Race Review – Midweek Mountain Massif TT, Sponsored by Elite’s RIZER

In March, when I wrote my initial article investigating how events were created on Zwift, little did I realise how things would develop over the next 8 months. Early on I created my very own event, the Monday Mountain Massif TT. But months later, on Wednesday 24th November, I found myself hosting the third and most challenging event in my Mountain Massif TT series. This time I had partnered with Elite to celebrate the release of their innovative climbing and steering device the RIZER, which I have recently reviewed.

Headlining the release of this new event was 2016 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner, Wout Poels. Wout and 221 other riders waited anxiously for the start of this 10.1km Mountain TT up the Ven-Top. (With 339 riders signed up at the start, 100 already had changed their minds, and opted not to start, which I could understand because this was by far the most difficult event I had created!)

Event Stats

Across the two events (12pm and 7:15pm CET) there were 459 people who signed up – 120 for 12pm CET and 339 for the 7:15 pm CET. 

In the 7:15 pm CET event 222 riders participated, and I was delighted with the uptake because this was a very challenging event with nearly 700 metres of climbing.

Mountain Massif HQ

I joined the 12:00pm event to check that everything was set up correctly, since this was my pilot event before the main one later in the day.  I’m glad I attended because within moments of the start I noticed that there were no placings!

It was clear that the event was configured as a “Ride” and not a “Race.”  Having ridden for just 5 minutes, I jumped off the bike and contacted the Events Team at Zwift, hoping that the evening session will be amended in time.  There was a nervous wait for the next couple of hours before getting confirmation that the update had been made.  It wouldn’t have been a major issue because results were being taken from ZwiftPower, but it is nice to know your position during the race so you ride accordingly.

With that change, we were ready for the main event.

The Event – The View from the Front

The start was a spectacle, over 200 racers decked in Elite’s jersey starting “en masse” with no draft, on various cycling setups from TT bikes to climbing rigs and somewhere amongst the riders was Wout Poels, who had successfully made the start. 

For my ride, I opted for a climbing setup: the Specialized Aethos S-Works and Meilenstein wheels.  This pure climbing setup would give me the advantage when the road started getting vertical but for the initial first kilometres, I found myself battling in the pack.

As the road started to rise, I was able to pull away from some riders and sat in 19th place after the first 3 minutes.  I was conscious not to push too hard too early, as the plan was to build into the climb. I felt I had been too conservative, so I began to push.

The next three minutes I started to increase my effort and was able to pass 6 riders and was now in 13th. I was starting to find my rhythm. 

In test rides, I knew the event would last around 30 minutes when raced at 4.5-5 w/kg. As I approached 10 minutes – a third of the race complete – I was in 11th.  I realised that my conservative start meant that with the lead rider already 1 minute ahead, the best I could hope for was a top 10 placing, so I focussed on the next rider who was only 2 seconds up the road (2 seconds on a climb is a substantial gap to close!) 

The RIZER was changing pitch as the gradient raised and descended, adding an extra dimension to this unique event. 

As we approached the first of the few hairpins on the course, I pushed hard to make gains on the rider ahead. Then as we approached 13 minutes into the race, I pulled alongside and the RIZER ramped up to 10%.  My heart rate at this stage was high but I had reached my target, top 10! The key was to keep my position on the road. I didn’t think there was much chance of catching the next rider, who was 16 seconds ahead. 

At the head of the race, there was a close battle for the top 5 or 6 positions. The watts per kilo people were delivering was way in excess of what I could possibly do, with the lead rider at 6.0 w/kg.

With 3km to go, I could see the next rider ahead of me. This was the carrot I needed, so I started to dig deeper than I thought possible.  I was conscious of my power graphic which was showing red and yellow.  The choice was to push and possibly blow up or settle for 10th.  I opted to gamble and push! Over the next kilometre, with Elite’s Direto XR-T trainer responding nicely to my extra effort, I edged up to the rider in 9th, finally catching them with 1.6km to go.

This inspired me. I had consolidated my top 10 position and it gave me energy to push on.  I could visibly see the next rider up the road but knew I was running out of tarmac. With nothing to lose I pushed on, putting out some surprisingly high watts.  As we approached the finishing corner I hoped that I would have enough to catch the rider but in the end I ran out of road and crossed the line in 9th.

My finishing time was 28:23 and ZwiftPower noted I had completed the event with a 5.3 w/kg average, which was the highest for any event I have completed on Zwift. This further validates the structured training approach I have adopted with Rowe & King.

Summing Up  

The event was competitive, fun, and well attended.  It was, however, one of the toughest races I have completed. But with an Elite jersey unlocked as a reward, it was well worth the effort. 

The RIZER performed as expected, adding an extra dimension and increasing the fun factor. 

It was fantastic that Wout raced with us and he messaged me to note how strong the field was after he came in 43rd position in the unofficial rankings (I noted he doesn’t have a ZwiftPower account). 

Direct feedback to me after the event was positive, and it’s always nice to know that what we had delivered was appreciated. I certainly enjoyed collaborating with Elite to deliver this and it’s now a regular event in the calendar, along with my two other Mountain Massif TTs. So I look forward to racing you all in the future!

(Talking of the future, Elite are keen to host their own event, and I am going to help them facilitate their vision. So watch out for another new exciting event in the calender!)