Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

Thanks @muke. I’ll check out some more reviews.

I use one of these https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NH12O5I USB extension cables…

To get the https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LIIMHP4 ANT+ dongle close to…

The turbo and a Coospo H6 BT/ANT+ hrm similar to https://smile.amazon.co.uk/CooSpo-Monitor-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Compatible/dp/B07D4J5VDK

Please tell me this a new feature…

Just logged in to zwift.com to sync my weight, to see that under “Membership,” I now have the option to suspend billing for up to 8 weeks! 😮

I’ve been rather careless and not cancelled my Zwift monthly subs over the summer, barely used it all since July, £13 is more than a week’s lunch money for me at work on my 3-day week.

Handy feature for a week’s vacation or even simply a “rest week.”

Never seen it before, I’m waiting for some of you to tell it’s a feature that’s been there ages! 😆

Windows and Zwift updated today. I rebooted the PC just in case but Garmin HR now pcked up on Ant…. then joined a group ride and got kicked to Windows twice.

Hardly ever been kicked to windows ever (luckily) and never twice in sdame ride.

Tinkering now to try and get HR working again as that might be symptom of prob.

Reinstalling Ant dongle, Zwift now… blah blah. Just a heads up ij case anyone else riding tonight and using windows, you *might* have issues??

Bugger, looks like my HR monitor is toast. Downloaded sufferfest but it doesn’t see the strap either.

Ordered one of those Cool Poo ones off Amazon.😁

Read the instructions on those coopoo things, I had one and it didn’t connect in the normal way everything had to be connected via the coopoo app or some such nonsense. They might have changed now but if it doesn’t seem to work it may be that.

I’ll see when it arrives tomorrow mate. Cheers for heads up.

It’s the later version with BT4 and Ant+.

Reviews seem ok, “only” £20 so worth a punt.

CooSpo Heart Rate Monitor Bluetooth ANT+ with Chest Strap for Running Cycling Gym and other Sports https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07D4J5VDK/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_i_RDPuFbFFA0HJD

Had a race tonight sans HR monitor to see if Zwift booted me out but all ok.

Did a reinstall of Zwift just in case too.

Still didn’t pick up HR so installed sufferfest and that didn’t pick up the hr either. Buggered around with ant dongle but as ant works with the turbo fine…. I’m guessing it’s it’s the old garmin HR. Hopefully.😁

Well, the Coo Spro HR monitor works a treat. Zwift found it immediately and gave me the choice to connect via Ant or BT.

Connected via Ant and all is well. Uses 2032 button cells, which is what my old garmin HR used so I have spare ones of those stored up. Comes with a battery too.

Not bad at all for 20£. Nice and comfy also.👍

After doing an outside lunch ride yesterday i thought i’d also do a little race.

It’s a course i enjoy rather than one i excel at. The leg snapper went well first time up, but last 100m of the climb i lost the bunch i was in and ended up with 2-3 others in G2, but that was OK, it was still a decent position…. I ended up riding with them for most of the next lap, until the last 2km where i didn’t have a lot left.

Struggling with leg power from the crash along with hand position on the bike, but was nice to get the HR up into the decent figures, which i felt i’ve lost for a while.

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1055199

Your HR goes pretty high! Only time mine goes into the 180s is on a ramp test. I am hoping that means I am limited by my muscular endurance at the moment so can grow my FTP plenty! Aiming to hit 330w by Mountain Mayhem next year!

First time in a while i’ve hit 180bpm, i think the leg snapper encourages it. 402w average for 1mins 15.. that’s always going to poke the HR up isn’t it !

That’s a bloody good effort weeksy and looks like a small field which always makes the races tougher.

Anyone else fancying some race practice at 17:05 today ?

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1068173

Alas no chance I’d be home from the office in time weeksy – though I do wonder if I could get a power meter then run zwift on my mobile and record my commute…

No. Silly idea.

I’d love to Weeksy as I’ve never done a crit (need to sort this!!), however work rules me out

Enjoy!

Well they don’t make sharing events easy do they! I’m sure there was a share button before.
If anyone is fool enough I’m planning to do the team cls hills and thrills tomorrow at 18.50.
It’s a Cat E ride so that’ll be good for finding a group at the right pace for a Friday pm earn my beer ride.
It’s New York everything pretzel so has the shinny blue climb. So that will be horrible.

Just a little early for me, I’m back at 7pm. Good excuse to avoid that awful New York climb

I’ll be honest getting home and finding my house had been owned to the ground with bombers would seem like a good excuse not to do that climb

Despite the fact the conversation on Robbo’s thread seems to have turned to ftps and the like today, I guess this is one for here.

Anyone any idea what the green/yellow/orange (I assume red etc) indicator bars on the normalised power stat on Zwift power are all about?

If anyone is fool enough I’m planning to do the team cls hills and thrills tomorrow at 18.50

Change of plan. My legs are fairly tired after this weeks exertions. I’m not doing that crappy new York climb, I’m going for a curry instead.

That’s the difference between your power outputs, so if you TT along at say 270w all the way, your NP will be 270w… but if you peak and trough you’ll have a higher normalised power, the greater the gap, the different colour.

Bath Salts shows it really well, rides that same ride at 190, 190, 450, 450, 190, 190, 190, 420, 500. As he goes front to back, then walllops in 800 for the last KM for the win, giving a high NP differential.

9:45 this morning for me… Crit City, see if i can find any form at all.

Usually has a couple of crazy youngsters in it who win, but it’s funny watching them lobbing out 4.5w/kg in C

the greater the gap, the different colour.

I assumed it was something like that but ta for confirming. Looking at the courses I’ve got orange bars on and the like that makes a lot of sense – looks like it’s mostly ones with decent down hill sections.

Good luck in the race. That’s an early start for a competitive effort.

I’m trying something different today with a sub 100w warm up for 45 mins. Just working on laptop and rolling would London flat at minimum effort and lowish resistance. Not sure if it’s a good or bad idea but we’ll see.

Target for today is all 8 laps around the lead group, 6 won’t be terrible, 4 will be bad. I expect at least 80% if this will be in my head rather than my legs. “I’m done, can’t hold it” is a common thing in my brain come race days at the moment and I just need to suck it up and dig deeper.
I did 7 laps the other night if a crit city with Richard Dalen, fast C, I was there all the way, then sort of just threw my hand in when it got proper tough. My average HR was 167 which I should be able to hold, but I think what did me was a 176 peak up the dolphin kicker. Average power was 269w which I’m happy with at the moment, but need to maintain it slightly longer.

I expect at least 80% if this will be in my head rather than my legs. “I’m done, can’t hold it”

80/20 isn’t a ad split on that, think I’m closer to 90/10.

Im terrible for sitting up either 5m from the line or when I fall out the back of a group I missed draft in despite knowing if I kicked a bit and tucked in properly I’d actually rest up better than plugging along in no man’s land.

@weeksy. I think you have a good plans. Z1 warm up for 45 mins sounds sensible. Throw is a few short sprints and high cadence drills near the end of the warm up to open things up a bit.

@weeksy let us know how you get on, a proper warmup is something I really struggle to make time for! Anything to help ease the pain of the TTT though 😃

Anything to help ease the pain of the TTT though

It might sound silly but shout up and pull on the front for a minute or two. That way you can dictate pace rather than crying blood trying to keep up, otherwise all that happens is whichever sociopath is on the front is ticking up a few watts at a time trying to guess just how hard they can pull before the band snaps 😉

Would that be the same sociopath recommending 2 minute TTT pulls on the internet?

Well the race went ok, even if the result may not be amazing, 13th on the road and in the bunch until last 300m where I couldn’t muster a sprint. Didn’t get a PU on last lap which would have really helped. Lap 8 kicked hard and I was near 180bpm just to hang in. 1.2km down the cobbles I nearly chucked my hand in to roll in, but dug and held a wheel, but 500m out I was 18th/19 in group and you’re not making up much ground from there without 1000w sprints. Strava measured me at 273w for the race which I’m happy with, I had a few cruise moments when the race allowed, so all things considered, that’s a good number

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1069944

we had about 6 Bs on the start line,

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1080893

Went into this heavy legged… thought it’d be a disaster but ended up a fun race. Was 33rd on the road so a LOT of DQs as always in Zwiftland.

Fun though.

Going for a risky Crit at 9:30am. Not sure the full man-flu has left me yet, but there’s only 1 way to find out the answer.

Good luck Weeksy! I’ve still not done a crit yet…need to try but times don’t work for me.

Any tips on how to race them? Is it just full on at all times?

hide 🙂 but yeah, mostly 270w after the initial surge off the line. Then either wait for sprint or time an attack late on, but that’s hard as last lap is usually fast!

Any tips on how to race them? Is it just full on at all times?

Off the line Pedal hard, really really hard, as though you’re trying to find some sort of auto errotic balance betwixt life and death. By about half way round the first lap you should be able to ease off to the point of almost throwing up – not because pedaling harder would make you ill but because your body can’t divert enough oxygen to the requisite muscles to actually make you sick.

Hold that until you sprint for the finish or fall off.

Good luck weeksy.

20 min warm up was hard 😀 i think this may be a disaster.

i think this may be a disaster

They’re often the fun ones!

Wasn’t a complete disaster, i got onto lap5 before being dropped from lead group, which was 3 more than i expected… My HR wasn’t dropping on the rest bits so on the rollers i was up at 176, which is a bit too high, i knew i couldn’t hold it, so got dropped and Solo’d to the end. Normally i’d have bailed when dropped but hung in for a finish.

I’m going to lay up now until Tues to break this lurgy fully.

@weeksy have you thought about risking managing your effort via the HRM less? Ride without it (or without pairing it to zwift, so you can’t see it during the race).

My problem (on the kind of course I enjoy, especially since I became a B) is staying with the lead group until the race gets interesting. So on, say this race last week which had 35km flat lead in to a climbing finish (https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1080840) I lost the lead group after 10km. After that it was a mix of lonely TT, shifting small groups, other cats coming through the field etc. Maddeningly, lots of riders quit the event ahead of me when they got dropped too. Admittedly that’s a stupidly long lead in (what was I thinking?) but a typical outcome for me on shorter course too. I’d like to get to the decisive climb on courses like that in a bigger group, but I am not (yet) managing it.

I’ve realised though that I’m managing the effort wrong. I get dropped partly because I’m trying to sustain a level which still leaves something in the tank for the finale. But actually I need to get as far as I can – even if it means I crack – with the lead group, sod the finale. Once I manage to get there, I can worry about that! I think – esp recently – you are riding in the same fashion and managing your effort to avoid cracking. My climb is like your final lap. But what’s the downside of risking it? Neither of us are getting as far as we’d like because we’re focussing on what happens immediately next. We get dropped not because we can’t hold the wheels, but because we judge (for whatever reason, rightly or wrongly) that we can’t sustainably hold the wheels.

I’m going to try one of the Box Hill Races at lunchtime (either the 3R one or the Chinese one with fewer riders but a shorter lead in) and set out only to stay with the lead pack as long as I can – even if it means sprinting well into the red at times – and stop saving anything at all for what comes next. It’s not a failure if I don’t PB the climb segment because I get there knackered, and I’m going to stop riding like it is.