bit of cat and mouse ensued. i didnt have much left for the sprint havimg got caught out repkyimg to a message just has savo made a puah to latch onto Donnesman. savo kicked with 500m to go and i was happy to get a draft by donnes and leap feog him jsust neforr the line.

yet again the seriws managed to drag an effort outbof me that i didnt know i had. i really thought my ftp had dropped down to 270/280 range.

thanka again for your efforts Robbo.

as a matter of interest where did i come on the KOM?

ps tyed with no glasses.

@haloric – Ah, yes. Was confused by the two riders being A Wood and A Mitchell, couldn’t remember which one! Pleasure to share the load only for you to beat me 🤣