Oh yeah! The pain of a double header!

Bring It! 🤣

I’ll be entering both races this time, zwift permitting. I don’t mind the Harrogate course, short enough laps. I’ll need to pedal hard on the downhill to minimise my losses.
I’ll try and do a lap of the watopia course to remind myself of the route before the race.

Is tomorrow 2 x races, or is one a time trial?

2 races tomorrow night. There isn’t a TT this series.

@robbo1234biking , looks like I might be able to get on tomorrow but not signed up at all

if you get the chance, please could you invite me ? (no worries on entering for points but if you need a set of numbers to let me in at all, 79kg & 275W should be pretty near)

well 5 days into a cold, i am suspecting tonight might be at a slightly lower effort…. hopefully i can pedal the snot outta me!

See y’all on the start line (hopefully facing the correct way!)

You only need to not blow your nose for 15 mins or so twice tonight and you should be good!

So 2 shorter (more intense races tonight). Duchy Estate which should break up quickly (and 3 times up the hill!) and then Watopia Flat.

It will be the new pack dynamics tonight. Not sure how it will affect it – for the TTT we seemed to be 7 abreast for a lot of the ride. Def seemed harder to stay in the draft as you didnt stick to he rider in front. I am sure it will be better – just used to get used to the new dynamics!

Def seemed harder to stay in the draft

This has blown my whole race plan apart 🙁

4 days of mountain biking including today ! Hope my legs survive!

Am I too late for early excuses ? My legs still have not recovered from the damage of the ttt on thurs, despite some Zwift pootling and a park run on Saturday, with all the power of wet noodles at the moment.

I shall wave encouragingly from the rear.

Whereas I havent touched a bike since falling off the side of mine at about 8.15 last Tuesday evening…. so does that put me in a better, or worse position!?

I’m looking forward to this one!

Prizes!

Yes you read that right – there will be prizes for this series. Thanks to STW for putting these up. The prizes will be awarded as follows:

1. Overall points winner from the series
2. Racers racer – this will be a vote/poll from the people taking part in the series. After Race 4 I will pick 4 racers who I think have lit up the races most. I will then do an online poll where you all get to vote for your favourite and then the winner will be announced on the evening of the final race.
3. Combined points total from KOM and Sprint points. This will be an all-rounder prize for the most points scored on a combined total from both points competitions.

I should be back next week! My new turbo has been in the void of ArrowXL for about 9 days now 🙁 I@ll probably drop 50 watts or something daft as per with a new device

I’m on course for no excuses to not race this evening. I’ll need the hr warm up so hopefully there is a short route available for me to tick off prior to the start.

Dutchy estate course looks interesting. Dont think I’ve done it before. Miniversion of last weeks course with finish moved to top of the climb. Can I adjust my weight to 45kg please 🙂

I’m currently perfecting my sub 20sec sprint 😉. High gear, low rpm, wobbly trainer. Not got time to bolt it down 😭

I missed last week due to a stinker of a cold.  Still not 100%, just about managed the first race tonight without throwing up so decided to lie down rather than attempt the second.  Disappointing, but hopefully back to normal for next week.

Complete anticlimax. Looking forward to it all day, particularly race 1 which suited me down to the ground. 45 min warm up then apple TV stopped receiving BT from trainer and I was left on the line. Swapped out for another ATV so did race 2 but by that time my enthusiasm had waned and I trundled around unable to get going. What a rubbish night. Hope you all enjoyed it & I look forward to race 1 report.

I like duchy estate (although I’ve never raced it with the proper finish line before, oddly). That wasn’t enough to outwit @paino and @straightliner though.
The 2nd race started like the peloton were protesting at @robbo1234biking for making us race twice. I had to push on to try and give *certain people* tired legs for the sprint, but I cooked myself in the process and had nothing left when @benman came past at the finish.
Great fun, as always. Thanks everyone.

Good fun – but, lordy, you can hurt yourself that bit more on a short race (’til you remember there’s a second one coming right up)

The 2nd race started like the peloton were protesting at @robbo1234biking for making us race twice

Might’ve been zwift’s first critical mass ! 😁

I’m currently in Aldi cooling down in the freezer section 😃

That first race was brutal. Spent 3/4 of it trying to stick with G.iggsmaster but dropped off his wheel at the end of the second lap. Second race was just a ITT for me though, right at the back as usual! Still, showing definite progress so not too disheartened.

The 2nd race started like the peloton were protesting at @robbo1234biking for making us race twice.

You all just shot off at warp speed from my perspective! IT went from everyone complaining about their legs hurting from race 1 to a full-on drag race. Nutters.

Right near the end of the first race, the ‘event start’ button appeared on companion which promptly activated due to me sweating on the phone. Apparently the swearing could be heard from space.
I was being reeled in by K Allen? I think.

Next race I started fairly strong but faded a bit in the middle as my body remembered I wasn’t that fit.

Sure ruined my legs @savoyad. In my head I was making a glorious break and bridging across to you after the undersea tunnels. Should have looked over my virtual shoulder as the whole group seemed to be right behind me!

That was hard. First race was brilliant, probably my best yet helped by some really good powerups, two feathers and an aero. 😀

Second race was tough, I thought I had blown it in the first 10 secs as I could not get my legs to put out any power, but then I looked up and it was a rolling start. I then got so use to the pace that when the fast boys finally put the hammer down I was asleep at the back. Just managed to get back on and stay with big blob but finished last in the sprint.

great work again Robbo.

Excuse: Still not fully over my cold.
Outcome: Enjoyed the first one, the hills aren’t too long and being steeper allow me to be a bit more punchy. However post sprint effort I failed to latch on to the chasing pack and was struggling to recover.

Race 2 surprised me how long the big blob stayed in place and only slowly stretched out heading towards the Italian Villas. Well done to Paino on another fine sprint (nice to have one not subject to power ups) and then I struggled to maintain much composure (cold is making my heart rate spike too much).

Well done all, and thanks to Robbo for choosing two less ridden routes.

That was hard, my week in the maillot jaune will be over.

Race 1, I lost the pack, I didn’t notice that when everyone was pulling away it was a 6% incline and I really needed to put some power in, by the time I realized everyone had gone. I couldn’t get back so slowed and sat with the next group and managed to predict the sprint and beat them 🙂

Race 2, again I managed to start with the pack, and settled into the 2nd group ( I think ) until the hill, where Zwift companion refused to give me my feather, grrr. By the time I gave up, I realized that I should have probably concentrated on staying with the group, que 2km solo run to the line.

Have to see if I’m still in top 10, as a manager, I’ll be speaking to myself about contract renewals or lack of if my performance doesn’t improve 😉

Cheers Robbo et al.

P.

Ouch they were tough. I’m never going to win in a bunch sprint, so I was trying to break off the front and wear people out… The hills just weren’t quite long or steep enough again for it to work. @savoyad and I had the same idea in the 2nd race, to break after the sprint… Which gave us the gap we needed to finish on our own. Tomorrows club ride is going to hurt again 🙁

I quite like these double headers. First race is a bit of a blur now but stuck with lead group until @savoyad, @benman and @paino brought the pain on the last climb and I had nothing left for sprint. Trailed in 7th. It’s a clever place for a finish which makes judging your effort hard.

Second race was gruppo compatto until the dirt road section when sav and Ben went again. A few of us followed but I think they pushed on after the sprint and that was that. The rest of us beat each other up on the rollers then @robbo1234biking went for a long one in the last km which I managed to jump on to and launch a longish sprint. Sorry Rob! Again. Chuffed with finishing 3rd.

Sorry to hear of various people’s IT woes tonight. Roll on next week.

Thanks for everyone for taking part in the series!

The results are provisional in case I have made any mistakes. Please let me know. I have added the missed points for fastest lap last week.

Bit of an issue – Zwiftpower doesnt give me the fastest lap results for the Duchy Estate so I can award points for that I am afraid!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oxAKc92qCMD5s-Odc4kCjngmxE15jED9erVq0PKq5CY/edit#gid=1781414476

Race 2a – Duchy Estate

Overall Race Winner
1. savoyad
2. benman
3. paino

Overall Race Winner (with handicaps)
1. retrorick
2. bobee74
3. msjhes2

Sprint Points (Yorkshire Sprint)
1. Paino
2. Straighliner
3. Savoyad
4. Mossimus
5. Freeridenick

Race 2b – Watopia Flat Route

Overall Race Winner
1. benman
2. savoyad
3. slowpuncheur

Overall Race Winner (with handicaps)
1. retrorick
2. msjhes2
3. bobee74

Sprint Points (Watopia Sprint)
1. paino
2. straightliner
3. savoyad
4. yanboss
5. djflexure

Green Jersey Standings
1. Paino
2. Straightliner
3. Savoyad

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

That was incredibly painful tonight! Absolutely max effort in the first race and couldn’t push any harder in the final sprint. Was expecting to cruise at the back in the second one but actually found it was a nice steady (but fast enough) pace for most of it. Aimed to get inside the top 20 but couldn’t pip freeride nick at the end.

Genuinely did go bouldering for the first time yesterday, pretty much every muscle hurts today! I may not be able to walk tomorrow, but hoping to go for a gentle spin round the local lanes in the morning.

Cheers Robbo, great choice of tracks for a double header.

Ha! That was amazing!

Can’t even remember what happened though 🤣
Caught a group in the first race that I hung onto. I think we went round well. I think I get a few seconds ahead of them but they caught me on the final climb. As per usual I have no sprint and got passed by a few on the approach to the line.
Hmmmmm, Whole race was a blur.

Second race 😂😂😂 legs felt like jelly. Hung onto the big group. Managed to stay in the pack although yoyoed a few times. At the back-ish for the sprint but overtook a few people towards the line.

Thanks Rob! That was a great session!!

Duchy estate is all out mental. Glad it was one of the ‘worlds’ available for a warm up prior to the race. Had no idea where the sprint or finish line was before that! For the most part everyone was a little reserved on the climb, and only @Savoyad seemed to give the sprint a crack, and half expected him to disappear. Tailed the pack on the following lap to find myself 5 seconds ahead of the bunch after the sprint with Sav, @J-R & others seemingly turning up the pace. Half thought I’d give it a bash, but with Watopia looming I deemed it more sensible to be caught…and passed…then struggle like hell to minimise to damage to the motoring pair of @benman & Savoyad.

Took 19 mins just to get the HR down to something reasonable..

And then offski again. Started much more sedately, thanks everyone! Then the usual suspects went and I missed the break at the wooden boarded area so had to give it the beans to get back on. Just enough time to recover for the sprint which I soooo nearly gave up on half way through! The last smash up the Esses was just horrific. Got involved in a totally unnecessary bunch sprint for 4th…think @Robbo1234biking shot his load too early 😁

Garg! Very annoyed at not making the start line for Race 1.

My mac updated, then Zwift refused to start. It is nearly 10 years old so maybe upgrade time.

Did my warm up on iPad then had Wi-Fi woes, was in Zwift for the race 1 start but it wouldn’t give me a join link 🙁 so that’s me out of the GC (my only chance for cat C glory!).

Race two, thought I’d see how long I could stay with front group, answer, about as long as normal 🙁 should have seen the split coming and got further up the road.

Group dynamics definitely changed, I think I had to average about 110% of ftp over the race and nearly dropped off the back a couple of times.

Still scoring points, but handicaps aren’t helping me out – seem to be consistently finishing with people who have a minute on me.

Need to race more and get faster 🙂

Great double header ! 16th in the first race I’d my best result yet..and I got dome sprint points

I think points should be awarded for the best post race write up 🤔🤣.

My write ups are rubbish! But here goes!

First race I managed to hang on to the lead group up the first hill, my tactic using low rpm and standing up on the pedals kept me with the group over the top and onto the 2nd lap where I was dropped by the group. I was then passed by a small group and ended up riding the rest of the course on my tod.

Second race I used the same low rpm approach, it kept me in the group. Couldn’t do much with the sprint.

I was as always expecting a FTP increase but nowt appeared at the end 🤔

Great to see @Paul-S out tonight – pleased to see you after Tuesday mate

I was as always expecting a FTP increase but nowt appeared at the end

Races not long enough – think it needs to be 20 mins