Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

That alpe is a world of pain for me…

LAva race was fine, sure it’s a hill and requires a decent push of effort.

The Alp though, nah, done it.. it’s horrible.

not done “Whole Lotta Lava” before, really enjoyed the course, hard work yes but the climb was JUST short enough that I could give it full beans all the way (which really rewards you as it’s a gentle enough incline that you still get a big benefit from drafting as well!)

Was gutted by the ZP results though as EVERYONE above me (in Cat C) was over the w/kg limit and yet no-one got DQ’d so I’m only 8th 😭😭😭 https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=356884

You need to press the 95% button at the top of the results.
Winner was a lightweight female so sneaks in on rules for lightweight with low power.
2nd and 4th are the only other ones over by a small amounts and one has now been upgraded.
All fall in within the rules on ZP.

On the plus side for you you have plenty of room to increase towards the limit and getting good results.

You need to press the 95% button at the top of the results.

ah fair enough I didn’t realise that was how they worked it out!!

Yes it’s hard to get your head round as Zwift have the rule but don’t enforce it and there was a lot of work done on ZP with different ideas to keep it as fair as possible without being in control of Zwift.

Guess I’ll renew my subs then….

Anyone doing Stage 4 tomorrow?

Only ridden a bit of the jungle circuit.

I notice most are signing up for the group rides rather than the race. Wonder if it’s because the race is so short, less than 16km?

Tempted to do the group ride in B cat, 3 laps, 24km, 246m climbing. Nice compromise for my legs I think.

A cat has 4 laps, 39km, 410m. That might be a bit painful.

Ok only a mid D cat rider at best but obviously cats are a moot point in group rides anyway.

Don’t know about anyone else but group rides seem like unofficial races in this tour?😁

I’m doing the cat c race at 1912hrs, I suspect I’ll find it easier than the d cat races as I won’t have the motivation of holding on for a shot at a podium so I’ll prob just end up getting in a mid paced group and riding to win the sprint for not last place.

Think I might to do the Cat D race at 08:10, want to get out in the real world as well tomorrow so a bit of fun before breakfast.

The trouble with the Stage group rides is that they go off like a race but you have no idea of the actual cat of the other riders which I find a bit “disorienting” lol. I should probably go by my ftp as a guide but can’t help trying to stay with a rider or blob…. then crash and burn a bit later.

I’m trying to increase my mileage on my “every other day” riding routine. I can’t stand training programs so just figuring the more I ride the fitter I’ll get. I’ve started from a low point though, so any riding is going to be good at this stage. I should probably do the race tomorrow them do some freeriding afterwards. Freeriding does lack the incentive of a group/race ride though.

Trying to get some enthusiasm together for my booked stage 4 at 0910, having not Zwifted since Thursday, knowing I ought to keep things steady and not go much into heart z3.

About the only positive right now is I weighed myself earlier and I was 75.7Kg, the lightest I’ve been for ~2.5 years, not through burning lots of Calories on the bike but by not having access to so many cold cross buns and chocolate raisins!

Lol. My weight is doing ok too. Keep going mate

I’m off out riding today, only done 1 swift this week, the rest have been in the middle of nowhere

We’ve just got our club kit on Zwift!

A reference point for stage 4 to anyone as geeky as myself…

2.7W/Kg on the Scott mtb gave time of 44mins7secs withh draft benefits for ~5secs.

“Newbury Vale” is a weird name for a circa year 2000 rave club. Is it some cryptic reference to ecstasy that I don’t get?

I think it’s more an eye issue – it’s Newbury Velo.

I prefer racing because at least I’m up against similar cat riders, as mentioned with group rides its hard to know if you are trying to keep up with A or B riders, so I burn out too quick.

Did the 0810 stage 4 this morning, finished 38th in race, ZP had me 2nd, again loads of disqualifications or non ZP riders.
The rider that finished first in zwift was 8 minutes ahead of everyone else, with only a 131w output…everyone else around 250w haha…very suspect.

Nice result there oop north. What cat you in again?

I’ve decided to do the A, 5 lap group Stage ride at 6pm tonight because I’m an idiot basically.

Just want to wind up the mileage I’m doing really. Going to try to just not come in last. That’ll do me.

Thought I’d ‘test’ my new second monitor for WFH. Blimey 1080P on a 27 inch screen is really good. Coming off a 10 year old VGA 21inch screen. I did notice my MacBook was working pretty hard as I had everything turned to the max.

Ended up having to move the turbo back and pop the monitor up a bit. Good move to the window(s) as well. Never normally ride Zwift after Feb, but this year I reckon I’d best get it set up in summer mode. Clearly I’m going to need a bigger floor standing fan.

Started the latest Singletrack Slayer workouts. Blimey 5 workouts a week and they are a lot harder that what I’ve done before..

Still not managed a race…

@Poopscoop I’m in cat D. Usually I start ok in the front group but once the hills come I’m going backwards. The ZP results flatter me, I’m usually anything from 20th to 50th in most races with a decent field.

If I ever get to cat C I would be definitely at the back 🙂

A gnatts chuff away from being in the top half (ZP) of my first cat c race so pretty pleased with that.

Interestingly(?) the pace on the flats was more manageable than in the cat d races I’ve done but the climbing was much harder. I wonder if this is because the riders in cat c aren’t in that category because of power so much but more because of the weight side of the equation.

Well done Dobski! Nice when the results start coming

Cheers Weeksy, looking forward to stage 5 now.

oop north
Subscriber

@Poopscoop I’m in cat D. Usually I start ok in the front group but once the hills come I’m going backwards. The ZP results flatter me, I’m usually anything from 20th to 50th in most races with a decent field.

She, me too,D. What you describe on hills is spot on for me too. I’m ok on the flats but when the hills arise I’m just a slow moving road block.Lol

I did the 5 lap Stage 4 today and it wasn’t too bad. Noticeably slower on the dirt on the mtb. Loads of people were slagging off the track, the virtual mtb’s though etc… Quite amusing really.

Nice result Ivan! I think I came dead last in D on my first race, and a few after that!😁

So, partly for a laugh and because Jnr is a successful county swimmer / I don’t want them without exercise I stuck his bike on Zwift.  He enjoyed it, but I then discovered you can apply for a proper, protected child account up to age 16 for free:

https://support.zwift.com/en_us/zwift-accounts-for-children-HyleeRkr7

Maybe of help to some.

Despite the lovely weather out there today, I had a few things to do around the house/garden.
So did the 16:05 3R Tick Tock Flat race.
Fast start as typical for a short and flat 19k race; it settled down after about 5-6k .. 8km in and sat fairly comfortably in front group, and lost connection again!
I decided to just finish the course and set a 250w TT effort. 10k in and just at start of the little climb the connection resumed; but I was a minute off from front group and 20 seconds in front of a group of C riders.
They caught me descending the little climb, so sat in with them for a km or two and went off the front with another rider 5km from the finish.
Bit frustrating losing connection again, and I seen by chatter on zwift it is happening to quite a few other riders too … I guess there’s lots people using it at moment.

Hoping to do the 17:40 Team Gladiators Race tomorrow .. fingers crossed the connection holds🤞

I’m planning on doing the stage 5 ToW race then concentrating on longer steady rides I think. Doing the races is good but I’m utterly **** at the end of one and as per the “reining it in” thread I’m not sure that’s a great idea currently.

10:10am today for the Jungle Tour race i think. Mostly because they get better fields, but also because its on a MTB too. Planning on setting up the turbo in the garden for it 🙂

zwift/turbo was throwing a wobbly so in the 11:10 instead

I’m doing the Team Italy Gladiators Race at 5.40pm today, in D cat.

Richmond,33k, 318m.

Anyone else?

weeksy
Subscriber
10:10am today for the Jungle Tour race i think. Mostly because they get better fields, but also because its on a MTB too. Planning on setting up the turbo in the garden for it 🙂

I saw the pic, best set up I’ve seen!👍

Gave tempus fugit a tickle last night, to see what the TT format was like. Normally find a prolonged threshold session very taxing on the turbo, and it definitely felt easier with the zwift environment. Posted a 25.51 on the 17.6K course which felt like a decent effort – although not sure I’d do it again, the racing seems more fun.
Maybe with some mates or in a 2/3 up the TT would be good.

Sorry as this has likely been covered somewhere in the preceding 328 pages but I’ll ask anyway as here seems the best place to get a sensible answer…

Like most I find my self wondering about how to spend the next few “weeks” and I’m looking at a smart trainer and some sort of app.

I have a dumb turbo already and frankly it bores me to tears. I can manage half an hour or so of beasting my self but not much more (doesn’t help its very loud so I can’t watch or listen to much whilst I’m at it).

So, those of you who do zwift, are any of you in the “I hate(d) the turbo but zwift is good *” category, in which case it might be worth a try or is it still like riding a turbo and I’m likely to find I’ve got several hundred quids worth of dust collector once all this blows over?

Is it something that grows on you?

*good is relative but something half way to a real ride I think I’d probably get on with ok enough.

“I hate(d) the turbo but zwift is good *”

Yes, up to October 2016 I had previously owned 3 different turbos over 15 years, all of which got barely used before I moved them on.

In November 2016 I got my first smart turbo for zwift and 8,000km later still loving it.

I have however upgraded the smart turbo a couple of times and now on a Neo 2.

Yes – definitely in the I Hate The Turbo cat ; but zwift is much better … It will get as boring very quickly if you just riding around the different worlds, but the racing is never boring.
You never know if your going to get a lazy group who sit up after the initial sprint start .. or if you find yourself in a too fast a group, but you too close to finish line – and too far from chasing group to sit up.

(those are the wrong answers. I hoped the cv19 thing would at least save me money). 😉

Until Zwift i never hated the turbo, it simply didn’t exist, it was something to not even consider. Now I’ve done 20,000km on Zwift I think I can safely be called a convert.

Absolutely better than just a turbo! It’s so much more engaging and at first I was scared about doing my first race, now I love it! Trying to pitch yourself against others across the world and if you fail, who cares, there is no one at the finish line watching.

I find myself always looking for my next event, or if i’m not feeling the race, I’ll freeride and challenge myself on a new circuit or up a mountain.

I started on the dumb trainer when I first joined but you definitely get more out of a smart trainer with the resistance change.

Long group rides (let’s be honest they are races!), hills and me don’t mix well. I think I’m better suited to shorter races.

Did the stage 5 longer group ride and went off too fast again, ended up blowing up towards the end and was being passed by most on the volcano. How do some ride so fast uphill??

Ended up 161 on ZP…its also boosted me up to cat C. I think I’ve just scraped in. That’s going to be interesting in my next race, think I’ll be propping up the back haha.