In our Top 5 Zwift Videos this week, we have a feast of Rapha Festive 500 logs! For the first time, virtual rides counted in this challenge to ride 500 kilometers in the 8 days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Videos also include a beginner’s analysis of one of his first races and a breakdown of a Zwift race finish.

Starting a bit late, Dan Nelson set out to ride all 500 kilometers of the Rapha Festive 500 in 6 days instead of 8. Dan is training for the Dragon Ride Gran Fondo to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support and documenting it on his YouTube channel, “Dan vs the Dragon.” He had a plan, but how well did he stick to it?

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

About this Series

Since March I have become 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 televised on YouTube). 

If you can’t ride (or even if you can ride, but want more action) tune in to the live TV show on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time)

One Lap of Casse-Pattes

Off to belles-France this week. The route is a single short lap of Casse-Pattes. At 23km with a 900M lead-in I believe it might be the shortest TTT we have done for a long time. This is one of those “flat except where it isn’t” courses. Casse-Pattes takes a clockwise loop around France, up and over the aqueduct then at the t-junction takes a left turn up and over the Petit-KOM before a downhill finish into town.

Zwift Insider has a couple of useful Strava segments for this course – the one that does a lap from the gate so add in that 900M lead-in, and one for the Petit KOM. 

What to Ride?

Despite the decent-sized KOM, for the most part this is a flat route. Eric and I chatted about this – and both of us agree in the Venge/Super 9 vs Tron battle, Tron probably wins… with luck he will get a chance to run some performance tests, in which case I will update this. In the meantime my decision will be Tron – because my hill game isn’t where it needs to be so I don’t want to get dropped by the team at the end of the ride. 

That gives some insight into how you might want to think of this ride – do you want to accentuate your positives or combat your weaknesses? Are you strong on the flat or on the hills? Choose your bike and wheels accordingly. 

Here are some recommendations on equipment at various levels:

• Level 6 Zwift Aero frame and DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels
• Level 10 Canyon Aeroad 2021 and DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels
• Level 13 Canyon Aeroad 2021 and Zipp 808s
• Level 18 Specialized Venge with Zipp 808s
• Level 25 Cervelo S5 with Zipp 808s
• Level 33 S-Works Venge with ENVE SES 8.9
• Level 35 S-Works Venge with Zipp 808/Super 9
• Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge

I know I say it every week but it is doubly important this week. Get the Tron! 

Route Recon Rides

This is quite a popular route for group rides and races so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a recce. Check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com to see for yourself. Of course, you can always set up a Meetup using the Companion App to have a private ride around the course.

Race Recon

I break this ride into two parts… the flat before the Petit KOM, and the Petit KOM. 

Before the KOM things are pretty much flat. You will build up great speed as you roll through the marina and flatlands. There are a few false flats up and down as you progress here, but essentially nothing of note except the view until 12.9km when you start the bump up and over the aqueduct. As always – by the time you get to the KOM marker for the aqueduct you are basically at the top. This is a 900 meter “climb” rising 21 meters progressively. Descend and then it’s flat until you hit the Petit KOM at 17.6km.

The Petit KOM is a lovely 2.7km climb at 4% in a series of switchbacks. Once you descend there is only a small sprint to the end. 

Wrap up

The make or break here is the flat before the Petit KOM. How well can you get into formation and drive the team hard? Then once you get to the KOM it’s just about surviving at speed up the hill with your fastest 4. 

Fresh from a mid Festive 500 rest day, I was looking for a hard effort in the middle of a 50-60 kilometer day. And I found just the right event: KISS Race Series Pacific AM, on Watopia’s new Two Bridges Loop route.

At 43km (6 laps) the race was decently long, and I was excited about racing a new route that I knew would be a bit challenging.

The Warmup

The race was set to kick off at 6am, so I woke up at 5am to get ready. Prep began with two pieces of caffeine gum (I’m not a coffee guy) and some PR lotion on the legs, then it was time to kit up and warm up.

While warming up I checked out Zwift Insider’s page on the Two Bridges Loop, rehearsing the route in my head to figure out where the “pinch points” might be. While the Esses and Italian Villas had a few ramps and rollers to deal with, I figured they could be handled with attentive riding. The portion that worried me, though, was the start of the Hilly Reverse KOM, which would be an all-out effort until we turned onto the slight descent of the new bypass road.

Next, I pulled up the event on ZwiftPower to look at the competition. It was a strong list, with over 120 signed up in Zwift including a few A riders (what were they doing?) and several B’s ranked significantly higher than myself. I steeled myself for a hard effort.

After spinning the legs up and making a few hard efforts to get my heart rate up over 160, I was ready to head to the pens with 5 minutes to go. Let’s race!

The Start

The start wasn’t easy, but it was very doable. 329W for the first 3:15 got me through the Esses and onto the downramp to the bridge, where the pace eased a bit. We zipped over the waterfall rollers after the Italian Villas, and I moved toward the front of our group as we crossed the 360 bridge before the start of the reverse KOM climb, briefly finding myself in first position.

Clearly the riders were a bit tentative, having never raced this new route. The first effort up the climb was hard, but not all-out. I just tried to sit within a few wheels of the front, and 418W (5.1 w/kg) for 1 minute kept me near the front nicely. I kept the power up over the crest of the hill as we turned left onto the new bypass, then surfed the wheels until I could supertuck down the forward KOM for a few seconds.

The Middle

As the race continued, it became clear that we had a few sandbaggers and zPower Rangers in the front group. First one zPowered “F. Roll” attacked off the front. A few laps later, “M Gozzer” (an A according to ZwiftPower) attacked. In both cases I messaged the group to call out the rider, mostly just so they knew someone was watching. I didn’t expect them to change their behavior – and they didn’t.

Luckily, their attacks didn’t massively lift the effort required to stay in the front group. They did impact the race somewhat, but that’s a hard thing to quantify. For my part, I concentrated on riding efficiently and making it over the key kicker climb each lap.

The tried and true “start climbs at the front of the group” strategy was very helpful here. Over the 360 bridge I would bump up the watts to move forward, so that even when a few riders passed me near the top, I was still mid-pack as we began the descent.

The Finish

Our starting group of 127 had been reduced to less than 20, and my legs were definitely feeling the past several days of longer Festive 500 efforts. Going into the key climb on the final lap, I expected the hardest attacks thus far. And my expectations were met.

First, the group accelerated as we crossed the 360 bridge, with everyone jostling for that forward position before the climb. Then my zPowered friend F. Roll powered off the front, but nobody chased, knowing he wouldn’t be in the final results. As we hit the official start of the climb I was perfectly positioned but already hurting as legit B’s started pouring on the power.

P. Fischerking put in a masterfully hard attack from the back of the group, and M. Harris followed. The group began to stretch out, but I was still mid-pack. As we crested the hill I was in 15th, near the tail end of a strung-out front pack.

This is such a dangerous place to be in a bike race, because a gap can easily open ahead, and you’ll have to jump across if you want to stay in contention.

And that’s what happened. The rider I was drafting got gapped, so I accelerated past him to grab the wheel of the group just ahead. By the time I had made it to that next wheel, he too had been gapped, and I didn’t have the legs left to jump up to the group.

And that was it. I was just one wheel too far back to make the front selection. My legs were spent, and though the front group was only 2 seconds ahead, they were accelerating away. My goose was cooked. I sat up and spun my way to the finish, crossing in 18th place (12th on ZwiftPower).

See activity on Strava >
See activity on Zwift >
See results on ZwiftPower >

Watch the Race Video

Similar Routes

Two Bridges Loop was a fun race route, as the constantly turning and rolling roads keep things interesting and the abbreviated Hilly Reverse KOM provided a key attack point on every lap. The route rewards riders who pay attention and modulate their power for maximum efficiency, and if you’re feeling spicy there are plenty of short climbs which make perfect launchpads for attacks.

This route compares most closely to NYC’s Park Perimeter Loop and Innsbruck’s Innsbruckring, in my opinion. Both of these routes are around 3 minutes longer per lap than Two Bridges Loop, but all three routes share a key climb around 1 minute in length. The Park Perimeter’s roads are more rolling like the Two Bridges Loops, while Innsbruckring’s roads are fairly flat.

Takeaways

I wasn’t expecting an amazing result in this race, given the fatigue I’d built up. Between the sandbaggers and strong B’s, I was happy to be able to hang in there until the final big effort.

Still, this race reminds me that 1-5 minute w/kg is my biggest weakness as a B racer. I need to continue training that interval, and racing routes like Two Bridges Loop is a great way to do it.

Start strong, finish stronger. That’s what Zwift races require. The first lap’s climb section required 1 minute at 418W (5.1 w/kg) for me to stay with the front group. But on that same section on the last lap I did 470W for 1 minute and got dropped! So having good 1-minute power isn’t enough – you also have to have the ability to repeat the effort several times over the length of the race.

On a related note: UCI Esports World Champ Jason Osborne can reportedly hold 480W for 20 minutes… and he weighs 10 kilos less than me. How’s that for a slice of humble pie?

Finally, like I’ve said in many other race writeups: Zwift really needs to get rid of the sandbagging and zPowered silliness. Overpowered riders change the fundamentals of the race, which is discouraging and unfair to the legit contenders. It’s usually not much of an issue in B races (this was the worst I’ve seen in a while) but it’s a massive problem for D and C events. Maybe a little ZwiftPower matchmaking would do the trick?

Your Thoughts

Have you raced Two Bridges Loop yet? What did you think? Share your comments below!

Chess on wheels. That’s how I would describe a Gran Fondo.

The length and complexity of the race/event (depending on how you are treating it) means that every move needs to be planned and calculated, otherwise you could pay for it later.  Every action has a consequence and it’s your job to manage these consequences so there are more positives than negatives. 

It is this continuous balancing act over the course of several hours that makes riding a Gran Fondo so different than other rides on Zwift.   

The longer routes, large number of riders, and mountaintop finishes mean this is the closest many of us ever get to racing a stage similar in style and stature to that of the Tour de France or other Grand Tours.

Having raced the Gran Fondo – Bambino in November, I decided to try the middle distance event, called the Medio, measured at 72.6km in length. Unlike last time, I wouldn’t be racing this event alone – this time I would be racing alongside Michael, the experienced Dutch rider who I met in my previous Fondo.   It seemed natural to invite him along for this ride. 

Unlike the previous Gran Fondo, all of the different routes had staggered start times.  This small change made a huge difference as instantly you were able to identify who you were racing. The start was not as manic as previous races and it felt more measured.  There could be two reasons for this.  Firstly, it could be that due to the length of the race, there was not a big panic for road position given we had 72km to race.  Secondly, it could be that I have become accustomed to the starts on Zwift and my experience with other races such as the TTR Mini race has changed my perception of what constitutes a “fast start.”

The Game Begins

Following a “steady start”, we hit our first challenge, the Zwift KOM.  With the experience of my previous Fondo fresh in my mind, I was conscious of not getting split from the front group so I made sure I was at the front.  My early bit of aggressive riding ensured that I secured a new PB of 3 mins 42 seconds, up the Zwift KOM.  This climb had split the front group into two and I was desperately searching for Michael.  It would have been disastrous if he hadn’t made it.  There were frantic messages between us via the Companion App as we tried to establish where each other was r, fortunately, his avatar appeared alongside mine.  “Game-on!”

Having made light work of the Zwift KOM, we quickly approached our second challenge, the Volcano Climb.  I feared this climb, knowing full well that this favoured riders with a very strong 5 minute power output.  I feared that they could be up and over the climb before most of us had even reached the summit.  If enough riders escaped, then the race would be over. 

The First Move

My prediction was correct, the climb up the Volcano was fast – so fast I obtained a new PB, 6 minutes and 43 seconds!  Again, like the previous climb, I was ready for the increase in pace and I went straight to the wheels of the early escapees.  Despite this, they simply had too much power for me and I struggled to stay with them, all the while marveling at how their explosive acceleration left us trailing behind. 

Prior to the start of the climb, Michael mentioned that “he didn’t have good legs” and instructed me not to wait for him.  (The reason Michael wasn’t feeling special was later revealed and he’d actually had a big crash on the road the previous evening and landed heavily on his hip, making efforts like the Volcano climb more challenging.)   I got detached from the lead riders as they crested the climb and Michael chastised me for waiting for him, to which I replied “I didn’t, they were just too strong, I did a PB up the climb!”

Over the top of the climb and fearing that I was missing the main move of the race I went into “time trial mode” and pedaled frantically downhill, attempting to generate as much power as I could and close the gap to the top 9 riders.  It was impossible. I was gaining no ground and I felt deflated.   

Then within seconds, the race changed again as help arrived in the form of a mini bunch of riders, led by Michael!  He gave me a quick message warming me about his approaching group, so I sped-up and got successfully swallowed by the bunch.

Now sat comfortably in the group, the leading few riders realised that there wasn’t enough of them to escape, so they relented and their breakaway was pulled in.  I was back in the race!  But their explosive acceleration and my failed chase had done damage. I was exhausted and the temporary ceasefire that ensued was much needed.

Break in Play

It was during this lull that I was desperately trying to recover by drinking a combination of water and Energy drinks, interspersed with sweets to give me a much-needed sugar boost.  It was clear that everyone was doing the same because riders in the group kept “yo-yoing” from the group as people’s concentration waned.

Round Two

This break in the race was short-lived.  As we approached the Reverse Epic KOM, a group of 4 riders put in a massive attack of 6-7 watts per kilo just before the start of the climb and before the right turn to the Jungle.  I still hadn’t recovered from the previous big effort and could not get close to them. They were up the road before the majority of other riders could react.  It was a well-timed attack and clearly pre-planned.  By the time the second group had formed, the lead riders had built a 10-second advantage over our group.  This was the definitive move of the race and I had missed it. 

As my chase group turned right at the T-junction and headed towards the Jungle, the lead had grown to 20 seconds. The front group were clearly organised and working well together.  Fortunately, Michael had made my group and noted he was the last rider that did.  Our group spanned positions 14-26 out of 652.

No one likes this part of the game

Three things of note happened in the Jungle:

1. The front group extended their lead to 1 minute 20 seconds
2. It was universally agreed in our group that we all hated the Jungle
3. Bizarrely, one rider from the front group thought it would be a good idea to stop and change their bike

When I saw the message about changing bikes I thought it was a joke. But moments later, our group flew by a stationary rider!  Indeed, one rider decided it would be preferable to change bikes.  By their own admission, that was a mistake.  I learnt “never change your bike in the Jungle mid race!”  (The rider decided to change their bike due to the surface being dirt. This is also why our group universally agreed we did not like the Jungle. Nothing wrong with the route, more an issue with the slow road surface.)

Read more about Zwift road surface Crr >

Out of the Jungle and back on terra firma our group started closing the gap to the front.  We were approaching the end game, the Epic KOM.  I tried to sit in the group whilst I refueled but again found myself surging as I was distracted.  It was during this moment that I nearly missed the fact the several riders from the front group had become detached and the gap was now down to 1 minute. I figured, if we could get the gap down smaller, I might be able to make some gains on the climb. 

I pushed to the front of the group and started to try and drive the pace, messaging all that would listen that we needed to chase.  Michael and I exchanged messages and I explained that I was going to attack at the very start of the climb. He warned against this and advised to attack at the Castle halfway up, but I was undeterred. I was going from the start of the climb. Better to attack and fail, then to be cautious and wonder what might have been.  This was my big move.   

The Final Move

The blue line indicating the start of the climb approached, and I went, taking 3 riders with me.  I didn’t look at the gaps behind, I just focussed on getting into my rhythm.  To me, this was now just another ZWC Hill Climb Battle and I led our group up the climb, through the village, on through the Castle and up to where the snow started to line the side of the route. 

It was just before the underpass that the tempo was too much for one rider, who dropped back.  I was still leading this select few riders, with the main group losing time as we pushed on.  Just after the underpass and before the road descended over the bridge, one of the riders attacked! I had to increase my effort and struggled to catch, but I used the momentum of the descent to gain speed and soon I was back on their wheel.  The gap to the riders ahead had been halved and now stood at 27 seconds, but I was running out of road and lnew I was now racing for position, with the last kilometre to go.

The last kilometre before the Epic KOM banner is always longer than you think. As the road descended, I pushed the pace and gave it everything.  I now sat 10th on the road.  The finish line came into sight. I used the “Feather” powerup that I had saved all race exactly for this moment, and started sprinting. 

But I wasn’t the only one with this idea. The rider who attacked earlier pulled alongside and we were sprinting it out for 10th position.  My mammoth effort earlier in the race had left me with nothing for the sprint finish and I rolled in 11th on the road, 10th on Zwift Power in a time of 1:56:51. 

I climbed the Epic KOM in 20 minutes, 50 seconds.  Michael finished a few minutes behind which was impressive, given his accident. 

The winning time was 1:53:35 by Yuki Tanaka, who rides for Team ZWC and had a blistering time of 18:40 up the Epic KOM. That in itself deserved the victory. 

Personally speaking, it was a fine result and one where I know where I got outmanoeuvred. But I’m already looking forward to this weekend’s zFondo challenge.

What About You?

Do you treat fondos like a race, or a personal challenge? Got any tips to share? Post below!