Zwift Team Time Trial – Thursday evenings

It’s time to get our singletrackworld zwift team time trial team(s) up and running again. We enter one or two teams each Thursday night at 7.40pm.

Everyone is welcome to join in. Teams are mixed category and the event usually lasts about 40mins to an hour.

This week is 1x 29km lap of Magnificent 8: https://zwiftinsider.com/route/the-magnificent-8/

Please indicate your interest / availability here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

If you are not on the spreadsheet already, just add yourself. I’ll post the team lineup(s) and all the necessary practical information later this week.

The event website is here: https://www.wtrl.racing/ttt/TTT-Rules-and-Info/ but there’s no need to wade through that – any questions etc. just post them in here.

I’m working for the next few Thursdays.
I did enjoy the teamwork aspect of the few TT’s i did last year.
Hopefully I’ll be able to join in with the B team later in autumn?

Rick.

@savoyad I should be back later in September, got Helvellyn Tri on the 12th then a week of rest then hopefully good to go. Enjoyed the ones I did earlier in the year.

Is there s brief synopsis if what is required to register on the website?
Ta

Tempting, but….but….erm, but….!! It seems like torture. I’ll have a think!

I’m in! Come on Stumpy – you know you want to!

Also we wont be going all out – everyone needs a chance to get back into the process again and contribute however they can. There have been changes to pack dynamics since we last did it so we will have to get used to that as well.

Overall though it is intended to be fun and justify an early weekend beer on a Thursday night so even if you are unsure give it a go. the teamwork aspect is one of the main draws for me – cycling can be a very individual sport so adding a team aspect once a week is a good outcome and working for someone else definitely pushes you. We will (try) not to break you! 🙂

I can’t make this week (off to the Alps), but should be OK the following week. Zero fitness though after a very lazy summer, so should be painful!

Zero fitness though after a very lazy summer,

Despite the fairly basic maths I somehow think your zero is not the same as mine!

Ok, go on them I’m in. I’ve done a bit of mountain biking over the summer but very little on the trainer.

Great. A team is forming…but keep those entries coming. All welcome, sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

@retrorick of course you’ll be welcome once you are available again.

@karnali enjoy helvellyn, that’s a serious event. Looking forward to seeing you back after you emulate this https://youtu.be/axfx5M8KVYk – TTT entry is simple nowadays – you need a zwiftpower account (which you have) and then I post a team-specific entry link in here each week once lineups are settled. I’ll post the full practical info (discord etc) whenever people need it.

@stumpy01 honestly @robbo1234biking is talking sense. It’s kind of torture, but the kind that people (whose judgment you can more or less otherwise trust) keep coming back for week after week. The camaraderie is great, it makes some of the people off here (slightly) more real, and there’s a good contrast between competing on Tuesday and then cooperating on Thursday with the same riders. The event rules force mixed category racing (e.g. 3Bs are effectively obliged to get a C across the line with them for the timer to stop, etc). And our approach gets basically everyone across the finish line each week.

@dangeourbrain you can only laugh at @phil56 “zero” fitness in this thread when there’s not a zero next to your name on the signup sheet.
But still @phil56 I think Brian is right. Enjoy the alps, and see you back in STW bumblebee when you get back

@drew it’s been paused over the summer (our team at least) so everyone is rusty. It’s part of the fun…

when there’s not a zero next to your name on the signup sheet.

All done I think!

I’m in. If only to shout at @Stumpy01!;)

That is at least 6 then! Good news!

We wont have a plan for this one other than get everyone to the finish. There is only one very short hill on this course so its a good one to ease back into.

my earlier reply to @karnali was nonsense. you also need a WTRL profile to take part now (I think this week’s riders all have one). You can get one here. https://www.wtrl.racing/registration.php

Will see if I can negotiate the evening off kiddie bedtime

I’m keen to get back on this. Possibly from October though due other commitments and potential nice cycling evenings. It’s got to be proper dark and miserable out to make me want to Zwift though.

Great to see this getting up & running again. I’m pre-occupied with Dirty Reiver for a couple of weeks but will see after that.

Right – I have been peer-pressured into having a go at this 😂

What the effin’ Geoff do I need to do?
I just looked on the wtrl link and it’s a bit baffling….

Questions I have

Do I get sent a link to join the team/race slot?

I need Discord, I think. Correct? Does this work on Android? Or do I need to use my laptop? Is there a way to test it’s working before the race itself?
Do people use this with headphones? I was thinking Bluetooth speaker through my tablet (also running Zwift).

Bike choice? Does everyone choose TT or is it better to choose a bike suited to the course so people behind get a draft?

Does anyone need to know my FTP? Cat?

What’s generally happens? Take a turn at the front and hold a certain w/kg? I struggle with drafting in Zwift and tend to yo-yo a bit….

Eek!

Do I get sent a link to join the team/race slot?

yep, nearer the time

Does everyone choose TT

do NOT choose the TT bike!!! It doesn’t draft, so you’ll be doing a solo effort for the duration! Tron bike is best overall if you have it, otherwise whatever bike/wheelset is most aero probably most suited to this course.

Decent quality BT headphones are best IME, otherwise the team might struggle to hear you. Make sure you enable push-to-talk in Discord to stop us getting a permanent earful of heavy breathing. 😀
Link to Discord channel (will expire) https://discord.gg/e8ZPfwPK

Does anyone need to know my FTP? Cat?-

nope

What’s generally happens? Take a turn at the front and hold a certain w/kg? I struggle with drafting in Zwift and tend to yo-yo a bit….

in the past we have been quite organised with a set rotation for x seconds etc, that won’t be happening this week though. We will just wing it, If you want to take the front do so, if you keep an eye on the W/kg figure of the other team members that helps because there’s no point two people burning themselves out at the same time! Likewise if everyone else is taking it easy that’s a good time to push on!

Also, I have Discord running on my phone which is held on the bars on a handlebar mount.

Great! Cheers zilog6128

I have the Tron bike, so that’s easy.

I don’t have any suitable BT headphones; just some bulky over ear Sony noise cancelling headphones. I do have a wired Skype headset I could plug into my phone, or an old set of wired handsfree earphones. I have a handlebar mount for my phone so could do discord on that.
Push to talk…okie dokie!

Wing it. Sounds fine by me!

The only real advice I can remember is don’t try and rest at the very back, 2nd or 3rd rider from the back is a much better place to ease off a bit

If Zwift fixes itself I could ride this week, shall I add myself to the sheet?

It is prob more important to be able to listen for your first one. The most important thing is to highlight if you need us to back of the pace.

That is 8 riders with a back up in Paul (as a maybe).

I assume Savoyad has his cut and paste guide to the nuances of the ttt such as don’t pedal in the pen after the timer has gone!

in…terested

I “could” ride this week but no bike on the trainer and no idea whether it’s all working

Give me a month and I’ll be right 🙄

OK, like @robbo1234biking says…we have a team!

You are riding as “STW”. The team is:

@slowpuncheur @drew @robbo1234biking @zilog6128 @haloric @dangeourbrain @stumpy01 @mrhoppy

We also have @paul-s as a potential backup.

@robbo1234 will organise (if organisation is necessary) in here and on the road.

Everyone click here and enter pen A: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=UWdzR0NGbkxaeVlQSmhOMDI5OWp1dz09

Discord invite for the STW server: https://discord.gg/gUAsz2s7 – have a play in there @stumpy01 and see what works for you. It’s possible to survive without (although tricky). Being able to hear is more important than being able to say anything.

I’ll post the rest of the info, including a reminder of the start process, when I get the start delay later today.

Being able to hear is more important than being able to say anything

Now there is a life lesson for you!

There is a difference between hearing and listening though Brian! 🙂 as the parent of a 7 year old I am very aware of the difference!

Oooh. Quite excited to get going again. @stumpy01 Discord is fine. I use some wired earbuds to my phone and leave the discord page open – you don’t need the Zwift companion app for anything as far as I remember. TTTs really help to hone you drafting skills so useful for the Race Series;)

Dont forget to wear the bumblebee kit and it using the tron bike yellow wheels 😉

Try and change tops/bikes before you enter the pen – zwift seems to register changes on your screen but to others it doesnt change last year we had some people looking like they were riding MTBs but they werent. It isnt a big deal if you forget but expect some friendly banter 🙂

I wondered about the kit…

I’ve signed up to Discord, have sorted the STW server thingie and changed the comms option to “push to talk”.

What’s this thing about not pedalling in the pen that I saw in the wtrl link? Is it as simple as that? There was.something about going I to a Zwift menu like jersey selection or something if you still want to spin and keep legs warm, but ensure you aren’t pedalling when you come back out.

@stumpy01 the not pedalling thing is crucial -once the race timer (on the start banner as usual) has gone to zero, the word “Go!” appears. At this point the most important thing is NOT to go (unless your team has a zero time delay, which is bloody unlikely)

Instead you need to “Stop!” and wait for your leave time (somebody – usually Phil or Robbo I think – will have a stopwatch running and will count you in on discord as the time gets closer)

Yes, there is a dodge where you can keep pedalling to get/stay warm but (please correct me if this is no longer true) you MUST be in the pairing screen. I’m alsmot certain that if you do it in the garage/kit screen you’ll actually set off too early)
If you do go into pairing, there have been occasional reports of riders not getting back out into the pen, so get out with a reasonable time margin in case you have to try repeatedly or maybe do something else to get back to the pen

OK, we’re set.

The team is @slowpuncheur @drew @robbo1234biking @zilog6128 @haloric @dangeourbrain @stumpy01 @mrhoppy BUT YOU MUST SIGN UP PEOPLE!!! Pen A here: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=UWdzR0NGbkxaeVlQSmhOMDI5OWp1dz09
(you require a wtrl account, and a zwiftpower account for this to whisk you away to the right sign in screen)

You must be in the pen (“join the event”) by 19:40. No late arrivals.
Our start delay is +4 mins, so off at 19:44:00. I explain this below.

– dress up as a bumblebee. @robbo1234biking also enforces yellow wheels (if you have them) and socks. Or not socks, I can’t remember.
– do NOT ride a TT bike. do NOT ride a mountain bike. Ride a road bike, you need the draft. If you are picky about your equipment, choose aero.
– comms will be on discord, in the TTT (STW) voice channel.
– the start procedure is a hack, because zwift doesn’t have the functionality to support TTT. When it says “go”, DO NOT GO. On the contrary, you must be COMPLETELY STOPPED at this point, zero watts. Do not roll forwards (this risks a false start penalty). And wait your allotted time – in our case this week, 4 minutes. After that delay – follow the countdown on discord (or, if you lose comms, your own sense of timing) – you can GO. There is no in-game info about your start delay, or when it elapses. The team have to manage this amongst themselves. The only place you can safely pedal during this 4 minute wait is the pairing screen (not the menu, not the garage, the pairing screen). Make sure you get back out in good time to start pedalling though.
– there’s a lot of TTT experience in this lineup, so if you are new to this don’t feel any pressure to lead the charge. settle in, conserve energy, add to the draft, learn the ropes.

I think that’s everything. Good luck. Have fun. Any questions, post in the thread and they tend to get answered pretty fast.

And thanks for listening @dangeourbrain

Great – everyone is registered.

Signed up, but not sure if I’ll have time tonight, how long is it likely to take this week?

P.

how long is it likely to take this week?

Normally something like 50 minutes + delay, depends how fit everyone is feeling after a summer off.

If there are dropouts I might be able to jump in. Have a Vo2 max workout planned on TR so this could sub.

Its been a while since I’ve done a Zwift event so will probably be crap.

I’ll check back at 6 or 7 pm

@Paul-S there isnt space for you tonight I am afraid. You were down as Maybe so you were backup if anyone dropped out but currently everyone is riding. Apologies.

np – have a good ‘un

Well done everyone.

A good first TTT effort from Stumpy as well!

Good to be back at it on a Thursday evening!

You’re all bastards and I hate you!

It seems that a summer of long distance MTB and paddleboarding does not help with maintaining Zwift capability.

Thanks everyone.