Tiny Race Series – Week 3 Results and Week 4 Route Details
Last Saturday’s set of Tiny Races was the toughest yet! Thanks to custom-length routes on Watopia Hilly, Innsbruckring, and Rooftop Rendezvous riders were treated to climbs (respectively) 2 minutes, 1 minutes, and 3 minutes in length. Ouch!
Thanks to a PC crash the first week and a scheduling snafu the second, this was my first time actually riding and finishing all four races. And it was a blast! I even came away with an improbable win on the final race… more on that in another post. A few shots from my races in the Zone 2 time slot:
Starting the Hilly KOMThe front of the race is way up the road…So many burritos flying in Innsbruck!The new Leg Snapper KOM bannerRiders using their feathers smartlyLots of confetti in NYCSpinning it up in Neokyo!Descending the Rooftop KOM toward the finish
A: Naofumi Nozaki (AHDR) B: Daniel Manalo (OTR) C: Tristan Slominski D: David White (EVO)
* Mike Jonsson and Daniel Manalo tied for points in Zone 2 B division, but Daniel had the highest placing with a 2nd place finish in race 1, so he gets the overall win.
This Week’s Routes
This week is all “custom” routes, because racers are really enjoying these. Instead of four routes in four worlds we’re doing two in Watopia and two in Makuri Islands.
Here are photos so you can see the precise location of the custom finish lines:
Muir and the Mountain custom finish just before Titans Grove Rev KOMVolcano Circuit CCW custom finish just before lap bannerValley to Mountaintop custom finish at TempleWandering Flats custom finish near end of Neokyo Tunnel
Custom length, ending atop the Titans Grove Reverse KOM. This will be a topsy-turvy start through the uphill rollercoaster of Titans Grove which includes a ride-through tree and Jarvis the perenially unlucky bear. It’s all going to come down to the final ~90-second climb up the KOM, though.
Lead-in section only, race ends at lap start banner. Most of this course is flattish, but the finish is one of the most technical in all of Zwift. First you have the longish ramp that saps your legs and encourages early attacks…then there’s still a few hundred meters of twisting, slightly uphill road. Good legs will keep you in contention, but timing will get you the win!
Custom length, ending at the Temple partway up the Temple KOM. This route is mostly dirt, beginning with the beautiful “Golden Forest” section and ending partway up the Temple KOM. Hint: if you don’t pick a gravel or MTB you’ll be left in the dust. (Extra hint: spend a few extra Drops to get some name-brand gravel wheels. Read this post for details.)
Custom length, ending near the end of the tunnel to Neokyo. This is the “easiest” of the week’s routes in terms of climbing, but we predict a drawn-out sprint finish as riders rev up their steamrollers in the dirt and go long to the tunnel.
Immediately following each hour’s racing, we’ve scheduled 30-minute “Chat & Chill” events where riders from all categories can spin out their legs together and have some fun chatting about how it all went down. The events haven’t been created yet, but when they’re done you’ll be able to find them at:
Zwift displays preliminary race results in game when you cross the line, but points are computed after all four races finish, with final results on ZwiftPower. (We have to press a ZwiftPower button to compute results manually, so if your rankings don’t show up right away, just be patient.)
Riders will earn points based on finish position in each of the 4 Tiny Races. The category winner of each week’s series is the rider with the most points across their timezone’s 4 races. Here are the links for each timezone’s results on ZwiftPower:
Zwift’s August update included the first in-game wheelset from Minnesota-based HED: the Vanquish RC6 Pros. HED’s Vanquish RC Pro series are the company’s top-of-the-line carbon hoops, and they come in multiple sizes: the RC4 (40mm), RC6 (60mm) RC8 (80mm), and RCD (Aero Disc).
The Vanquish RC6 Pros in real life
These wheels are rated 3 stars for aero and 3 for weight, indicating that their aero performance won’t stand out from the crowd. We ran them through our normal tests to learn exactly how they perform.
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new HED Vanquish RC6 Pro wheels in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The RC6’s aero performance is just slightly better than the CADEX 42 and slightly worse than the Mavic Cosmic Ultimate UST. This places them around the 37th percentile for aero performance.
Their test time of 51:08.5 is 43.5 seconds slower than the current fastest road wheels (DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT DISC) on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
The new RC6’s climbing performance matches CADEX 42 wheels, placing it in the 65th percentile overall. And yes, we agree that it’s a bit surprising to see a 60mm deep wheelset performing better on climbs than it does on flats!
The RC6 wheels turn in an Alpe time of 49:22. The fastest overall climbers in game (Lightweight Meilensteins and Roval Alpinist CLX) complete the test 8 seconds faster.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Aero frame.
Conclusions
The HED Vanquish RC6 Pro wheels look pretty sweet IRL, but their performance on Zwift won’t be turning any heads. If you’re a HED fan, though, you may want to pick these hoops up to give your bike a unique look.
In Zwift, these wheels are essentially a copy of the CADEX 42 wheelset. Not in terms of looks, mind you, but they have the same price, level lock, climb performance, and almost identical aero performance (1/2 second difference, which is probably just a Strava rounding error).
IRL, the deeper-dish HED wheels outweigh the climber-friendly CADEX 42s (1589g vs 1327g), and we would assume the deeper HED wheels outpace the CADEX 42s in terms of aero performance. So it seems a bit odd that they would match on Zwift. But that’s why we test things – because IRL performance doesn’t map directly to Zwift performance. That’s simply not Zwift’s goal when they add items to the Drop Shop.
The HED Vanquish RC6 Pro wheels will be added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Wheels List:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
We knew this had been in development for several months, but last week WTRL finally broke the news of some major changes taking effect in this Thursday’s team time trials on Zwift.
What’s new:
TT bikes are now allowed
TT bikes can draft
“Conveyor Belt” system (seen previously only in certain iTT races) ensures everyone starts at the right time
Teams can select their start time
TT Bikes… in a TTT?
Until this moment, TT bikes on Zwift have been unable to draft other riders. It’s become understood that if you want to ride without receiving any draft benefit, you’ll need to grab a TT bike from your garage.
And that’s fine for free riding. But it’s a bit silly when you think about it, because of course TT bikes should be able to draft other riders. That’s how it works in the real world, right?
Starting Thursday, not only are TT frames allowed in WTRL’s team time trial… they’ll also be able to draft! And that means all the (smart) riders will be on TT frames, because they’re much, much more aero than road frames in Zwift.
How much more aero? Well, the fastest TT frame in game (Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc) finishes our 34.6km test course 96 seconds faster than the fastest road frames. (That’s with a 75kg rider holding 4 w/kg.)
That’s significant. Course records are going to fall this week.
(To be clear: TT bikes will only be able to draft in specific TT events. Not while free riding.)
For the first time on Zwift, we’ll see teams of riders in full aero tucks going full gas in real TTT fashion. Super cool.
Conveyor Belt System
Zwift released “Time Trial Mode” back in June 2019. Available only on the Bologna TT course and Fuego Flats, this was a significant upgrade to the TT experience. Riders were given individual start times when they signed up, then placed on a sort of “conveyor belt” when they joined the pens. The conveyor belt moved them forward until they were at the front of the line at their designated start time. Then – zoom – the race began!
This conveyor belt system will now be used for WTRL’s TTT events. Teams of up to 8 riders will be placed on the conveyors, each teammate on their own conveyor (there are 8 conveyors available) and moved toward the front until their designated start time. Then their personal countdown clocks will hit zero and they’ll be racing!
The individual TT conveyor belts automatically bring riders up to 20mph (sort of like the starting ramp in an outdoor TT), but WTRL has informed us that there is no “slingshot effect” for TTT races. So you’d better have your watts up when the clock hits zero!
Conveyor Belts Everywhere
As part of this upgrade, we’ve been told the conveyor belt system is being made available in all start pens throughout the game. It has only been available on Bologna TT and Fuego Flats until now, but this expansion will open up new TT race opportunities as well as expanding the experience for WTRL’s TTT races.
No More Stopwatches
The beauty of the conveyor belt system is: no more stopwatches needed!
Anyone who has raced a Zwift TTT knows that, until this week, teams were given a delay time. Every rider for every team had to be in the pens before the start of the TTT event, but then each team had to use a stopwatch to time their own start delay, so teams could start correctly at 1-minute or 30-second increments.
Mistakes happened, of course. In almost every race someone would accidently start when the clock hit zero. Then as the riders sat around waiting, someone would inevitably roll forward across the start line before their time. And let’s not even talk about the need for the silly pairing screen hack!
Choosing a start time on WTRL’s system
The new system prevents this. Teams will choose a start time when signing up at WTRL’s website, then you only need to join the event before your start time (no more needing to sit in the pens). You will automatically be brought forward to the front when your team’s start time arrives.
ZRL As Well
WTRL assures us that these TTT upgrades will be applied to Zwift Racing League TTTs as well. Sure, we only have one TTT this season (September 27th), but the new features will be welcomed nonetheless.
TTT Speed Tests
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX DiscFelt IA 2.0Scott Plasma Ultimate RC
Since WTRL’s announcement we’ve had lots of inquiries from riders wondering how this will change their TTT races, which bike they should use, etc.
The answer is actually quite simple: just use the best TT frame for the course. Your wheel choice doesn’t change (same wheels as you’d use with a road frame). If you need help picking your frame, this page shows you the Fastest TT Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level (for flat and rolling races).
If your TTT has any significant climbs, check out the newish Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate. Sure, they’re technically tri frames, but they’re TT frames on Zwift, and they outclimb all other TT frames while being just a tiny bit slower than the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc.
I’m sure many readers are also parents and/or employed full-time and familiar with the challenges of fitting Zwift in around life. Give yourself a minute to recover from the shock that streaming and blogging about Zwift is not enough to provide me with a sustainable income, and let’s see what the universe had in store for me this week.
Card #1 – The Work Trip
I’m probably not going to get much sympathy for this one, but I got to spend the working week in New Zealand. After a 42-day streak of riding, not a single pedal stroke was pushed from Sunday until Saturday. It left me with precious little time to grab a fifth win and move on with the challenge. No time for faffing about with the streaming setup. I signed up for the 9:10pm race and hoped for the best.
Card #2 – The Upgrade
When I finally got to sign up for a race, I was in for a rude shock. My efforts on last week’s Tiny Race Series, presumably the finishing effort up from the jungle bridge that added a good 50W to my 1-minute PR on ZwiftPower, had elevated me to A Grade in the category enforcement system despite still being a B on ZwiftPower.
To be fair, this was coming, and I had already (reluctantly) signed up to race in A Grade for the upcoming DIRT Racing Series and ZRL. I was hoping to hold onto that B Grade license for just a little longer, though, to get through the Classics and in particular the final non-drafting race up Bologna. That now looms as an epic challenge, but first things first – London.
Card #3 – The Field
Always a lottery of course, but the stakes are higher now. In B Grade I could be fairly confident that my best Box Hill effort would be competitive. Maybe not enough to hold on to the banner, but at least good enough to have a chance of regrouping for a sprint finish. The signup sheet showed a tiny field, but it included a rival with a sub-6 minute Box Hill to his name. My best-case scenario was breaking 7 minutes if everything went right. I hoped he’d have a change of heart.
He did, leaving me with just two ZwiftPower rivals despite a field of 11. They were stronger climbers on paper, but one (an A+ rider, Corbyn) informed us it was his first race back after 2 months of COVID recovery, and the other (Leung) seemed to have an off day, almost getting dropped at the start and then getting gapped briefly up Northumberland Ave.
Card #4 – The eBikes
Eric mentioned recently that category enforcement has pushed many inaccurate zPower riders and those with poorly calibrated trainers up into A Grade. It looked like this was no different. A few stayed in the pens, but it wasn’t long before we had riders who weren’t on ZwiftPower tearing off the front. My fellow ZP competitors were also following along on ZwiftPower Live or just didn’t have the moxie to chase today. By the time we hit the start/finish banner for the first time it was just the three of us left, with four riders streaking up the road ahead.
Card #5 – The Climb
Thus the stage was set for the deciding feature. Zwiftaholics’ #1 fan (Rob Bane aka Zwifty Zwifter on YouTube) had found me on Companion App even though I wasn’t streaming this race. I may have found that creepy if I wasn’t so grateful for the company and encouragement.
We’d scoped the ZP power numbers and it looked favourable for me if it came down to a sprint, but I told Rob that if any cracks emerged in my competitors on the climb I’d be trying to win the race there. It didn’t take long. The first small ramp showed that Leung was indeed off his game, and as we turned right for that decisive long ramp (like Eric, I too get dropped here all the time) a gap started opening to Corbyn, too. I went for it.
The Fifth Win
Like Yorkshire, this was hardly a glamorous race, but I did the work, putting in my best 8-minute effort for this year to push hard through the banner and over the kicker onto the descent. As I popped my anvil powerup to coast down the gap was out over 50 seconds and my two rivals had also separated on the road. We essentially called a truce at that point and the final run into the finish was leisurely, to the point where I’d win with an unflattering average wattage for the race of just 2.9 W/kg.
Still, those were the cards I was dealt today, and I knew when I started this challenge that I might have to take some cheap wins as field sizes dwindled later in the week. This may unfortunately be increasingly true now that I have to tackle the As, and especially so in the final race where no amount of experience, tactics or sprinting prowess can help me.
That’s over the horizon, though. For now we have two-and-a-bit laps of Innsbruckring to take on, with a custom finish at the top of the Leg Snapper. How I wish I’d been able to give it a test run in the Tiny Race Series just gone! I will be starting early this week and testing myself in some bigger and better fields. Hopefully I can jag a win worth broadcasting, but don’t be surprised if you see me skulking around ZwiftPower this weekend trying to snipe a small field victory on tired legs that never want to see the Snapper again.
Registration opens today for Zwift Academy Road 2022 (sign up here)! Now in its 7th year, ZA Road continues evolving to meet the needs of everyday riders and aspiring pros. This year’s program is more streamlined than ever and focused on “identifying your strengths and delivering a crash course in leveling up your training.”
For those unfamiliar, Zwift Academy is an annual event that serves two purposes. First, it’s a global training program for cyclists of all levels. Secondly, it’s a worldwide talent ID competition that has placed multiple riders onto WorldTour teams.
While the talent ID competition is fun to watch, the vast majority of ZA Road participants are “everyday” riders looking for a fun way to gain fitness. Zwift says, “Getting faster requires two important things: knowing yourself as an athlete and knowing how to improve. Zwift Academy Road identifies your strengths, then helps you build on them.”
New for 2022
Each year Zwift Academy evolves as Zwift tweaks the structure to improve everyone’s experience. Last year’s ZA Road saw a raft of changes to the program. This year’s road Academy includes most of 2021’s improvements but shortens the overall length of the program while further refining key workouts.
Shorter Program
Last year’s program was 8 weeks long, but this year’s lasts just 4 weeks. This doesn’t mean we’ve got fewer workouts, though! Graduation requirements are the same as last year: 1 Baseline Ride, 6 Structured Workouts, and 1 Finish Line Ride.
Improved Baseline and Finish Line Ride Experience
Last year introduced Baseline and Finish Line Rides to the Academy program, and they were a big hit (read about our experience here). These events had riders going full gas on three selected segments of a course to test sprint, VO2, and Threshold power.
Clearly Zwift listened to last year’s feedback, as this year’s Baseline and Finish Line rides have been improved/simplified in key ways:
On-screen messaging will let riders know when each segment is approaching
Riders will be automagically swapped to TT bikes before beginning each segment, to ensure their segment testing is consistent across both rides and unaffected by drafting
Riders will receive a post-ride email after their Baseline ride talking about their cyclist phenotype
A few days after ZA Road wraps up, graduates will receive a progress email to show their progress throughout ZA, their phenotype, and training recommendations
To make workouts more accessible and impactful for all, this year’s workouts will come in both short and long options.
Also, following Zwift’s recent push to offer workouts in more languages, all workouts will be available in English, German, French, Spanish, and Japanese.
Workout Details
ZA Road 2022’s 6 workouts are available in your on-demand workout folder, but will also be available as group workouts on the following days:
Workout 1: September 12-18
Workout 2: September 18-25
Workout 3: September 18-25
Workout 4: September 25-October 2
Workout 5: September 25-October 2
Workout 6: October 2-10
Here are the details of each workout:
Warm up your aerobic engine for harder training sessions to come. Steady tempo riding is punctuated by 1-minute bursts above your functional threshold power (FTP). It’s the perfect session to start your Zwift Academy.
Duration: Long (55 minutes), Short (40 minutes)
Spend some quality time at your limit without going over. Short blocks of high-intensity with even shorter rest periods should do the trick. This session will spur your aerobic adaptations, which will boost your FTP development and endurance.
Duration: Long (53 minutes), Short (37 minutes)
Push your max aerobic ability with some focused work on your VO2 power. This stage mimics the intensity of the Volcano KOM segment from your Baseline Ride—but with micro-rests to keep you going. This work will help you maintain high aerobic power in the future.
Duration: Long (49 minutes), Short (34 minutes)
How does your body respond when power is depleted? Time to find out! This workout wears you down quickly with a few intense efforts before running you through 10-minute blocks just below your FTP. These efforts might feel harder than normal, but they’ll also make you stronger!
Duration: Long (50 minutes), Short (30 minutes)
The power profiles of these intervals look like pyramids, and your legs will feel like you just ran up the great Pyramid of Giza. Combine these “pyramids” with 7-minute blocks of sub-threshold intervals and there’s nowhere to hide if you run out of power. The good news is this workout will increase your maximum aerobic ceiling.
Duration: Long (46 minutes), Short (34 minutes)
This last workout teaches you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable with a series of intervals above your FTP. It’s the ultimate way to expand your limits and see your Zwift Academy progress in action!
Duration: Long (49 minutes), Short (35 minutes)
Your Zwift Academy Companion (App)
The best place to track your ZA Road progress and gains is via Zwift’s Companion app. Here you’ll find the results of your Baseline and Finish Line rides, as well as a progress meter showing which workouts you have left to complete!
Additionally, the Companion app is very useful when completing workouts in Zwift. Did you know you can adjust your FTP bias via the app if the workout is too difficult? Get 5 Companion app workout tips from Shane Miller >
Graduation Requirements
To complete Zwift Academy Road 2022, participants must complete a total of 8 rides:
1 Baseline Ride event
All 6 Zwift Academy workouts (group workouts or individual, your choice)
1 Finish Line Ride event
Riders pursuing the pro contract will need to put in some extra work. See below for details.
Key Dates/Schedule
ZA Road online and in-game registration opens August 15 (those interested in ZA Run and ZA Tri can also register to receive updates on this date)
ZA Road orientation group rides (26 minutes long) available August 15-September 11 (see upcoming events)
ZA Road begins September 12
ZA Finish Line rides available for the last 2 weeks of the program (Baseline Rides available throughout the program)
ZA Road graduation deadline: all required workouts (1 Baseline Ride, 6 workouts, 1 Finish Line Ride) must be completed by October 10 @8:59 am UTC (1:59 am PT)
ZA Tri program begins October 24 (in-game registration will open on Oct 10)
ZA Run program begins February 6, 2023 (in-game registration opens Jan 23, 2023)
Unlocks
Riders will unlock new kit as they progress through the program:
2 events: unlock ZA socks
4 events: unlock ZA sweatband
6 events: unlock ZA kit
8 events: unlock ZA Road 2022 paint job for Canyon Aeroad 2021 frame (you’ll need to buy the frame, though!)
Pro Contract Competition
In this year’s ZA Road Pro Contender Program women will be vying for a 1-year pro contract with the CANYON//SRAM team and men will be chasing a spot on the Alpecin-Deceuninck team.
If you want a shot at the pro contract you have to jump (ride?) through some additional hoops. Here are the rules for all riders entering the Pro Contender Program of ZA Road 2022:
Rules
You must complete the Baseline Ride and the two Pro contender workouts by September 25, 11:59 PM UTC (4:59 PM PT)
You must complete the requirements to graduate Zwift Academy Road, which include one Baseline Ride, six structured workouts, and one Finish Line Ride, by October 10 @8:59 am UTC (1:59 am PT)
You must complete thelong version of all six structured workouts
You must use a direct-drive smart trainer or smart bike for all Zwift Academy events
Participants are not permitted to use a power meter as a primary power source
You must use a heart rate monitor for all Zwift Academy events
You must be 18+ years old, as of January 1, 2023
Ensure your height and weight are accurately entered into Zwift before you begin the program
You cannot be a current WorldTour or UCI ProTeam professional or have competed in a WorldTour race in the past, as defined by these lists of teams:
The two required pro contender workouts are only available as on-demand workouts – that is, no group workout events will host workouts 7 and 8.
Riders may struggle to recover fully from the 12-minute capacity effort. That’s by design: This workout was made to find out which athletes have what it takes to go pro. The next 10-minute sub-threshold attempt will be set at a target power below your current FTP.
This test runs you through sub 2-minute intervals followed by rest periods to allow for complete recovery. After intensive intervals, we’ll also profile your recovery capabilities and judge how resilient your aerobic system is. This will be identified in the 2 x 10-minute sub-threshold efforts at the end of the session. Any riders considering the pro contract must also complete the 2 x 10-minute sub-threshold efforts without failure.
Coaches
Returning again this year are ZA Road coaches Stephen Gallagher and Dan Fleeman. Both are experienced and strong bike racers, indoors and out!
Born on a mountain bike, Dan’s medal-winning history as a Brit racer speaks for itself. He brings a rich knowledge of training and structure for a program that’s as tough as it is smart. He races on Zwift with Saris | NoPinz – see his ZwiftPower profile, or read his bio on DigDeepCoaching.com.
This week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos include a couple of creative ideas for Zwifting with friends, including segment races and a ramp test party. If you’re new to Zwift, there’s a video about the best free Zwift resources that can help you make sense of it all. Rounding out the list are two Zwift Classics videos from the same Zwift racer – one in his normal category, and one with a self-imposed upgrade.
I’m Back! Zwift Ramp Test Party (New FTP?)
Join Tommy Feng and friends as they encourage each other while testing their FTP.
The GREATEST Zwift Race of All-Time!
Benjii Naesen challenges his friend Guillaume to a series of one-on-one “races” – first a sprint, then a climb, and finally a third surprise round! (Language warning near the end.)
The BEST FREE Zwift Resources for new Riders and Racers! ZwiftInsider, ZwiftPower & More!
Jake Sanderson (Snowman Cycling) shines the spotlight on several free resources for new Zwift riders and racers, including Zwift Insider. Thanks Jake!
Road to Category A Ep. 1 // Zwift Classics (A)
Oli Chi (ZRace Central) is a B category racer who decided to jump in with the A category to get stronger. See the start of his journey to upgrading here!
TOUGHEST B RACE EVER!!! – Zwift Race Analysis // Watopia Cup (B)
Back in the B category, Oli Chi (ZRace Central) races the Watopia Cup Zwift Classic with a tough field of competitors.
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I’ve been enjoying the Zwift Classics series, but going into this week I hadn’t yet managed a win. In fact, I appeared to be going backward!
Stage 1: The Apple Lap – 2nd place
Stage 2: Watopia Cup – 3rd place
Stage 3: Watch the Femmes – 7th place
Stage 4: Yorkshire Grand Prix – 10th place
This week we headed to London for a custom-length version of the London 8 route which is mostly flat, except when it takes riders over Box Hill. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t fancy my chances of making it over Box Hill in the front group, since I’ve been dropped there on nearly every race I’ve attempted.
But I also knew that Category Enforcement had tamed the B group a bit, making it slightly easier for me to hang in on climbs. If I could survive over Box Hill, I may have a shot at the podium. And if nothing else, it would be a solid workout.
The Warmup
I did my typical “casual” pre-race prep: two pieces of caffeine gum (200mg) around an hour before the race, plus some PR lotion on my legs. Then I hopped into the C. Cadence Pace Partner group and spun my legs up for around 30 minutes, being sure to break through that 160bpm barrier so my heart and legs were awake.
The legs didn’t feel particularly amazing, but they didn’t seem particularly bad, either. Box Hill would be the test. Grabbing my Tron bike for a bit of a climbing edge, I headed for the pens.
The Start
The B category only had 31 riders when we blasted out of the pens, but that was fine with me. Medium-sized fields are fun because you can get to know some of the riders, and attacks can actually split the field and make a real difference in the overall race.
This became evident quickly when the group made a hard right onto the Northumberland Ave climb. This short, 400-meter kicker always catches some riders out, because if you don’t hammer hard up and over the top you can easily be gapped off the back.
As the front riders powered over the top a gap opened and our field of 31 become a front group of the 15 strongest/smartest:
Our front group of 15
Go Go ZPower Ranger
As we hit The Mall’s red asphalt, one rider (McGuire) jumped hard off the front. Glancing at the Zwifters Nearby list, I saw he was on zpower. Not gonna chase. (ZPower riders are automatically removed from ZwiftPower results, so I don’t even consider them my competition. Soon enough they won’t be able to join most races anyway, hopefully.)
I messaged the group “Go go zPower ranger!” as a sort of joking way to let everyone know he was on zPower. Nobody responded, but one rider (Wicks) jumped off to chase McGuire’s wheel.
This could get interesting. It had been a while since I’d seen a zPower rider affect a B race. My theory is most of the zPower rangers have been bumped up to A cat thanks to Category Enforcement, which sort of sucks for A racers… but it’s great for the rest of us!
We let Wicks and McGuire work together off the front as we made our way past Big Ben toward Box Hill. Let them sizzle a bit and tire those legs out.
Box Hill
Arriving on the lower slopes of Box Hill, Wicks and Ranger McGuire were still up the road. We reeled them in quickly though as the road tilted to 7-8% and riders hammered the steep beginning section.
In the past, this steep section before the left hairpin is where I’ve been dropped from the front group. I’ve always felt the pace was too high and I wouldn’t be able to sustain it, so I’ve eased up.
Today I decided I wouldn’t do that. Instead, I resolved to push hard to stay in touch with the front group, going until I blew up or the climb ended!
Hammering up to the hairpin
That first bit was no joke – I averaged 386W for the first two minutes of the climb, but that got me up to the hairpin in touch with the front. Then we eased a bit before hammering up the splatter-painted straightaway and into the false flats. Soon enough I was riding through the KOM banner in touch with the front, setting a new Box Hill PR of 7:07 (previous best was 7:11)!
There were 8 of us left, and as the descent steepened I activated my anvil powerup to instantly gain 50kg and fly down Fox Hill. Being the heaviest rider in the front group, my supertuck took me right off the front. But I knew this wasn’t the time to attack, so I just coasted down the road and enjoyed myself.
The Finish
With around 9km to go after descending Fox Hill, my sights were set on conserving for the finish. I had grabbed a draft boost (van) powerup at the main lap banner, which was exactly the powerup I wanted for the final sprint. (The only other powerups given in this race were the anvil and burrito. The anvil was useless in the finish, and the burrito, while useful, only lasts for 10 seconds.)
I sat in our small group, watching closely for any serious attacks. With around 4km to go, Ranger McGuire jumped off the front. I wasn’t going to chase him down, but if others decided to, I had to follow their wheels or possibly lose the race.
Happily, no one chased. As we neared the finish line I sat in the group, activating my van powerup well before the finish since it lasts for 30 seconds. One strong rider (Robinson) jumped and I went for his wheel, hoping to get an easy tow for a few seconds. Then I came around him, and the only thing ahead was the finish line!
I kept hammering, giving everything I had to keep the riders on my wheel from coming around. It worked! 721W for 17 seconds took me to the finish line. The results screen showed Ranger McGuire finishing 1st. But I knew I had the cup on ZwiftPower, where it really counts.
Can you spot Box Hill in my power graph?I even grabbed green!
Takeaways
My 6-week power curve got a big boost from this race, with new PRs between 4:30 and 46 minutes. Woah!
My major takeaway from this race was a new strategy for racing Box Hill: go hard early if needed. Be willing to blow up before the hairpin, because things will (hopefully) ease a bit after that.
My second takeaway was a simple reminder that the sooner Zwift can filter out zPower Rangers, the better. It wasn’t a huge deal to me to “lose” to McGuire in this race, but it sort of tarnishes the whole Zwift racing experience when someone with an inaccurate trainer and no HRM can come in and hammer off the front of the group.
The worst part is, McGuire saw a results screen showing him in 1st place, and he probably doesn’t even know that what he’s doing is bad form.
Happily, Zwift is taking steps to bring hardware requirements to races. I say, “The sooner the better.”
Your Thoughts
How did your London International race go? Got any tips for surviving Box Hill? Share below!
With over 600 podcast downloads already, The Wrap (presented by Zwift Community Live) is turning into the go-to place for Zwift opinion, racing, training, and fashion! Episode 4 has just dropped and this week Nathan and Anna talk upcoming Zwift Academy 2022 and how to incorporate it into your training alongside racing, as well as the new WTRL Team Time Trial developments.
They delve deep on the topic of the week, presented by guest Aaron Bleakley, about how to optimise your Zwift computer setup. The Fashion spotlight was on the hot magenta EVO Cycling Kit and the garage-pick of the week was the Off the MAAP dusky pink headband.
EVO KitOff the MAAP headband
The Wrap is all about showcasing the awesome Zwift community, from upcoming events to must-have tech to community guests to the all-important avatar fashion segment. The live nature of the show means that hosts Nathan Guerra and Anna Russell can interact directly with those watching, gaining valuable insights and opinions across a wide range of topics.
This weekend we feature three popular races/group rides, plus two chill group rides.
Off the MAAP – Stages 3 and 4
Off the MAAP is a fun 4-stage event with some lovely kit unlocks. This weekend begins with Stage 3, but ends with Stage 4!
Stage 3 is one for the climbers, with three very good courses on offer. For those wishing for a longer ride, the A “Achterbahn” route is on offer, totaling 47.7km. The standard course (B) is a favourite of mine, “Climber’s Gambit,” totaling 28km, including a mountain top finish. The shorter route (C) is the “Volcano Climb,” at 23.3km.
The Zwift Classics have been a well-attended series of races at a time when many people are riding outside. This weekend’s event (stage 5 of 7) is hosted on the London 8 route, with a custom length finishing at the Classique sprint banner.
Not everything on Zwift has to involve a maximum effort and fortunately there are many rides which offer something different to that! Here is one which I am a big advocative of. As the description states: “Whether you are recovering from injury, prefer a recovery ride or just fancy a pootle around Zwift, this is the ride for you. This is an all-inclusive supportive group ride.”
This group ride is paced between 1.8-2.2. w/kg and the purpose is to provide an opportunity for those at D level to undertake a metric century in a group. The event is hosted on the “R.G.V.” route in France.
First announced here, Zwift Insider is hosting a weekly set of four short race events, in quick succession. As is noted, the point of these events is to “earn ZwiftPower ranking points, get a solid VO2 workout, and just have fun going all-out in a different sort of Zwift race!”
This is the third week of the series, and we’ve got a fresh set of routes plus an added optional “chat and chill” cooldown ride after it’s all over. See this post for details.
Tour de Hisp 13-Stage Daily Tour Announced, August 15-28
Recently the HISP Club announced their “Tour de Hisp” – a 13-stage daily tour running August 15-28. Here are all the details!
Points System
This is a points-based stage race. Each stage offers points for sprint and/or KOM segments, as well as finishing position. In an inventive twist, point values are partially determined by the difficulty of the stage or segment, so for example first place on Ven-Top (stage 10) earns you 100 points, while first place on Triple Flat Loops (stage 11) only earns you 30 points.
See overall information on the points system on the Tour’s homepage. Points allocated for each stage can be found on the stages page.
Stage and Schedule Details
Each day’s stage is run at two different times:
8:15am UTC/4:15am EDT/1:15am PDT
5:15pm UTC/1:15pm EDT/10:15am PDT
You can race whatever time you’d like, or race both if you’re feeling brave! Your best points result on the day will be used for your day’s total.
