The penultimate race of Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Round 2 happens Tuesday, February 22, and it’s the second TTT of the season. But unlike our first TTT, due to the nature of the course top performances here will require some real planning and top-notch team communication.
Let’s dig into the course, including recommendations for bike choice, TTT tips, and crucial segments:
Looking at the Route: Richmond UCI Reverse
The Richmond UCI Reverse route is 16.2km long, with 142m of elevation gain per lap. All categories will be racing two laps of the course, making for a total race distance of ~32.4km with 284m of climbing.
The course is essentially a lump first half followed by a flat second half. Then do it again. Here’s a profile with the three key climbs labeled, along with the arches where you will receive a powerup on each lap:
Rather than take you through a turn-by-turn, let’s just discuss the key sections of this course from a TTT perspective.
Broad Street Climb (1.1km): Averaging just 3.5% but peaking at 12%, this climb starts easy but gets steep at the end. Hold high speed through the easy bottom, then go hard up the steep bit. Turn the corner, grab a powerup, and use it quickly, because you’ve got another one just 1.2km up the road!
25th/Frankin (500 meters). Averaging 5% but peaking at 14%, this is one you want to carry speed into, then just hammer the steep bit. Get over the top, hammer your way back up to speed, the grab another powerup just before descending Libby Hill.
E Main Street (1.2km). Averaging 3%, topping out at 6%, this is the long, steady climb of the three. It’s also draftable, so put your stronger climbers on front and sit behind them for a bit of benefit.
Once you finish the E Main Street climb you’ll want to get your team into formation as you grab another powerup and begin the flat portion of the course. This is where your wattage workhorses can shine.
Read more about the Richmond UCI Reverse route >
PowerUp Notes
Once again we get powerups in this TTT, adding a new strategic element to the race. Riders will be awarded powerups through each segment banner, meaning we’ll get 9 powerups during the race. (See course profile above for powerup arch locations.)
Three powerups will be randomly given out at each banner:
Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds.
Best used when you’re going fastest and air resistance is highest. That means you’ll get maximum impact using this on the front of a TTT, because that’s when air resistance is impacting your speed the most.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 15 seconds.
Best used on climbs, when weight matters the most. If you get a feather at one of the first two arches on the flat portion of the route, just use it to save a bit of energy so you can grab another powerup at the next arch.
Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing by 50% for 30 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Useful if you’re looking for a bit of recovery after taking a hard pull.
Bike Frame + Wheel Choice
Since this is a TTT, we recommend selecting a bike that helps your weaknesses. That means climbers should go with a more aero bike, while heavier riders should choose more of an all-arounder.
This approach will help your team ride better as a unit, since it will boost climbers a bit on the flats, and boost heavier riders a bit on the climbs.
For all all-arounder we recommend the Tron bike or the Scott Addict RC + ENVE 7.8 wheels. For a pure aero bike, go with the fastest frame and wheels available to you. (Hint: if you don’t have a disc wheelset and fast frame, the Tron bike is your most aero bike).
More Route Recon
Many events now being consistently planned each weekend on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re not familiar with this course, jump into one of these events and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Richmond UCI Reverse events.
Looking for a video recon, with lovely British commentary to boot? Here are our two favorite recon videos this week:
Sherpa Dave
Si Bradeley
TTTTips
Team Time Trialing on Zwift is a challenging mixture of physical strength, proper pacing, and Zwift minutiae like picking a fast bike and understanding drafting. This week’s race has the added challenge of the hilly first half of each lap, where every team will struggle to maintain the optimal balance between maximum speed and staying together.
Your goal in this week’s TTT is to get four riders across the line in the shortest time possible. That means every team’s pace plan will be different, based on the abilities of each rider. We highly recommend having an experienced DS on Discord directing your team, especially if your team contains some inexperienced TTT riders.
If you really want to go down the TTT rabbit hole, check out Paul Fitzpatrick’s zwift-ds.com site and particularly the Excel Power Planner sheet.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
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