Zwift Team Time Trial, Thursday

STW was a bit if a fiasco last night – only two of use actually started on time!

Scaredy didn’t appear at all for reasons he’s explained, Ian joined but had a turbo failure before we got to the start time and then Paul had a drop out just as the countdown reached zero – which left Martin and I setting off alone!

Once Paul got going Martin and I waited for him to catch up, but we were nearly two minutes into the race before we finally grouped up for another ‘Three Amigos’ effort.

After this fiasco of a start we settled into a good pace and rode well together – it was a good effort in the end considering we lost so much time at the start and we were depleted.

Well done STW. Apologies didn’t make start line. Turbo went pop. Not fuse so think it’s the power block. I haven’t been on it in a few weeks as been outdoors so typically happened before an event not just a training ride.

Yes sorry too, it came right to b the end though. Did we get credited with my time or your/official time in the end?

I found that hard. Whenever I go for an overtake I end up riding beside you for a bit before I give up and drop back in line. Looking at my power the watts are well down on you 2 but my w/kg is bang on. Guess I just need more power 😉, ‘cos nobody ever says that 😁

Thx for waiting

P

Spreadsheet is clear for next week. 3 laps of Watopia Flat, 30km.

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

We could do with pushing numbers up slightly so that 2 teams is more feasible each week. If you can think of anyone who might get involved (from Tuesday night racing maybe, or otherwise) just tag them in here / send them this way?

Bump. Entries are open here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

3 laps of Watopia Flat, 7.40pm, Thursday.

@savoyad

I daren’t put myself down as “in” – and don’t want to be a maybe

… but like a backwards Gallagher brother I’m a maybe definitely (my dad’s in hospital and I’ll drop if I have to bring him home but otherwise should be OK)

Please put me in IF AND ONLY IF there’s an otherwise empty slot; otherwise feel free to drop me like a red-hot turd !

Oh, and pls can somebody re-invite me to the discord server ? I’ve made a new account as the last one had way too many gremlins. Contemplated calling myself “keep up scaredy” but just went for scaredy in the end instead 😀

@Savoyad it’s looking like just one team this evening?

Morning @phil56 – yes just one team. I’ll post details next…

STW

@paino

@phil56

@slowpuncheur

@drew

@mbs

@robbo1234biking

@zilog6128

@paul-s

+13 minutes (!) so in the pen by 19:43 and off at 19:56

Enter PEN D here: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=TnJGYUNPbjI0alJDRHAyODJxS2JNZz09

@scaredypants you might still get to ride – watch this space and just jump in if anyone withdraws…

I

didn’t

mean

to

format

it

like

that!

Signed In 🙂

Here is a preview for tonight to get you in the mood 🙂

https://zwiftinsider.com/wtrl-ttt-106/

P

Just @mbs and @paino still to sign up.

7 riders now signed up, and in the correct start pen.

@mbs if you’re just clicking on late, no worries. But if you aren’t going to ride, can you post in here (or on the discord chat) to let @scaredypants know there’s a slot.

Well done all. As Phil said – 8 of us got of the line which was a good start. The pace was pretty fast and definitely a step up from MoreSTW so not surprised we lost a few but a good effort from all.

I know Phil kept saying stay in the draft but the new pack dynamics really do make it hard. You seem to wiggle all over the road trying to stay behind people but have little control on where people go.

10 seconds over the 45min mark and 193rd out of 610 teams so just sneaked into the top 3rd. Good effort from @mbs digging deep on the 2nd lap and then finishing strong.

Next week is a shorter one again – 25km of French roads. No big hills so should suit both (or one) team.

Starting is easy, it’s the finishing bit that’s hard! Seriously though thanks everyone for the tow and to Phil for keeping me attached at various points. I was frustrated I couldn’t keep going till the end but the 5% ramp at the start of the esses just did for me and I couldn’t get back on. The second overtake had me at 120% for two minutes which meant I was then over threshold so ultimately on borrowed time from then on. Felt pretty wiped out at the end but then that’s how it should be so I appreciate the restraint from the stronger riders in the team.

It was a good workout, sadly I just didn’t have the Raw Watz to keep up! Maybe if it’d been hillier that would’ve slowed the heavier riders down slightly, as it was I was on the limit just keeping up in the draft, and way over the limit passing that first team (we seemed to start the pass really early for some reason, rather than creeping up as MoreSTW might’ve!) such that I couldn’t recover after.

Maybe it was the first pass then that took it’s toll. Did we even make two passes, it’s all a bit of a blur now.

I think the second team we passed was that rag tag Irish team who had a member wheelsuck in our line for a good while, trying to rejoin his mates. Glad we burned him off. It was a good workout last night.

That looks like a good ride last night.

The spreadsheet is clear for next week. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

It’s short and flat (shorter and flatter that this week in fact), 1 lap of RVG in France: flat, flat, flat, aqueduct “KOM”, flat, flat, flat, suddenly loads of bends, flat.

Thursday 7.40pm – all welcome, just add yourself to the sheet if necessary. Any questions post them in here…

Just like to take the opportunity to say thanks for organising this @savoyad. I’m in.

Bump for Tuesday morning – 4 riders so far – anyone else riding this week?

It’ll be a few weeks/months before I’m TT fit 😭

5 riders at the moment. I’ve only entered one team.

Any more takers? I’ll post entry link and time delay tomorrow.

Had my jab & not feeling 100% so will skip it this week!

I’d forgotten about having my follow up jab tomorrow morning but managed the ttt the same day as having my first so hopefully will still be feeling up to it.

I make it six riders at the moment – so a viable team already, and room for two more. The start delay is good, if that helps…

STW
Start delay 3.5 minutes (so pen by 19:43 –> start at 19:46:30)

@phil56

@paino

@slowpuncheur

@drew

@robbo1234biking

@paul-s

Enter PEN D here: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=MWl0NkQwZHhuSEdFanVteGxyWTFCZz09

If people want to grab those spots, speak up and then click the racepass.

Sorry for the late entry. I’ve just signed up. The bank holiday through me.

Great – 7 riders all signed up and ready to go.
Still one more place.
Otherwise, have a good ride!

Ach I’ll join! Weather’s so b******* here I’m ready to lodge a complaint. I’ll add my name.

OK, team full! @speedstar use the entry link above, enter pen D

It’ll be @phil56, @paino, @mbs, @slowpuncheur, @drew, @robbo1234biking, @paul-s and @speedstar

In the pen by 19:43, 3.5 minutes delay, off at 19:46:30

Good luck all, expecting a great time with that team 😃

Oh Gawd another hang-on-athon then.

I think you mean ‘character building!’

Sorry, I’m out. Got too much to do tonight, devo’d

P.

Shame you couldn’t join us @Paul-S it was a great ride yesterday evening. Shorter than last week and flatter too, so it was easier to stay in the draft. Still hard though, I spent a fair amount of time in zone 5 as we speeded up in the later stages and was rewarded with a ftp rise of 4 watts to 244. Not a huge amount but my first for a while. Thanks to everyone who took turns on the front and to @savoyad and @phil56 for their work in organising us. @Phil seemed very happy at the end with the team effort😊

@drew I was!
Shame we lost Martin with under 10k to go, but to me that finish especially was everything I enjoy in the TTT. We were flat out closing on the other team – they knew we were coming and were desperately trying to stay away – but we nailed it with about 200 metres to go!

We finished 170th out of 595 teams – a great effort.

That was good last night. That last section is tough though through the roller.

Phil’s excitement at the end was definitely a highlight!

3 laps of Watopia Hilly next week so a course we are pretty familiar with. Still fairly short but with 3 hill efforts.

Yeah last night was a great team performance. My prep was 2 glasses of wine while cooking a paella. Not ideal! Tried the sprint and sink technique last night and seemed to work well. That last 2km was brutal. Maxed out HR for longer than ideal hence why I couldn’t communicate when we’d finished! Took me another 5km of steady pedalling to sort myself out. There were a couple of stragglers (one we passed twice??) where I tried to give it some beans so they wouldn’t hook onto us-I think the efforts worked really well, the speed as a unit was great. Shame Martin got dropped, would have been an immense 7 man finish.

That was the fastest TTT I’ve been involved in. I am pleased to see I wasn’t the only one hanging on – particularly towards the end. I think the guy you mentioned @Paino had a French name beginning with V and the cheeky git did it with at least one other groups and I swear, he changed his jersey at one point! Thanks for the encouragement near the end Phil, it was a cool way to finish it off. See you next week!