Zwift meetups and social rides ?

@kirky72 I’ve moved over to answer your question from the other thread here…on races which I found useful to ride in category A as a B. It depends a lot on the terrain you favour and when you’re available. The ideal length is 13-16 minutes I think. Any shorter risks being too explosive (1 lap of Innsbruckring in A is interesting when it hits the leg snapper…). Any longer and you might spend a bit too long above threshold. My basic aim was to get to the finish in the front group. So you want a front group which will survive, and which you can survive in basically.

There are some regularly scheduled ones: TTR Weekly are both good. Aussie Crit Crushers (one pair of which we copied last night…), the 2nd one of each pair longer than the first. Kirchmair Sprint Series, but they can be on the short side. Dirty Dozen Sprint (usually – check it’s not just a climb!). Others which come and go include anything 3 laps of Duchy Estate / Queens Highway, 1 lap of seaside sprint, 1 lap of Watopia flat. Maybe l lap of Paris (either way).

cheers I’ll give one a try next time it fits into my plans for the week. Already walking like a robot again after a long walk/run yesterday, it seems running really isn’t for me. So resting up ahead of saturdays Prl.

Hopefully got a new deep gel saddle with cut out coming before the weekend. I found the nicely padded saddle that used to be comfortable had snapped one of the rails between mid to toe area so was probably sagging and may have been adding pressure to the perineum.

The replacement saddles I had in stock are a little bit too firm and proving uncomfortable over a long ride.

@kirky72 …
Idid an 8.5km run on wednesday, at 4.24min/km pace, and legs still feeling it!!!

Oh well, cycling is a bit less ‘impact’!!

see you (and others?) tomorrow am in london!

DrP

Enjoy London. I’m going out in the real world tomorrow.

@DrP Will try to join you guys after our Ventoux ride if possible, although it might be a short one. Are you guys going to be using Discord for chat? otherwise we may not be able to communicate.

i tcan use the discord chat, but also, though Kirky adn I will be in a meetup, we can also chat to ‘nearby’ on Zwift..

DrP

I struggle messaging on the companion app, without dropping out of the draft, as it is without adding another method into the mix so if we are all together than the Zwift messaging should suffice.

My new saddle a really ugly and plump looking Bioflex gel ozone turned up and is fitted ready for tomorrow. For the first time my lower end my not be my biggest problem.

hopefully there will be some other people in london, as it’s NOT the scheduled course…. Hmm… will see how we get on Kirky 😀 !!!!

DrP

Last Saturday I made the same mistake (despite London being a guest world on the Friday and the Monday) when I did half PRL on my own. It was quiet but there was a TTT and a full PRL badge hunter event going on. Looking on Zwiftpower there just seems to be one 100km endurance event at 7.30am so it may well be quiet! Hope to see you about 10ish all being well.

@DrP can you send me a invite to the meet up I’ll try and joining from the start for a couple of laps, if not I’ll try and find you and join for a couple.

What’s your zwift name again dude?

DrP

Found it.. invite sent!

DrP

@DrP cheers hopefully join at done point if not there’s start

Here we go!
See you on the line guys…lets hope my legs warm up and the cramp from running gives!!!!

DrP

Sorry guys we were unable to select “ride with” as London isn’t a guest world today…so couldn’t catch up with you

Probably a good thing cos I was pooped after Ventoux

Hope it’s going well

No worries Craig although there wasn’t too many riders around London so some extra help especially on the last two laps would have been nice.

We both had pre ride excuses or aches and pain from running earlier in the week. I thought on Thursday and Friday that I had zero chance of wanting to ride any more than 20/30 miles but loosened up a bit over night but quads were rock hard, hamstrings and calves aching so not a good recipe for a 100 mile plus ride.

However we both did well, maybe going off a bit too fast after the first lap warm up, hitting 8.12 up box, I think 10 of 11 times were under 9.30 5 were under 9 minutes and every lap except when we took a convenience break was under 29minutes, some were nearer to 26 minutes.

The last lap or two started to hurt but we coped and finished around 5hours 30.

Feel a bit frazzled now and might not make Sunday hills if there is one.

Combination of rocker and new super plush saddle worked well and my legs weren’t much sorer than when I started and my undercarriage is surprisingly pain free.

I picked up a bioflex anatomic flex gel saddle. Really deep gel sections with cut out. I wouldnt add it onto any of my outdoor bikes for fear of doubling the bike weight but it is really comfy. I just need to lower it a touch more.

Oh thanks Karnaki for trying to join us, unfortunately you arrived just before our scheduled stop, we opted to do an extra lap before hopping off and I tried to keep the break short but I guess the commas weren’t good as you had departed before we were ready to set off again.

(Just rode to Brighton amd showered, so didn’t reply immediately! )..

Was fun, but felt much harder than the vEverest attempt…
I think because, as kirky said, we both had sore legs going into this! A lesson here is to rest and NOT run a few days before!

DrP

Well done both of you. That’s a good effort!

Are there any plans for a Sunday morning (Hills?) social at all? I’ll not be up for a big schlep tomorrow I suspect but can join for an hour if it’s longer one or stay the distance off its short?

If nothing is arranged I’ll put invites out for an hour ish ride.

@kirkyy72 no worries, took me ages to work out how to get to london, ended up setting up own meeting, leaving it to ride other way round till you went past then caught up. I only had time for a couple ifvlaps by that time so worked well. Had to take youngest daughter out for a ride just after 10. Well done, not sure I could cope with 10 or 11 laps!

its 11 climbs but 12 and a bit laps of London really as you go around again towards box Hill but turnaround back up the escalator and finish on the mall.

how about something nice like one of the less hilly French routes for tomorrow. I might be up for that as a steady recovery ride while the kids are waking up.

Well done! I thought I’d done well with a 105k ride in the wind today, then I saw DrP’s Strava 🤣

dangeourbrain

Cheers for the invite but signed up for the pretzel badge hunt in the morning at 7.30.

I’ve put douce France in then, should go for a leg stretch at least!

Well done guys…a great effort and good time.

@dangeourbrain Brian I’m not sure if I’ll make tomorrow early doors or not but I’ll accept the invite just in case. If I can get up I’ll see you there.

Yep I’m on cooked breakfast duty tomorrow as I buggered off out on my bike this morning. Quite looking forward a lay in tbh 😁
If I’m up and about and can make it though I’ll be there.

I wish I had a better option but if I’m not zwifting I’d be up to get on with gardening anyhow.

In also quite looking forward to riding something not so squishy at both ends after today

Can’t make the morning. Will possibly do a light spin later in the day depending on family activities. Have a good one.

Does anyone use FulGaz on here?

I’ve signed up for 14 day trial period, but the resistance doesn’t seem to work correctly.

When 1st set up I used Bluetooth, but had a problem with watts, cadence and resistance not changing after a few km. So started using the Ant+ dongle which I use for Zwift and disabled Bluetooth. I downloaded video and tried again, this was in react mode, but the resistance was all over the place. Mid ride I changed to steady mode and resistance seemed to kick in for a few km, but then after that it went a bit Pete Tong!

It is the exact same set up I use for Zwift, trainer is the same distance away from laptop, with phone and Bluetooth speaker in same position as would be if using Zwift with no issues.

I have used Rouvy and RGT with no problems with the same set up.

Any ideas guys??

@giggsmaster I do but not sure how much help I can be, I’ve don’t have the issues you mention. I sometimes don’t get HR data but normally that’s one of my other devices hogging the heart rate strap output.🙂 which with no data does tend to end up being the devices connecting to something else!

It is worth a support ticket as they are pretty responsive, bear in mind support is Australia so time difference.

There are some guides on resistance Support Pages You can can log a case from here too, top right of page,

Knowledge base

Hope you get sorted it great app to use I’ve been doing the virtual compacted Lejog this month.

Thanks for that @Phil56 blew the cobwebs out a bit more than I expected. I’d not even brought a water bottle or put the fans on to start with thinking it would be a gentle pootle!

Cheers @forge197, I’ve just sent a support request through, so hopefully get some feedback.

Do you connect via Bluetooth or Ant+ dongle out of interest?

@giggsmaster I use Apple TV which is very much Bluetooth only.

See zwift sorted the app quitting issue this week, so you no longer have to close the app after a ride. Folk been asking for that change since day one I imagine.

Did the mega pretzel today for all route badges complete. Been good ticking them off, got me riding more. Think I might pause the subscription now until Winter.

@Forge197 I rode the Llandegla route you filmed on fulgaz, v nice! Kinda felt like I was going to fall off the turbo going over some of the rollers.

@Garry_Lager thanks, it’s great to have some off road on FulGaz, the challenge is that downhill much faster on the indoor bike than I can ride outdoor and the speed is a bit out of kilter.

That initial climb feels the same in and outdoors! I would like to do a couple more but with lockdown’s not been possible. Hope to do a couple more this year and see if they add them as it’s nice to have a couple off road routes if only to see the lovely trails and forest, especially right now as we can’t go there.

Howdy.. I’ve pinged out an invite for another Sunday Hills, in prep for the “tour or watopia” which starts next week!

Come along for the ‘three sisters’ route, with the kom..epic…and volcano….
Earn your Sunday roast 😋

DrP

It’s a bit bumpy but actually not a bad route at all that one @DrP

@DrP what sort of pace? I’ve accepted I’ll join for as long as I can keep up 🥵, hopefully the bug is fixed too for visibility.

Put the below in the wrong thread earlier.

Maybe something to do in between race series. Could do on a Tuesday or Sunday. we could also try and get some cruise and sprint laps going occasionally in the break.

I had an idea of a group cat and mouse race up the Alpe, for some time in the future, which would act as pacing ride for people to achieve their own target times.

So could set of in 3 or 4 bands of times which would result in hopefully the majority of riders to come together at the summit.

Ie 1hr target riders depart at the first meet up time let’s say 9am
55 min target riders at 9.05
50mins target riders at 9.10.

Could be split to more time options if there was a larger number of riders but the above could work as 3 meet up rides or just roll out at 5 min intervals with the same steady paced neutralised leadin to the alpe start.

Just an idea for those that might like to improve their Alpe time by way of some added help from riding in a group with a touch of competition.