Zwift Team Time Trial, Thursday

I’m afraid I’m going to have give this evenings ttt a miss. Really sorry for the late notice and to drop the numbers to three. I was up during the night with a mystery cough which seems to have settled now but I’ve been feeling really washed out today. I had hoped things would improve during the day but I’m just the same and don’t want to push it. I’d be doing my usual stint at the back so shouldn’t be missed too much. Have a good one.

I’m going to try to join – not really sure that I can if @savoyad hasn’t seen my post but I’ll have a go

(I have a 40 mile gravel chain-gang in my legs from last night and may well not last the course but happy to swell the numbers at least for a while – unles somebody tells me that attracts a penalty of some sort)

Just click through the race link on the previous page and you will be fine.

@scaredypants well done, it will definitely help and we’ll go at a pace you can stick with

Enter pen D via this link: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=Y05qeWhKTTJja0R0eTI0MjNDY0o1Zz09

You totally can join without any intervention from me @scaredypants. Just do what @phil56 said.

@phil56 @slowpuncheur cheers for this evening. Think comms went down about half way around but we just about managed to stay together. My avatar and Paul’s seemed to be competing for Phil’s wheel the whole time. We just about held that other team of as well at the end by a few seconds.

We finished in 56:49 and currently 165th out of 362 teams so not a bad result for 3 riders.

Scaredy – assume your knee went as you seemed to be going along pretty well. Hope all is OK.

My attendance is going to be pretty sporadic over the next few weeks so we may be struggling to get a team. As Savoyad said last year was very different circumstances.

Cheers

Sorry gents – yeah, knee was hurting and I couldn’t ride it off (I’ve had knackered knees since my 20s when I quit footy and I’m a bit paranoid; in fact I took up biking mostly because it didn’t hurt them).

Discord was very flaky for me too – couldn’t really hear you lot except occasionally and you obviously couldn’t hear me so I decided an almost dead-stop was the only way to mkae it clear what I was up to. Weird, my zwift seems rock solid lately but discord the exact opposite (I guess they may have had a big surge in usage too, but without much cash for development)

Hope you enjoyed your rides

Define ‘enjoy’? 😆 Seems like we all lost comms then? Thanks @scaredypants for giving it a go. Hope there’s no harm done.

That was a tough one. Thanks @phil56 and @robbo1234biking for pulling me around. That flat course isn’t my favourite by a long shot but glad we stuck at it. No-one passed us in nearly an hour which for 3 setting off early is a decent achievement.

Next week it’s 2 laps of Richmond Reverse. Thursday, 7.40pm like usual.

Spreadsheet is clear for entries: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing
All welcome, just add your name if necessary.

Let’s see if we have enough interest to keep this going…

No-one else has indicated they’re up for this weeks TTT – unless there’s a sudden flurry of interest I’ll probably plan to take a week off as well.

Hi all, last week fizzled out. No riders in the end.
But I can’t judge whether that was short term (it was half term) or long term (interest waning for the summer).
I’m quite happy to coordinate as long as there’s interest. But is there? It would be a shame for this to die out, it’s a great event, but there’s no point flogging a dead (temporarily dead?) horse either.

What are people’s views – still want to ride? never again? maybe in the autumn? Speak up and we’ll see how viable it is for now…

Paging @paino, @yanboss, @phil56, @scaredypants, @munkeymadness, @slowpuncheur, @w00dster, @drew, @mbs, @robbo1234biking, @zilog6128, @haloric, @speedstar, @karnali, @djflexure, @retrorick
(and feel free to tag in other forumites who I have missed.)

@savoyad I’d be happy to keep going.

It was my 65th birthday on Saturday and I did a big ride on Exmoor to celebrate with a group of friends, half of whom were on eBikes. I was able to keep up (sort of) on the climbs, and I put this down to a winter of STW races and the weekly TTT, so for me the benefits as well as the fun in taking part are well worth it.

Not for me this week – I’ll either be riding or marshalling an actual TT 🤡

Max frequency will probably be alternate weeks for me, to fit in round nightrides

I’ll be honest and say I wouldn’t miss it if we stopped over summer but I would ride them now & again if you lot continue

It is going to be July before I am back in the fold.

Like Phil it has helped massively with fitness. Less than 3 weeks to Jennride and instead of worrying if I can complete it I am considering how far I can go on the first day.

Time to focus on the last bits on the training plan and some outdoor riding (time to remember how to ride rocks, brake and steer!).

I’ve also really benefited from the racing and more laterally from the tt’s and would like to keep them up. However, I’m away this week and probably the next and then who knows. I’m lucky enough to be retired and have quite a lot planned for the summer so attendance would at best be sporadic over this period. If they keep going over the summer I’ll try to join in when I can but would definitely be able to participate more consistently Autumn onwards. Thanks again @savoyad for the work you put into them.

So – noone is definitely out over the summer but neither can anyone (understandably) commit to every week/most weeks.
So here’s the plan: I’ll persist for at least another few weeks. Hopefully we’ll get a team most weeks. I suspect numbers will be low, so it might be that Thursdays require a decision whether it’s worth it or not from week to week. And if it’s not working (e.g. we get a couple of dead weeks in a row) I’ll think again.

The entry is in and the spreadsheet is clear for this week. Back in Watopia for 2x Sand and Sequoias. Thursday, 7.40pm

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

Totally hit and miss for me. Will probably only know on the day of the TTT. Not Zwifted for a while now and I’ve noticed my card has expired so unwittingly saving cash by not paying for a monthly Zwift subscription. I’ll almost certainly be in again full time come late autumn.

It’s not looking good for this week. Just @phil56 for now…

If we don’t get a team by this evening, let’s leave it and try again next week.

I’m now self isolating as my daughter seems to have the Covid! In other words I’m in if there’s any other takers?

I hope she’s OK @paino. Self-isolation and zwift are a classic combo. Sign the sheet, cross your fingers…but don’t hold your breath.

OK, this isn’t happening this week. Two riders and no sign of reinforcements.
I’ll clear the sign up sheet and we’ll try again next week. Sorry @phil56 and @paino. I think it’s best to call it now rather than leaving you hanging on.

Had a quick Zwift session earlier…it wasn’t pretty. Probably a good call. Cheers Adam.

I have cancelled my Zwift membership for the ‘summer’ months. I’ve not been able to get back into the routine of using it whilst the weather has been good. Hopefully back later in the year to help out with a C team 😉

I’m going to take a sabbatical from the TTT until September but I will keep the Zwift subs running so may make the odd appearance if weather is bad and time allows- just don’t put me down as a commitment until September, then I’ll be back to regular pain!

@slowpuncheur I think sabbaticals are only allowed after 10 years service!

One year in seven apparently @Robbo1234biking. Some TTT’s felt like a year as the number of riders dwindled in recent weeks!

Let’s try again. It can still work with people dipping in and out (in fact I’d expect it to run like that in the summer months). It just depends if we have a critical mass of riders to keep it going.

Entries are open for Thursday, 7.40pm. 1 lap of Greatest London Flat. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

First things first, no I’m not dead, I’ve just “been away for a while”. If I pull my finger out and get my turbo back up and running I might put in an appearance this week. No promises mind!

Might be a very well timed return if you make it @dangeourbrain. Nice to see you around again anyway.

Well I finally got round to striping my turbo trainer to service it now my office is water tight again.

Seems I might have found the cause of the noise and muck coming from it anyhow so assuming the answer I get from elite is a either “nope that’s normal” or “yeah easy fix” I should be about Thursday. Though I imagine my long period of no turbo will be evident!

I might be able to make Thurs this week. General fitness is great but my performance on the trainer has crashed for some reason. Dont know if its a calibration issue or a consequence of endurance focus in recent months.

This is looking better than last week! Anyone other takers?

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

What’s the issue with the trainer @dangeourbrain?

What’s the issue with the trainer

It’s been making a bloody awful noise like a train pulling into a station here and there and dumping out loads of black greasy dust – from the belt I think.

Seems the axle that the “guide pulley” sits on has play in it so the pulley lays the belt onto the wheel off of square. Net result is the belt is dragging on the side of the drive wheel, a lot like its cross chaining to be honest. I’d like to pretend it’s robbing me of many many watts but I doubt it. mainly I’m just bothered about the noise and wear to the belt, oh and the black greasy stains it leaves on everything.

Well having heard nothing from elite I’ll reassemble the turbo this evening and I’ll be in for tomorrow.

Why did I choose a London week to make my reappearance 🙁

This is looking a bit borderline.
2 x in ( @dangeourbrain and @phil56)
2x maybe ( @djflexure and @paino)

Can either/both or those maybes firm into a yes? Is anyone else tempted?

Jump in here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing
and post in the thread.

Well having heard nothing from elite

So it seems they replied and I junked it 😂.

All sorted, there’s a tension bolt that needed a touch of loctite.

Can either/both or those maybes firm into a yes? Is anyone else tempted?

You get to laugh your ass off at me struggling to keep up. If that doesn’t tempt you nothing will!

I’m in. Why the heck not. Last day of isolation. Struggling with the ‘Zwift form’ recently. No motivation whatsoever.

I’m in too

We’re on, I think! There is still plenty of room for more riders. Show yourselves.

Join pen D here: https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift/zwiftsignon.php?id=dTRsWDVuVzQrdmNRN0haWjFobUE5QT09

If you haven’t done this before – you must sign up via that link, which bounces you to zwift (where the event sign up lives) via WTRL (where you are attached to the STW team in passing). Zwiftpower tags are no longer necessary. But an account at the WTRL site is.

Start delay is 9 minutes. In the pen by 19:43 and off at 19:52.

Riding as STW, lineup is @phil56, @dangeourbrain, @paino and @djflexure.

If numbers dwindle, you might want to make a decision to call it off tomorrow. But it seems enough for now to me.