All humans. Most animals. Same answer whatever bike I am riding.

Shop around. I can’t remember which comparison site lets you account for this, but I do remember sainsbury’s came out cheapest for us. Way cheaper than just paying extra on existing insurance. Then move back after.

@weeksy if he races as you, it might mess up your own category enforcement. I think the low weight might get taken into account.

I asked this on the zwift forums yesterday (I’ve been off the bike for ages…) and was told any activity, not necessarily a race, over 2km will be enough to get category enforcement races opened up.

I didn’t test that – but a single 35 min ride in the watch the femmes event (not the classics races of the same name) was definitely enough.

Totally worth it. The craziest bit will probably be finding secure parking with 2 bikes on the back near Paris.
Champs is always rammed with people. So you can get there early and have a miserable afternoon if you want. Metro stations along there tend to close.
I suggest (although listen to others) find a spot at the other end of the circuit and/or with sight of a big screen.
When is the ferry?
Caravan is due to hit the circuit at 4.15 (I love it, others have taste) and the race will be 6 – 7.45 ish.

Looking forward to this. I think several small groups at the finish line today, all (including the first) named on the tv screen after the GC contender they contain.

Don’t convince yourself it’s easier to hire on the French side from the border point of view. The Swiss side cars have the motorway vignette for Swiss Motorways, and the airport has instant motorway access, including to France, and the border crossings are fine. Some destinations (esp in the Jura) it can be OK (where are you headed?) but as a rule of thumb if you are asking here, it’ll probably add a lot of hassle to hire on that side.

If it’s a lot cheaper though go for it, but with your eyes open!

The law is that you can be charged a reasonable price. Consumer Rights Act 2015, s51

So if it’s a reasonable price for what you asked for, pay up and move on. If it’s not (or if you’ve been supplied more than you asked for) document this and why, hopefully as a basis for negotiation, but potentially as your grounds for defending yourself if you get sued and stand your ground.

If you want to pursue this, you’ll end up getting rival quotes because that’s basically the only way to determine what’s reasonable, at which point you’ll wish you had started there. But it’s pretty common practice to contract for services without getting a price. Requires trust and clarity though, not sure which you were lacking.

the auto prioritisation is hard.
You could get a 4G (travel?) router running openwrt and see what it can do with travelmate added on?

@cinnamongirl do you mean season 4? It’s branded separately as Borgen Power and Glory, it’s 8 parts, they are all available.

Paris is basically driveable, but the emissions ticket adds hassle, it’s much better if you know your way around, and park and ride is easy and cheaper.

So if you really want to drive, go for it. But if you want easy touristing don’t bother.

If you do park and ride, the airport really isn’t the best place.

If you are at disney anyway, just do it from there like @hot_fiat says. The RATP will take you to the city centre.

(There are too many main sights to visit in a day.)

This will be easy to organise and it’ll be great.
e.g. https://www.guides-morzine.com/en/summer-activities/
Their summer programme isn’t published yet but it’ll have the kind of things you are asking about, probably rotating weekly (with some variety maybe). And there will be others offering the same. (I’m not familiar enough with Morzine to recommend anyone)

I totally accept that UK brands can in principle add QC, customisation etc and are likely a better bet for after sales.

But is there really any reason to think that those brands which seem to just resell the carbonda 696 are actually adding anything other than branding? Just because they can do this doesn’t mean they are. And they all either say nothing like that, or claim (disingenuously) that they manufacture it.

In theory, I get it. But if you want a 696, carbonda basically have just as good a reputation as the (cheaper) rebadgers and are very easy to deal with. When I was looking, I didn’t encounter any anecdotal variation in how satisfied people are with the different ways of obtaining this very common frameset.

(I have one, I got it in the UK. But I never thought I was getting anything materially different to going direct. )

This transfer is crazy.

I don’t think the cycling is in the free catch up. That’s just the dregs of an already awful package @nbt @13thfloormonk

Team is entered, so if people want to ride you can. It’s 1 lap of Greater London 8 (25km)
No need for spreadsheets – just speak up if you want to ride.
I’ll post time delay and racepass later…

@Murray beat me. And that tenda is cheaper than my faffing.

You should be able to tether more than one device at a time…

Maybe a Huawei B535 off amazon, sell it on ebay after, you might lose £25
Smarty unlimited data is available for £16/month on a 1 month contract.

We do 4 on the back, 2 on the roof.

So this might work: @phil56, @scaredypants, @dangeourbrain, @sturdylad

Any more?

Racepass: https://www.wtrl.racing/RacePass/?id=VFdyUVgxdHB1ZGFBOTVXeDhYMUZNUT09
Start delay is 7 minutes (from 19:43)

Does anyone fancy this this week?
1 lap of Tempus Fugit, 7.40 on Thursday.

Any interest this week? It might be fading out (seasonally?). But it has seemed like that before and then people have swarmed back…

The team is entered for Thurs 7.40pm. 1 lap of Greatest London Flat.

The entry sheet is clear here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

But chat in the thread as well so we can see where it’s headed…

Start delay is +15 minutes. I’m guessing that won’t provoke a sudden rush of riders?

FWIW https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60946120
“will remain a music venue, landlord pledges”. Presumably that isn’t the April Fool.

No, no humans work there (for this). If you can’t get in using the various routes they send you down, you lose the account (source: it happened to us).

Can you thaw the laptop? Do not wipe it until you’ve tried everything. You only need it to boot once.

What do you mean old phone? As in old number? Can you get back into the number anyhow to get that message? What about the recovery email address?

As soon as you get in, on any device, tidy up your recovery.

This isn’t looking great…
Just in case, I do have
racepass https://www.wtrl.racing/RacePass/?id=QnBqRGwraWxvc3pvRThpY1NxV0Y1QT09
time delay 7 minutes (from 19:43, so off at 19:50)

No way @nixie and @robbo1234biking, if I had known I was in stealth mode on my fast wheels (apart from the tell of closing a 40 seconds gap at lower power I guess…) I could maybe (?) have pushed on for a few more seconds when I went ahead. Zwift is weird. My aim was to get a gap you weren’t minded to chase @nixie rather than actually hold you off up the hill, and the illusion I was smashing it on a tron did probably changed what that required. But still not enough.

@slowpuncheur noone seems to have much sympathy for “I haven’t won one of these races since February”. Join the club.

That really was a lot of fun. There’s a dramatic difference between the different bikes in different places – just not quite enough to bridge the gap between me and @nixie it turns out…

I rode the KOM just hard enough to secure the points, then sat in the front group between there and the seaplane climb. I was almost caught out by @nixie’s surge (even though he always does that there haha) and had to chase back on from being marooned with @straightliner – who had ridden titans perfectly and was unlucky to be tailed off like that at that point.

It broke up on the seaplane climb and @nixie really pulled away over the bridge and up past the windmill. I got to the dirt 2nd on the road – 20s behind nixie, and 20s ahead of @phil56. So I took the chance to switch – to the gravel bike + fast wheels. It went OK (screen time is not real time!) and I got going again 40+ secs down, and now basically level with @phil56, blasted back off a bit too hard but eventually settled into a chase. Took time steadily out of @nixie and eventually caught him on the jungle climb. But that wasn’t enough – I knew I needed to leave him behind – and I was starting to crack. Bravado got me 10 secs ahead, still not enough, and he eventually caught back on. As soon as the tarmac came back he disappeared again for the win. I could see @straightliner and @vanilla83 moving through the field behind, but we were all over the road by then and I held on grinding up the last climb for 2nd.

That course really worked in that format @robbo1234biking. Nice choice. Good wins @nixie and @vanilla83. Comedy handicap gap between @yanboss and @straightliner for 2nd as well. And look at the GC between @robbo1234biking and @yanboss! Tiny margins all over the place.

Yes, Blurgh….

Team is in for next week. Road to Ruins, 7.40, next Thursday.

Sheet is clear for signups here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E_0I0hulOaE2y34RpjckVCoT2Jks16vypeZ98L_LUw8/edit?usp=sharing

Um, I forgot to enter the team. I’m really sorry if that’s let anyone down…

That’s a similar distance to mine. My approach is: carry as little as possible. So I leave a selection of clothes in my desk drawer at work and lock/chain attached to the rack in the bike shed at work. Tools/spares under saddle (although now I’m worried about them rotting!), phone (=train ticket) and keys in pocket, no wallet. Some days I have a rucksack (laptop, clothes refresh etc) and wish I had a pannier, but the best days are when I find a way to go without.
I try to go slow on the way in.
Puncture wise? I go tubeless, with a repair kit and mini pump but no tubes. But I had a 4 mile walk when a tyre unseated the other day so don’t copy me.
And I love my moon aerolite. Totally convinced in low light that it buys me space from passing cars.

PS – zwiftalizer has gone all fancy, but I’m sure it’s a good resource @reluctantjumper if you upload the log file to see if you are suffering connection dropouts or not.

Zwift can be weird @reluctantjumper. Lots of us have been there. You held the group when it mattered today. I’d focus on that. Someone’s suggestion will fix the trainer.

The start was fun. But not for long. I don’t like that big hill. It’s really inconsistent, but still seems to favour the TT approach. I was struggling with the pace that @karnali set on the opening ramps (I think he was too in the end) and definitely couldn’t respond when @nixie rode away. The race on the road was won in that moment. @crazyharry rode across a gap and joined me and @karnali on the climb, and then clearly wanted to push on a bit. I was uncomfortable following him, but told myself to get to the top, recover, and race on the legsnapper. That worked OK. We were back and forth together on the descent and then rode into town together. No gap is ever big enough with @crazyharry chasing you, so I went really really hard at on the first section (to get a gap) and the top section (where time seems to slow down) in the hope that I’d get enough time to discourage a chase. I think I had ~13 seconds over the top – but nothing left to counter if he did catch me – and I was anxious about holding it all the way to the line. Nice riding @yanboss and @robbo1234biking not surprised to see you grabbing the top placings in the handicap contest. Did you go past @karnali on the descent? And great climbing @nixie, I think your buffer was so big in the end that it cost you a sub-20 on the KOM?

Any. Literally any pedals are fine for this. He can take as long as he likes to get used to the bike, the pedals don’t matter.

Good idea @slowpuncheur

Race link: https://www.wtrl.racing/RacePass/?id=eEt2MmZqZkFRb0F5TGpxRHFkWDhGdz09

Start delay 7 mins (in pen by 19:41, off at 19:48)

Team so far: @paino, @phil56, @slowpuncheur, @robbo124biking, @dangeourbrain, chrischarles

Definitely the hardest double header @robbo1234biking has crafted. I hope it keeps that title.

I spent most of both races with @nixie but they were otherwise totally different to each other. Race 1 we were the chase as @benman opened up a big gap on the uphill section, 12s and out of sight. I managed to bridge across on the run in and caught him with about 800m to go. Had nothing left for the finish though. Race 2 we were the lead group and opened a good gap (enough for the handicap win? That’s a surprise). Half the race was the lead-in and zwiftinsider calls a big detour a “bypass” for some reason (is that what made you shout what? @haloric ?). Anyway I couldn’t outsprint @nixie either. So 2x2nd on the road.

Thanks @robbo1234biking for organising and for eliminating @benman from contention in race 2. Bit late for zwift geekery now…but I’m off to get those gravel wheels.

Also my legs really really hurt on the ride to work this morning.

I have an umbilical one. Had it for about three years.
I was referred quite quickly when it appeared, consultant was happy to operate but equally happy not to. It’s only small, it doesn’t bother me, I don’t want months of inactivity, so I’ve left it. I have strict instructions to get emergency help if it starts hurting / looks funny / feels weird / suddenly changes, and a phone number to book the op if/when I want it. Cycling certainly isn’t a problem.

Next up – two laps of Richmond Reverse. 7.40 Thurs.

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

Racepass: https://www.wtrl.racing/RacePass/?id=L2tsWFRMUjRja3NmOSswNEFTa0lIZz09

Start delay: 13 minutes. In the pen by 19:41, off at 19:54

Start list: @paino, @phil56, @scaredypant, @slowpuncheur, @robbo1234biking, @paul-s, @chrischarles

One space left, post in her to grab it.

What a great start to the series. The front group was quite big for quite a long time. I thought the split after the sprint in neokyo might get away (me, @robbo1234biking, @j-r and @yanboss I think), but we never established a gap and eventually got reeled back in.
Then Rob just dismantled the field with a perfectly judged effort up the hill. The gap went up steadily and nearly everyone dropped away. @yanboss was up there, and ended up solo in no man’s land. What a ride to to hold off the chase for 3rd. I knew Rob was sprinting well from the way he was grabbing points (he isn’t moaning about his chainring today I see…!) so I tried to pull away from him with 1km or so to go, but he was like a limpet and that was my effort spent. A really deserved win.
Congrats @bails on the overall.
And @reluctantjumper stick with it. The gap is in reality much smaller than the times say – once you manage to hold a group in those first few minutes, it’ll all be worth it again.

Neither essential nor snake oil. Any help?