In ZRL Season 2 we don’t have as many TTTs, but they are still an important part of the season. As Zwift Insider’s resident TTT passionista (I just made this word up), I will give you a profile of the upcoming route, guidance on bike choices, and maybe a few route-specific tips.
Review of RGV and ZRL-2
The last ZRL TTT was in France. One fast lap of the beautiful R.G.V. course. At just 24.5km and flat this ride flies by. R&K Droids had an awesome ride – everyone putting in 110% – with one minor problem… one of our key riders had been promoted to B the day before which led to us being DQd.
I love to celebrate successes and personal growth – and the Droids have had a spate of riders promoted as their fitness improves, which is wonderful. I’ve seen this across my whole division as well. So many of the frustrations we faced in season one with riders in the wrong categories have dissipated. Is there still work for WTRL to do? Of course. Bt for my part, Season 2 has transformed into a tough but fair competition. As I posted on Facebook a few days ago – now I feel like I’m in the same ballpark as all the guys beating me!
Off to the Big Apple
Across the Atlantic this week, to New York’s Central Park. Mighty Metropolitan is named for New York’s giant Metropolitan Museum of Art, which houses 2 million pieces in its permanent collection, across 2.2 million square feet. Despite living in the greater New York area for 2 years I never went to the Met so I can’t say more than that about it.
All I can say, is don’t ride in formation like these jokers… nice kit though.
I’ll be frank… New York is my least favorite Zwift world. All the undulating surface roads, and those diabolical futuristic rollercoaster roads… I can never get in a groove. When the New York world was released Dave Chauner, racer from the 60’s, said “Rode the new Central Park course this morning. It’s been a long time but I recognized every meter of the circuit.” Clearly he stuck to the surface roads, which is not what we’ll be doing in Tuesday’s race.
Here’s the course preview from Rick and No Breakaways:
Unlike RGV, this route is seriously technical – no flat, mostly undulating and one big hill right in the middle to split your six riders up. The route is 20km with a 400m lead-in, making it 20.4km (12.6 miles in old money).
Having looked at Eric’s verified segment I have never ridden this route, but I’ve been up that KOM plenty of times. The always-handy Veloviewer route profile below shows every undulation you will need to navigate.
While the whole ride will take care and attention, it is the 1.1 km Reverse KOM ascent and corresponding descent that will define your ride. The ascent averages 5% but that’s misleading. Break it into three bumps with a short respite between each
350m at 7%
Slight break for 150m
200m at 10%
Slight break
100m where it gets up to 15%.
Get up there together and you will be in better shape than most teams.
Don’t forget the descent though! Many a team break up when the tables are reversed and heavier riders supertuck down and lose their lighter members. (It may not be legal in UCI races, but it’s still legal on Zwift!)
What to ride?
This is not a day for pure aero. Too many bumps along the way, including the reverse KOM which peaks at over 15%. I will be riding Tron, and recommend you all think carefully about what bike in your garage best suits a bumpy day in the saddle.
Route Recon Rides
Not many days left for a recce – but there are a few rides you can take. Check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com to see for yourselves.
Wrap up
This week is all about discipline. Lighter team mates need to be disciplined on the ascent, heavier riders need to be disciplined on the descent. Work as a team and you will have a great ride.
“Sprint” races were something I’ve seen in Zwift’s events list for years, but never actually tried. So when it just happened to work into my schedule last Tuesday morning I signed up for the 3R LaGuardia Super Sprint Race – one single lap of NYC’s LaGuardia Loop route. 4.3km total, meaning the race would take just over 5 minutes. This would be interesting!
The Warmup
Knowing this would be a short, hard effort, I got on Zwift with plenty of time for a complete warmup. As any bike racer will tell you: the shorter the race, the longer the warmup needed. And vice-versa!
Of course, I had already chewed a couple pieces of caffeine gum and rubbed PR lotion on my legs. It’s just standard race prep for me.
After joining C. Cadence for a half-hour with a few short sprints mixed in to get the legs opened up, I was ready to head to the pens. Let’s do this!
Strategizing
Having never raced a sprint event, I tried to visualize how it would unfold so I could make decisions before the race began in order to maximize my results.
This start (and the whole race) would be especially tough because 3R had set up the event so all categories raced together. Sure, the final ZwiftPower results would be separated by category. But in the actual race the A’s would be pushing the pace, and any B riders wanting a chance for a win would need to hang with those A’s for all or most of the race. So that was my first goal: stick with the front riders if at all possible, regardless of category. In fact, I decided I wouldn’t be paying attention to categories until the race was over.
The only road rise of any significance comes just a couple hundred meters before the sprint banner/finish line. We would hit this twice, and I figured I’d need to push hard into this rise, as well as up and over it, in order to stay in touch with hard-charging A’s. Second goal.
Third, I thought we would get powerups in two spots: the start/finish banner just out of the pens, and the first time through the sprint (finish) banner. So I made a mental note to use two powerups wisely. I would need all the help I could get!
Lastly, I knew that, racing with the A’s, this would essentially be a maximal ~5-minute effort for me. So I steeled myself for the effort ahead, reminding myself that it would hurt, but it would be over before I knew it. And maybe, just maybe, I’d get that coveted bump in my power curve…
The Start
The start was about as tough as most flat Zwift race starts: 379W for 90 seconds kept me in touch with the front group through the lead-in section. But with only 5 total minutes of racing, I figured things wouldn’t calm down much. And they didn’t!
As we made our way through the sprint/finish banner, A’s were pushing hard on the front, and one zPower dude (“J. Herck”) was making life hard for all of us by riding off the front and stringing things out.
Only 3 more minutes…
You can do anything for 3 minutes.
The Middle
The middle 2 minutes were the calmest of the race: I averaged 353W to stay in touch with the front. At one point I found myself very close to the front of the pack, which is when teammate Kyle Benson messaged everyone, “Dirty up here” – and he was right. We had 4 DIRT riders in the front pack. This wasn’t an organized DIRT effort, though – we weren’t on Discord, or working together in any way. Just out for a hard, short race.
DIRT teammates near the front (our fourth rider McMahan was just behind, off-screen)
The Finish
As we neared the left-hand turn toward the bricks less than a mile from the finish, zPower Herck was still pushing the pace off the front – but two smart A’s had bridged onto his wheel.
It was a bridge too far for me. If I went all-in to catch those front riders I would just blow up and get passed by everyone. So I sat in the wheels and hoped some stronger riders would pull me up.
We had just 15 left in the front pack. I had no idea how many of those were B’s, but like I mentioned above, I had already made the decision not to think about categories for this race. My singular goal was to finish as close to the front as possible.
As we hit the little kicker before the sprint I bore down and bumped up the watts, trying to hold a good position but reserving a bit for the final push. Then as the group’s numbers turned orange (much too early for my taste) I shifted, stood up, and started hammering!
The final meters are slightly downhill, and as we zoomed to the finish line I looked up just in time to see my avatar edge out a DIRT teammate across the line. Then the results screen popped up, showing me in first place for the B’s. Hurray!
The final ~90 seconds were (not surprisingly) the toughest of the race – I averaged 408W.
According to Strava, my average wattage for the full 5 minute, 12 second race effort was 379W – precisely the same average wattage as the first 90 seconds! Now that is something you don’t see in most Zwift races.
I had planned on wisely using powerups, but alas, none were given. This isn’t something I thought about much in the race, but I really wish Zwift would indicate if powerups were going to be used in events. Right now there’s no way of knowing, unless you dig into event details via ZwiftHacks or ZwiftPower. And that’s a bit silly.
I had hoped for a power curve bump from this race, but alas, it didn’t happen! I was just a few watts low right around the 5-minute mark. Races like this would definitely be a wonderful test of VO2 effort power, though – especially if you’re in that sweet spot where you aren’t the strongest rider in the pack, but have to stay on the limit to hang with the front. That’s pretty much where I was at – or within a few watts of it, at least.
My watts in the final sprint were probably some of my lowest sprint watts in a long time, with my 5s critical power showing 621W. That’s what happens when you go all-in after 5 minutes of already going all in.
Would I do it again? For sure. This race was quick and hard – the perfect prescription if I’m just looking to smash myself without a bunch of fuss.
I had big plans to follow this event up with a longer race 30 minutes later… and that’s exactly what I did. But it wasn’t pretty. The flat bits of London weren’t bad, but once we hit Box Hill I was suffering. This sprint race may have only lasted 5 minutes, but the maximal 5-minute effort really drained my top-end power.
What About You?
Have you tried a sprint race? How did you do, and did you enjoy it? Share below!
I wouldn’t even consider beginning a hard workout or lining up in the pen without a thorough warmup. I can’t quite put my hand on it, aside from reciting the copious scientific research and conflicting evidence, but there is just something about my body that tells me I need that time to stoke the furnace and prime the pump.
It just feels right, and the older I get the more important it seems to have become. There is theoretical evidence that the same can be said for pre-ride warmup of specific muscle groups. The concept of Muscle Activation, otherwise known as pre-activation or corrective warm-up, is the act of isolating a target muscle through active exercise prior to the main activity.
What is Muscle Activation?
Our predominantly seated lifestyle causes the gluteals and deep core muscles to shut down due to improper posture and biomechanics. The inactivity of these muscles and the emphasis upon the quads, hip flexors, and hamstrings creates poor movement patterns and the potential for injury.
This muscle imbalance also limits performance and inhibits training progress. Through Muscle Activation athletes provide a stimulus to inactive muscle groups prior to the activity, facilitating their efficient function.
Why is Muscle Activation Important for Cyclists?
The gluteus maximus is one of the largest muscle groups in the body, and when aided by the smaller medius and minimus, provides hip stability and crucial power production during the pedal stroke. Unfortunately, positioning on and off the bike causes this vital muscle group to underperform. The lower back and core muscle also fit into this category.
When other muscles compensate, such as the quads and hamstrings, the weak muscles continue to get weaker.
Strengthening the Mind-Body Connection
Muscle Activation is, in theory, ‘brain training’: strengthening the brain-muscle connection to optimize the brain-body relationship. By focusing on a muscle and visualizing it to contract, the strength of contraction improves through enhanced fiber recruitment. Performing slow, controlled movements while really focusing your mind on the muscles you’re using maximizes activation.
How Are Muscle Activation Programs Performed?
Activation exercises are basic motions meant to isolate and engage a specific muscle. Muscle activation movements should target a singular muscle to facilitate a maximal contraction and feel its engagement. The key with pre-activation is to warm up and engage the proper muscles without pre-fatiguing them (which would make them less active).
Take it slow and controlled, making each repetition deliberate for a maximal contraction through a full range of motion.
Focus upon really thinking about the muscles you’re trying to activate.
Perform 8-12 repetitions and two sets with very little to no resistance.
Stay tuned, as in the next edition of this series I will introduce the theory behind the benefits of plyometric training and how performing plyometric exercise can improve your cycling performance.
Let Us Know!
Is your warmup routine unique or interesting in any way? How important is a warmup to you? Do you feel like you need to warm up your brain as much as you do your legs? Let your fellow Zwifters know in the comments below!
Matt and Sarah bring in one of the hottest names in triathlon, Paula Findlay! She joins to chat about everything she’s been up to lately (hint: it’s a lot). Fresh off of a win at the PTO Championship in Daytona, Paula talks about how her prep for this race was different than most, and what lessons she learned that she’ll apply to future races. We also get first dibs on talking about her new bike sponsor, Specialized!
About the Podcast:
The Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast is hosted by former pro triathlete Matt Lieto and Zwift Academy Tri mentor Sarah True. Both are passionate about lending their in-depth knowledge of the multisport to the Zwift Tri audience.
For a year I have been obsessed with the weekly WTRL Team Time Trial, so I asked Eric if I could share my obsession with you all, in weekly doses.
Each week I will give you a profile of the upcoming route, guidance on bike choice, and some target times if you want to aim for the Premiere League (top-10 in each coffee class get to be in a special race live-streamed on YouTube).
If you can’t ride, or even if you can ride, but want more action, don’t forget to tune in to the live show on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time).
Review of Watopia Hilly Reverse
I think I have been pretty clear about how much I love Hilly Reverse as a TTT course… it’s technical enough to be a challenge, but not so much that everyone blobs up desperate to survive. I rode with the Rowe & King Vixens having lost my Hyenas captain spot to arch-rival POD. Vixens had a storming ride, ending up 43rd in Latte. I held my own until the last ascent of the KOM where I took lead up the steep bit then my legs fell off… still I finished only 36 seconds behind them.
From Captain Trigg’s brilliant ride report: “On the final climb they paused for a few seconds to regroup before descending to the finish. Sherpa had pulled up lame in the final furlong and I thought of sending a man out there with a gun, but the thought of it brought a lump to my throat as I remembered his heroics last week.” I got a lap PR first time around, 2nd PR on lap 2, and 4th best personal time on lap 3… so with that and not being shot on the field I’m pretty happy!
It looks like everyone had as good a time as the Vixens, with course records set in Espresso, Latte, and Mocha in both mixed and Vienna. Only the Frappes (mixed and Vienna) could not equal their efforts from September, and regardless, the PL spot time is faster across the board (see table).
Our friends at WTRL WW HQ didn’t have such a great night though! Once more Zwiftpower melted down, meaning another overnight shift to manually process. Well done holding it together chaps!
Here is a chart of the PL cutoff for Watopia Hilly Reverse (I have simply used the 11th fastest team in each category).
Category
July ‘20
September ‘20
February ‘21
Vienna
42:15
42:55
42:09
Doppio
36:28
37:27
36:13
Espresso
38:11
37:36
37:30
Frappe
39:05
38:51
38:15
Latte
42:26
42:12
41:30
Mocha
50:38
48:43
46:00
Greater London Flat
This week is a two-lap race with a long lead-in. Greater London Flat was last ridden in a TTT in December, and before that in July and April. In April I was with the Paris-based CICC-B team but had a mechanical, in July and December I was with R&K’s Latte team, the Hyenas. This week I will be an honorary lady, with the R&K Vixens.
The ride starts with the usual London lead-in from the Tower along the Thames before taking the sharp right turn up the hill to Trafalgar Square. Then it’s a quick up and back along The Strand before heading on to The Mall for the start/finish gate to start lap 1.
Each lap is pretty straightforward. Up and down Constitution Hill (not very hilly), and along Birdcage Walk. Don’t bother looking for the birds in cages as they disappeared once James the 1st popped his clogs. Onto Millbank, running alongside the Thames again, which turns into Grosvenor Rd, then turn right onto Chelsea Bridge Rd. You are now 12km into the ride.
1km later there is a very slight bump up as you head around Sloane Square and on to Sloane Street. From here there’s a false flat (2%) until you hit Brompton Road at 14km. You will pick up speed as you head into the Hyde Park Corner underpass, then lose it again as you head up Piccadilly. The Piccadilly ramp is the most arduous aspect of the lap – 1km at around 3% – ending when you make the sharp turn onto St James Street. After that, it is 1700m downhill or flat all the way to the start/finish gate.
Being so popular, this route has plenty of resources. There is Zwift official race recce that breaks the race down well. As always the recce is an analysis of a scratch race rather than a TTT, but good reading all the same. It highlights the two main areas to be aware of – Northumberland Ave (from the Thames to Trafalgar Square) and the Piccadilly rise.
This is one of the flatter routes in Zwift and as such aero rules. I will be on the S-Works Venge with the fabulous and pretty 858/Super9 wheels. On this course, this setup beats the Tron handily.
S-Works Venge + 858/Super9 wheels
Here are some recommendations on equipment at various levels:
Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge
I know I say it every week… get the Tron! It may not be the fastest on this route, but only one other bike/wheel combo beats it… and you need to be Level 45 to get that combo!
Route Recon Rides
This is a hugely popular route for races and group rides. Plenty of places to get in a recon ride or two. Check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com to see for yourselves.
Target times
This route has been ridden four times in 2020. December smashed the previous times… I don’t know how much more performance you can all squeeze this week for a PL spot.
Category
April 30th #54
July 16th #65
December 10th #86
My prediction
Vienna
42:47
42:41
41:40
41:00
Doppio
37:05
36:40
Espresso
37:09
37:10
37:39
37:20
Frappe
39:06
39:17
38:51
38:15
Latte
42:09
42:08
41:35
41:15
Mocha
47:38
47:22
46:48
46:00
Wrap up
This week is another chance to work on formation and communication. Keep everyone together and pulling turns to win! There are no significant hills to break up the team, so push the power at the tip of the spear, and go hard from start to end.
This week Zwift Racing League saw teams hit the pavement of Yorkshire in what is probably the most honest of Zwift courses. There is truly no place to hide with constant ups and downs!
There were few tactics that really seemed to play out with the teams – it was just basically a full slog up the K/QOM, a reduced sprint at the intermediary, then a painfully drawn out sprint to finish. But then I saw something cool happen: a solo breakaway that actually stuck.
Check out the video:
Why would this happen?
Dominant teams now only care about each other
In the video I analysed, it’s Beastmode v dPac-Elite, in my racing league it’s Saris+TPC v Finesse Rockets, in others it’s AERO v ZSUN. Most leagues now are getting 2 teams battling it out on the top. Serious spreadsheeting is being done on what points are exactly needed to stay ahead, research on specific riders to target on certain parts of the course.
This is all making for awesome battle royales between dominant teams. You know the kits of your competition and you mark them like crazy.
The emergence of the rogue solo rider
This raises great opportunities for stronger riders in less dominant teams to take advantage of being somewhat invisible in the lead pack. The video shows Hashimoto attacking on a short climb about 1km from the end. This type of a move would very rarely work (see my video here on how to make a solo breakaway stick) so close to the end on a predictable attacking terrain, and with a group of 12+ riders.
But this time it did work. The gap to Hashimoto never got larger than 4 seconds, yet he carried it all the way to the line… how? The dominant teams looked around, waited, had other teams try and bridge the gap, and by the time they realised it was a danger-move it was too late!
Will this always work?
Definitely not. You have to read the bunch well, which even in a virtual world is possible. You get a feel during the race which moves are being chased down and which aren’t. Hashimoto put in a few little digs into the orange numbers (while still in the pack) before this move and no one took the bait. If you are sitting in small bunch (<20) and you’re the only one from your team surrounded by dominant teams in the league, give it a try! Often the other teams are going for total points rather than finish line glory.
What About You?
If your team has pulled off something amazing in a race, or you’ve seen something tactically great, shoot me a message and I’ll do some analysis on why and how it worked.
The 2020 Tour de France provided an incredible spectacle with Slovenian Tadej Pogačar outclimbing fellow compatriot Primoz Roglic to win on the final stage. And it was another Slovenian, Mitja Kovacic, who provided me with yet another amazing cycling memory.
On Sunday 31st January 10am CET, Mitja successfully completed his 24 hour cycling challenge on Zwift, raising awareness for Motor Neuron Disease and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. He also raised funds for the charity via his Just Giving page.
Mitja did not just cycle for 24 hours, he cycled for a net 24 hours, meaning that when he stopped to change jerseys and shorts, so did the clock! This means he was actually undertaking the monumental task for 26 hours. Mitja did not just achieve his goal but inspired others to reach new personal targets along the way. An inspirational ride by an inspirational person!
The Race3R Group Ride
The start
To kick off the epic event, Mitja led an 8:30am (CET) Race3R group ride on the Tempus Fugit course which consisted of nearly 400 riders. It was here that I joined him for the start of his challenge. Mitja took the opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and his 24-hour challenge to the group, which led to instant applause. The event was well attended, but sadly I could not stay for the duration. I checked back in with Mitja after he had just finished the event, his first 5 hours and 200km, and he was feeling strong. He explained that out of the 373 riders that had started, 40 had stayed with him to complete the 200km. In the first 5 hours he had raised £419, a little short of £100 an hour, which was fantastic.
Mitja had just changed into fresh cycling kit and had taken on some food in the form of rice, and was back into his rhythm after his short pit stop.
We discussed how the first quarter of the challenge had gone and he explained that during his group ride, he did have a “small technical issue” but it did not slow him down. The “small technical” issue which Mitja referred to was actually a power outage, but fortunately Mitja was using his laptop and his battery-powered Tacx Neo 2, and was able to continue uninterrupted. The only issue was that he lost sight of the group due to his router disconnecting and when connectivity was restored, he was 1 minute behind the group. Fortunately, the “Sweepers” were on hand to help pull him back.
It’s at this point that Mitja, selfless as ever, praised the excellent work of the “Sweepers” on his ride. He explained that it’s an extremely difficult role because they basically are doing intervals for the entire group ride. They slow to wait for the dropped riders, then have to put usually double the power of the group to pull the dropped rider(s) back into the main pack. This could be anything up to 6 watts per kilo depending on the speed of the bunch!
Mitja was impressed with the support provided during the group ride especially as the group stayed together throughout, with Mitja fully aware of the need to pace himself. At the 5 hour point, Mitja explained he was averaging around 2.5 watts per kilo, but was anticipating this would decline to around 2.2-2.3 watts, with the critical time being around 16-18 hours into the challenge.
Talking of challenges, one Zwifter got more than he bargained for on the group ride as Mitja explained. “One rider was going to leave after 100km, but we were talking about the 100 mile badge. So, we convinced him to ride with us and get the badge, but at 159km, he decided to stay on and finish the ride, completing his longest ride on Zwift at 200km.” He would not be the only person to reach new personal heights alongside Mitja over the weekend.
Although we have focused on Mitja, he highlighted that he wasn’t doing this alone. He was joined by fellow Race3R rider Ross Duncan, and as Mitja explains, the two of them “just want to cycle” – something which I think we can all relate to.
Discussing the upcoming few hours, Mitja explained he had a detailed fueling strategy to help him reach his target, broken down into what is required hour by hour. The first 3 hours were all about fluid intake in terms of smoothies, with pasta later in the day and even toast during the evening, with the ever-important energy drink being consumed every hour. He admitted, “I am on course with the fluid, but am struggling to eat, but know I need to eat. I will rely on energy bars and gels at the end.”
Mitja admitted he needed to “listen to his body and will not overdo it” and had scheduled stops to stretch and refresh himself.
A quarter of the way in, Mitja was looking the embodiment of a man in control. I only wish I looked as composed after 5 hours of cycling. Talking of being composed, one of the key things Mitja explained was cooling and that key to his Zwift setup was having good fans to prevent overheating.
10 hours in
10 hours in
Team Slovenia
Later that evening, I rejoined Mitja to assist him in his ride. At 8 hours he had his first change of clothing and refreshed himself and after 9 hours and 20 minutes, he had clocked up an impressive 370km and was on his 9th or 10th bottle of energy drink supplied by High Five. His fueling strategy was working, although he admitted that he was still struggling to eat.
He explained that many riders had been cycling with him and supporting him. He was in a good rhythm, averaging 200 watts with his heart rate around 125 beats per minute, a drop from 150 earlier whilst conducting the group ride. I’ll admit, I had to concentrate and work to keep up with Mitja because his tempo was very consistent and steady and I will agree that he was well-supported, I had never seen so many Slovenian cyclists as they formed a tight group around their star man. After 40kms I left Mitja, promising I would rejoin early in the morning.
23 hours in
Before jumping back on the bike at 7:30am, I logged on to his live streaming channel to see how he had survived through the night. I was relieved to see him still sat on his bike, although a bit sleepy. He had cycled an amazing 793km but the clock only read 21.23hrs. It was at this point I realised that Mitja’s 24 hour challenge was actually 24 hours net. This meant despite being 24 hours physically awake, he still had a bit more time to go on the bike!
This was incredible to say the least.
I called Mitja, anxious to see how he was and to encourage him. I wanted to tell him “grab my wheel and well we’ll just cycle the last bit nice and steady.” To my surprise, as soon as I started talking, Mitja was back to life. He started telling me in great detail the events of the last few hours, and I scribbled notes as fast as I could whilst pedaling away. What he told me was epic and a sheer test of endurance.
Mitja explained that he started struggling from around 14 hours into the challenge. He became really ill. Despite his detailed fueling plan, it was evident to him that he had not eaten enough and by around 2am, he was literally “dead to the world”. At 2:30am, he explained that he listened to his body and took time to try and eat and rest a little. He drank some water, which made him vomit. His body started shaking. He took a bit of bread and went back down to the “Pain Cave” and started riding at 1.2 wkg.
His darkest moment was in the screenshot showing him joking, “I could eat chicken wings right now” – it’s a joke as he is a strict vegetarian!
Mitja in his lowest hour
He admitted that this was the only time during the entire ride that he was on his own, his total kilometres up to that point was 690 and his only goal was to get to 700km “the whole 24 hour thing was forgotten about and I just ate my toast, slowly spinning my legs.” Then a fellow SloZL team member, Darja Vavpetic, a strong rider who is Captain of TTT Team SloZL Pink, popped up and said “Hello.” Mitja explained, “My goal here was to get to 700km and then call it a fail. Darja then joined me, 17h and 55 minutes into the ride, after she woke up in the middle of the night, to see me with my head down and suffering. At approximately 3.30 am, after a few minutes of chatting with her, I could see the light and get myself to at least 700km. It was a game-changer but still nowhere close to getting out of the woods.”
Then his fellow Slovenian friend Uros Huzjak came online at 699km and then things got better. “Uros joined us at 699km. At that moment I wrote to Darja “1 more km” (to get to 700km) then Uros said “Good morning.” Perfect timing. My mind was clear again and I wasn’t sleepy anymore. Then I explained the situation to him and he proposed to go for another hour and later to 750km. Without a doubt, Darja and Uros were crucial at that moment to keep me going and my body had time to recover. Not that it was easy from there on but at least I could see myself doing 24 hours”.
Mitja explained further that the whole day he had amazing support and so “I would not quit” with even Darja threatening to “kick me if I stopped before 24 hours.” He describes the few hours being the “darkest and hardest hours ever on a bike” explaining how he went from pedaling 2.3 watts per kilo to 1.6.
We talked about that period around 2am when Mitja was fighting his body’s natural rhythm to rest. The body produces a chemical called melatonin, which helps us ‘switch off’ at night. Melatonin usually starts to be produced at around 8-9pm and peaks at 2-3am, which is when Mitja was extremely tired. Fortunately, he had fought through the most difficult period.
Uros stayed with his friend Mitja just when Mitja needed that extra bit of support and was with him until the end of the challenge, resulting in Uros’ longest ride on Zwift at 185km and 5:30hrs. Uros explained that he and Mitja had become friends whilst creating the Slovenian Racing League and have never actually got round to meeting, despite riding every week together on Zwift.
Mitja went on to say that from hour 14 onwards and before things got really difficult, “it was a bit of a roller coaster. Some hours good, some not so good but my family have been really supportive”.
The final hour
To keep Mitja engaged and not thinking about the last hour of his challenge, I asked about the bike selection he had chosen. He had opted for the Specialized S-Works Venge with Zipp disc wheels. It was during this conversation that we crossed the 24 hour time. It was 8.30am (CET) and Mitja had done approximately 827km and the net time he had been on the bike was 22 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds.
For the final hour, Mitja was joined by more and more friends and soon a small peloton was around him. The Discord chat channel was full of voices chatting to Mitja in English and Slovenian, with one person asking “How much pain are you in?” – Mitja’s response “I eat pain for breakfast.” Even after his self-described darkest hours on a bike, he was still able to crack a joke. A testament to the character of the man.
Mission accomplished
After a net 24 hours of cycling, Mitja approached the final minutes and we counted every minute with him. At exactly net 24 hours, he had cycled 885km. Mission accomplished. But Mitja didn’t stop there, he wanted to make it an even number so pedaled on for an extra 7 minutes totaling 888.8km.
His stats for the ride are epic, 173 watts average, 888.8km, 24 hours and 7 minutes, 849 Ride Ons and most importantly raising £817 for charity.
I’ll leave the last words to Mitja, “This was epic. I had an amazing support from SloZL riders, 3R riders, random Watopia riders joining me, YouTube chat, Facebook chat, Discord, Messenger, it was mind blowing.”
We wanted to share a quick update with Zwifters regarding Strava segments.
As you may already know, on January 27, 2021 Strava made some major changes to Zwift segments: they marked everyone’s segments as private (so only the creator can see them) except for those created by Zwift Insider’s account. They also removed “(Zwift Insider verified)” from all of our segments, since that wasn’t really needed anymore because only our segments were visible!
Since then, we’ve received a ton of feedback from Zwifters requesting new segments. Others have questioned Strava’s decision (which we were not involved in).
Long-Term Plan?
Give Strava’s poor ability to determine which segments to hide or show (I’ve written about this before), we think Zwift and Zwifters would be best-served by Zwift taking control of the list of segments available in-game. It’s a core part of Zwift’s product experience, after all.
This would only work, though, if Zwift is able to quickly create segments for new roads, and respond well to community input when it comes to creating “extra” segments (for long climbs without leaderboards, for instance).
We’re talking to ZwiftHQ about what this may look like, but there’s nothing close to a firm plan yet. Until a better solution arrives, we’ll do our best to create needed segments beyond the 400+ we’ve already created.
New Segments
Since Strava’s big shakeup we’ve been hard at work creating a pile of segments that don’t correspond to known routes or leaderboards in game. This includes segments like KOM descents, or key climbs with no leaderboards. Here is the complete list of what we’ve created after everyone’s segments were privatized:
There are a lot of segments that still need to be created. This includes running route segments, misc France and Paris segments, and plenty of misc segments in Watopia and elsewhere. Please be patient, and we’ll try to get them created ASAP.
Matching New Segments to Old Rides
One question that has popped up a lot recently is how to get your old Zwift rides to match new Strava segments. The answer to this is a bit weird.
It used to be that newly-created Zwift Strava segments wouldn’t match up with older efforts unless you did the “Activity Type Hack” explained below. But we’re finding that our new segments are in fact being matched to old activities… but it doesn’t seem consistent.
Example: I created the new Watopia Figure 8 Reverse segment on 1/28/2021. It is now showing activities from back in 2017, but has yet to match a single personal activity of mine.
The only reliable, quick way we’ve found to get Strava to match new segments to your old activity is the “Activity Type Hack” which can by done in the mobile app or via a web browser. It’s an easy process, but you have to do it for every activity you want new segments on, so that’s the pain.
Edit your activity, changing it to any other type of activity besides Virtual Cycling
Save the change
Go in and change it back to Virtual Cycling. All done!
Here’s a video walk-through:
(If you use Strava in your web browser it’s even easier, as it says it’s changing the activity type, but it never actually does! So it attemps to change the activity type, and in doing so picks up new segments – but you don’t have to go back in and change it back to Virtual Cycling because the change doesn’t stick.)
Segment Length Requirement
Many Zwifters have requested the creation of segments that are too short. This includes some of the newer sprint sections that launched after Strava put this limit in place.
Strava’s limit seems to be 300m, which is ludicrous given their length limit doesn’t take gradient into account. Certain Alpe du Zwift turn-to-turn segments can’t be created due to the limit, and we all know those sections aren’t short!
We’ve reached out to Zwift and Strava about the possibility of lifting that limit for the Zwift Insider account, but haven’t heard anything back. Our guess is it’s a hard-coded limit that is system-wide, and they can’t easily fix it just for us.
Open to Suggestions
We asked people for segment ideas on the original Strava update post, and so far there are 228 comments! Please post your segment suggestions there so we have them all in one place.
Feel free to comment below if you have specific questions or ideas other than segment suggestions.
In this week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos you’ll find some tips on easing pain on the trainer and changing your Zwift bike quickly. Other videos focus on racing, whether it’s finding your role in the Zwift Racing League, using your team’s numbers advantage in a breakaway, or pushing through when you want to quit!
Why you experience pain while on the trainer and how to fix it. Zwift tips
TacomaCyclist shares some of his advice for reducing pain and discomfort while riding your bike on an indoor trainer. Get tips on your kit, your front wheel riser (and whether you should use one), and your bike fit with helpful demonstrations.
Fastest method to change bikes in Zwift?
If your next Zwift event includes both paved road and dirt, or a long climb followed by a fast descent, you might think about switching bikes. Michael Taber demonstrates his method of doing that as quickly as possible.
RUBBISH to WINNING | My 1st THREE League ZWIFT RACES
Mark Lewis reflects on his first three WTRL Zwift Racing League stages with humor. You might get some ideas for how you can help your team when you’re not at the front of the race!
Zwift Racing Tactics – Dropping someone from a pack when you have the numbers
When a team has multiple riders in a group, a rider without teammates might hang on in their draft without doing work at the front. What can the team do about that? Jeremy Hopwood was that rider in a recent race, and he gives a few answers based on his experience.
ZWIFT RACE – Did I quit?
How do you turn a bad race into a good ride? Watch as “Z-Cycling-A” does just that, with determination and a change in perspective.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
A new 4-stage series launches tomorrow on Zwift in partnership with Ryzon, a tri + cycling clothing label based in Cologne, Germany. Jan Frodeno and other Ryzon ambassadors will be participating in weekly social rides and time trials every Thursday, and the Zwift community is invited to join in the fun!
Series Schedule
Events happen one day per week for the next four weeks. Each week features a warm up ride as well as a TT race. Events are not categorized, so everyone rides together.
You’ll want to pick out the fastest in-game bike possible for each race – that means picking the best frame and wheelset for each week’s route!
Drafting is disabled for these events, but TT bikes are not being required. Still, you’ll want to pick a nice fast TT rig for most or all races. Do you swap to a light road bike for the big climbs? That’s a call you’ll have to make yourself!
