Our goal: to transform a 265-pound rookie rider with a tested 1.92w/kg FTP into a cat C Zwift racer (2.5w/kg+) in 6 weeks.
The first week was mostly about orientation and baseline testing, the second week about building endurance and improving form on the bike. In the third week we started pushing the endurance Boone was building, working to keep the watts higher over the duration of the ride. This fourth week was similar to week three, with some cadence work mixed in.
The Plan
As a reminder, here’s the basic plan we’ve settled on for the 6 weeks. (Many thanks to Alan Dempsey of HPP Coaching for giving us solid advice that sets Boone up for success).
Week 1: Benchmark testing + Endurance FTP test, attempt first Zwift race, and get some time on the bike
Weeks 2-4: Endurance + Cadence Work Lots of work from low zone 2 to mid zone 3, with some high-cadence drills to train the legs for efficient pedaling
Weeks 5-6: Endurance + Intensity, Finishing with Benchmark Testing Start with similar rides as weeks 2-4, with some VO2 and threshold efforts included in short durations. Toward the end of week 6 we’ll do another FTP test and Zwift race, so we can compare progress from week 1.
Ride #13: More Power PRs with Cara
Our goal today was to ride with Cara as long as possible, then spin the legs out for a bit to cool down. Boone hung with Cara for 30 minutes, beating his old record by 5 minutes.
He told me, “My legs felt great at 27 minutes. And dead at 29.” He spun for another 15 minutes on Fuego Flats, but felt pretty dead – possibly because he’d been working outside all day, hiking up and down the side of a hill, stoking a burn pile with timber and breathing in smoke. He had also raced in Crit City the day before, so was probably feeling that effort.
Despite blowing up in spectacular fashion, he set some new bests between 25-30 minutes on his critical power curve with this ride.
Today we decided to go for a more mellow effort with Dan Diesel – to purposely ride with Dan in order to keep the effort lower, while working on cadence with some high-RPM spinups.
Cadence work can be a real help for beginning cyclists like Boone, because it teaches your muscles and brain to fire efficiently. Think about it: cyclists are asking a diverse bunch of muscles to lengthen and shorten 90 times per minute in a precise pattern – that’s no small ask!
I told Boone not to shift to a harder gear, but just increase his cadence and try to hold it for 30 seconds or more without bouncing in the seat. On his first set he was able to barely touch 110RPM, but on subsequent sets he was closer to 120 as his brain and body got in sync with each other.
He did several of these spinups – this I think was his second attempt:
Today we wanted to try another “How Long Can You Hang” outing with Cara, but after a short warmup. We wanted to see if a better warmup would let Boone hang longer with Cara, so he spun with Dan Diesel for the first 15 minutes, doing some cadence spinups but keeping the overall wattage pretty low. Then we exited the game so we could join Cara’s group.
Boone managed to hang with Cara for over 30 minutes this time, but that wasn’t a huge improvement from his previous Cara outing. What was impressive was how he was able to keep his power up after falling off the Cara group’s pace. A product of the warmup? Perhaps
He was hammering toward the end of the ride, and I couldn’t figure out what he was working toward until he told me, “I’ve got to get to 200,000 Drops!” And so he did. His first 25-mile ride, and his longest in terms of time as well, around 70 minutes.
This ride also set new power PRs throughout the 24-54 minute range, which is a big range for a new PR!
Boone had consistently kept our M-W-F-Sunday schedule since we began this challenge, but today was the first ride he skipped. He wanted a change of pace, and asked what I thought of him using the treadmill instead. Would a jog help boost his cycling fitness?
I shared my experience with him. “At your fitness level, doing more cardio/endurance work will help everywhere. When you get MORE fit, running won’t really help your riding much.”
So he did an hour on the treadmill – 5 minute warmup followed by 50 minutes of steady jogging and a cooldown. 4.3 miles total.
Week #4 Takeaways
Boone really felt like the cadence work helped him pedal more fluidly, so he was pleased with those results. And it was nice to have the power curve data Zwift supplies, so we could see how he’s been able to increase his wattage this week, even though he felt like he was “failing” near the end of some of his rides.
When it comes to building fitness, many people (myself included) find it motivational to track progress with specific data. Today’s tools make this easy for cyclists! Even if you don’t feel or look stronger from week to week, you can dig into the data and see your progress. There’s a lot of value in that.
One thing Boone has mentioned more than once is that it would be nice if Zwift had a Pace Partner in between Dan and Cara’s paces. At Boone’s current level, Dan is simply too slow if Boone wants to push himself – and Cara is so fast that Boone can only hang for half his ride.
I think more Pace Partners will arrive eventually, but this was a good reminder that Zwift needs a more diverse range of paces in order to meet everyone’s needs.
Support Boone
Thanks to everyone who followed Boone on Zwift and Strava and gave him lots of Ride Ons and Kudos. He’s loving it! If you haven’t done so yet, follow him on Zwift (name “Boone Bridges”) and Strava.
Your Thoughts
Got any tips for Boone? Comments on this week’s efforts? Share below!
Zwift recently announced the launch of the Black Celebration Series (BCS) – a year-long initiative designed to “celebrate the history, athletes, heritage, and joy the Black community brings to Zwift from around the world.”
BCS kicks off today, the first day of Black History Month. But it will run for 12 months. There are actually three components to BCS:
In-game activities: these events are open to all Zwifters and include daily (except Sundays) group rides and runs for the month of February. Many of these events include special guest leaders from Black Cyclist Network and Level Up Movement plus notable athletes like Cory Williams, Ama Nsek (both from L39ion of LA), the legendary Nelson Vails, Rahsaan Bahati, and Aisha Praught-Leer.
Social impact initiatives and partnerships: Zwift is donating to the Los Angeles Bicycle Academy and committing to ensuring that 10%-20% of their summer intern cohort is “students who attend Historically Black Colleges or Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.” Read more about these initiatives on Zwift’s blog.
Employee-facing events: Zwift is hosting a series of events for internal staff which “provide pathways to learn about Black experiences within sport, further equipping our team to be ever-mindful of inclusiveness in our work.”
In-game artwork on the NYC routes
Event Details
All BCS events will be held in New York, the city where many legendary Black cyclists (including Major Taylor and Nelson Vails) got their start.
Ride leaders will keep between 1.5-2w/kg along the Mighty Metropolitan route with the event lasting for one hour. Runs will be along the Grand Central Circuit and will cover a distance of 6.8km (4.2 miles).
Kit Unlock
Complete any BCD ride or run and unlock the BCS kit!
Learn more about the Black Celebration Series and see upcoming events at zwift.com/bcs
Zwift has offered automatic weight syncing from FitBit and Withings/Nokia scales for years, but sometime around May 2020 something broke and Zwift accounts were no longer being automatically updated.
Withings Body+ Scale
This has been an annoyance for me, because I purchased a Withings Body+ scale (get it Amazon here) a couple of years ago specifically for its Zwift integration. So I was happy when I finally saw some action on the Zwift forum topic addressing this bug!
Based on official replies in that forum topic, Zwift fixed the issue for FitBit users in early January 2021 – but they’re still working on a fix for Nokia since it’s a separate problem.
The good news is, since it’s working for FitBit, Withings users have a simple workaround to start getting their weight automatically updating again! In very simple terms, what you can do is set up a free FitBit account, then connect it to your Withings account so your scale sends data to FitBit. Lastly, connect that new FitBit account to Zwift. Viola!
The data flows like this:
Here’s the step-by-step process, if you’re using a web browser to do the setup. (Presumably this can also be done from a mobile phone using a browser and the FitBit/Withings Health Mate/Zwift Companion apps, but I didn’t document that process below).
Step 1: Create Fitbit Account
Creating a new FitBit account is free and fairly painless. Just visit accounts.fitbit.com/signup and walk through the steps.
You’ll need to do all the normal account setup stuff: verify your email, enter age and weight, etc.
Step 2: Connect Fitbit Account to Withings Account
Next, let’s get your new FitBit account talking to your existing Withings account. (If you don’t already have a Withings account… well, that would be odd, since it would mean you never really used your smart scale’s capabilities. That said, you can set up an account at account.withings.com – you’ll need to connect your scale to that account as well.)
Visit fitbit.com/weight/withings to connect your new FitBit account to your existing Withings account. You should get a series of screens like this:
First screen (from FitBit)
Second screen (from Withings)
You will be asked if you want to import historic readings… you can do this, or skip it. It doesn’t really matter for Zwift, since Zwift just stores your most recent weight reading.
Step 3: Connect Zwift Account to New Fitbit account
So now your weight data is being sent to your new FitBit account. We just need Zwift to start talking to the FitBit account! Easily done.
Visit your my.zwift.com connections page (my.zwift.com/profile/connections) and click the FitBit logo to connect your FitBit account. You’ll see a confirmation screen like this (I selected “allow all” – some users report that just checking “weight” didn’t do the trick):
All Done
That’s it! Weight should now be syncing from your Withings > FitBit > Zwift automagically.
Once Zwift fixes their Withings connection things should continue operating properly even with this little hack in place.
My coach would have been proud: I signed up for the race with the best of intentions. This would be a workout effort. I wasn’t going to just sit in then sprint at the end – I was going to push to my max to attack off the front and stay away, working on maximal 1-2 minute efforts.
We’d be riding 12 laps of Crit City’s Bell Lap, and everything seemed perfectly planned and ready to go. At least, that’s what I thought…
The (Long) Warmup
Since ZRL Season 2 began, I’ve slipped into a bit of a weekly habit. Trash myself ZRL Tuesdays. Take it easy on Wednesday. Then get a longer ride in Thursday, including a short race effort. It’s been working out well for me.
This week I started my day with the 6am Team Twenty24 Road to Tokyo ride – one of my favorite group rides. Easy pace, good banter – it’s a nice launching platform for a longer day. From there I kept spinning for another 45 minutes, then joined the Crit City pens for my 7:45 race, having put in about 90 minutes/30 miles of zone 2 effort with a few sprint spinups.
(And yes – I had already get PR lotion on the legs before kitting up. I also popped two pieces of caffeine gum in around 6:45. Ready to race!)
Riding with the Twenty24 squad
Went with the discs for my breakaway bike
A Hard Start
There were 77 riders in the start pen when the clock hit zero – a high enough number that I was already doubting whether I’d be able to push hard enough to stay off the front for more than a few seconds. 20-30 riders, maybe. But 77?
We flew out of the pens and up the first twisty climb. The pace was high, but I figured it would calm down nicely once we reached the brick descent.
But it didn’t.
Things stayed quite spicy until the end of the third lap, in fact. I averaged 330W for over the first 6-1/2 minutes, just holding onto the pack, before things calmed down a bit. (A few green cones showed up after 4-5 minutes, which probably helped slow things.)
The cones begin to fly…
The Middle
The pace dropped a bit during laps 4-11, with each lap lasting between 2:33-2:36. I wasn’t sure if my legs were just tired, or if the pace was a bit higher than usual – but there was no way I was getting off the front of this group. I was riding threshold just to stay in touch with the front pack!
The “race as a workout” plan was abandoned. Not due to a conscious choice, but out of sheer necessity. It wasn’t going to happen today. Instead, the glycogen-depleted brain switch to my typical strategy in a faster race: sit in, use powerups and positioning to conserve, then try to time the final attack just right.
Brutal, Backbiting Burritos
The burrito powerup made many appearances in this race – usually activated by multiple riders on some portion of the twisty climb. And I always seemed to be right next to the burrito users!
I’m sure glad this powerup only lasts 10 seconds, because it’s a brutal offensive weapon, disabling the draft for all riders within 2.5 meters. As soon as I saw one above a nearby rider I knew I had to increase my watts by ~30% and pay close attention to make sure a gap didn’t open up ahead of me.
Speaking of gaps: I do wonder if racers have figured out yet that using the burrito can lead to unintended consequences, hurting the burrito’s owner. It happened in this race at least once, actually:
We’re all riding together in a group, pushing especially hard on a difficulty portion of the route.
Someone activates their burrito powerup (often triggering a second person to activate theirs).
This disables the draft for all riders within 2.5 meters – which means a gap easily opens up one or two riders ahead of the burrito owner. The burrito owner is enjoying a nice draft, but their burrito has caused a gap to form one or two riders ahead. The front group is flying away, enjoying an unencumbered draft, while the burrito owner’s group is getting no draft, and they’re dropping back.
The burrito owner must now attack to close that gap, or take the risk to sit in and hope those around him will close it.
The burrito is a powerful weapon, but you’ve got to make sure it doesn’t bite you back.
A Wild Finish
As we started our 12th and final lap the starting group of 77 had been whittled down to around 15. The strongest riders moved to the front to hammer up the final twisty climb. I grabbed their wheels, holding onto my aero powerup for the finish.
Ellwood and Grindrod were on the front – two riders who had been pushing big watts for the whole race. And I saw on the minimap that we were about to lap a large group of B’s. This was going to be sketchy!
I hit the brick descent with the front group of ~8 riders, then halfway down a rider appeared a few seconds ahead! “J. Bos” had used the invisibility powerup masterfully to break away without us seeing! He was now midway between our group and the B’s we would be lapping, which meant his breakaway would certainly benefit from that group’s draft once he reached them and sprinted through.
My group caught the lapped B’s at the left-hand turn after the short false flat climb. All hell broke loose, with powerups flying early and riders trying to figure out who was racing who. I knew I couldn’t sprint full-out from this distance, so I just tried to keep the power high and trust that everyone else was suffering too.
As we passed the graffiti wall we were through the lapped group and I could once again see my competition. Grindrod, Ellwood, and Bos were all there in the mix, along with myself and 5 others. As we made the final left I activated my aero, shifted, and got out of the saddle for the sprint effort. I flew past the 4 riders ahead of me, but Bos came from behind with a massive sprint, winning by a bike length.
I got 2nd on Zwift’s screen. But 1st in ZwiftPower (where it really counts), because Bos averaged 4.4w/kg (342W) for the race, didn’t have a heart rate monitor, and isn’t signed up for ZwiftPower.
The pace of this race was definitely affected by some A-level riders. Ellwood was ranked as a B for the race, but got upgraded to an A after this effort. Bos was putting out A power, as was Grindrod. And let’s not even talk about the riders who were coned a few minutes in, after pushing the pace at the front for the initial minutes.
Sure, it grinds my gears a bit when people sandbag. But I can’t deny that it makes for pretty killer training, even if it ups the pace so high that I have to ditch my original workout plan.
Rewatching the race video (above), it looks like nobody else in my front group had a powerup in that final stretch. I think many of the riders burned their powerups early as we rode through the lapped group, but I’d say that was probably a mistake in hindsight, allowing me to fly through the pack in the final meters.
The finishing lap was a super-tough effort. I think the Bell Lap direction on Crit City makes for a higher-wattage final lap, because you’re basically at pushing the limit the entire lap, whereas the Downtown Dolphin attack doesn’t start until you hit the bricks. I tied my fastest Bell Lap time in that final lap (2:23) and hit a new max heart rate (191). Yeah.. that wasn’t easy!
Your Thoughts
Ever been bitten by your own burrito? Hit a new max HR on a Crit City sprint? Or had a lapped group turn a regular finish into a pell-mell dash? Share below!
There are a few great posts out there on building a wireless Bluetooth e-Controller for Zwift, however in my tests I found it was interfering with my ANT+ signal and quite small for my big fingers. I wanted a simple solution, so I decided on a hard-wired button controller.
Prices online for a gaming button controller were over $100, so I rummaged through my parts drawer looking for a cheaper alternative. That’s where I found a USB Nintendo controller:
Controller
Hard Wired – No Interference
Inexpensive – On E-bay for less than $20or on Amazon for $12.99 for a 2-pack
Big Buttons – Perfect for Big Fingers
The next step was working out how to make this work with Zwift. I found this great application called AntiMicro which is a graphical program used to map keyboard buttons and mouse controls to a gamepad. Useful for playing games with no gamepad support which works well for what I needed, Kudos to the developers! This was the 2nd part of the project.
Software
Ready Available – On the internet
Inexpensive – FREE Download
Highly Configurable – Opens possibilities to other projects
The next part of the project was programming. This was easier than I imagined, just plug in the controller and step through and allocate the various keyboard shortcuts for Zwift that you require. This completes the 3rd part of the project.
Programming
Power Up – Button A – Space
Elbow Flick – Button B – F1
Screen Shot – Button X – F10
Wave Hand – Button Y – F2
Look Forward – Up Stick – 1
Look Back – Down Stick – 6
Look Left – Left Stick – 4
Bird’s Eye View – Right Stick – 9
The final part of the project was mounting the controller and labeling the buttons until I memorize them. For mounting the controller I once again rummaged through the parts drawer and found a clip-on bicycle mirror which I modified by removing the mirror and cutting the surround to fit the controller, hot gluing it in place. I also had to superglue the pivot balls as there was too much movement when I pushed the buttons, the super glue fixed that problem.
Mounting and Labeling
By the time I finished this post I had already programmed more functions into the controller which might lead to further ideas. The next revision will include shortcuts for OBS Studio so I can change scenes from the controller using a toggle button to change sets to a new button layout.
The final revision as it stands is shown below:
Set 1 – e-Controller – My Default Layout
Set 2 – e-Controller 2 – Same as Set 1 except camera views are different
Set 3 – Team Car – Drone view controlled by joystick for better control
Mounted Just above the right hood for easy access
This works very well and the total cost of the project is about $20. Bargain!
They used to race against each other, but today they’re brought back together by a mutual love of the science behind cycling kit. Le Col‘s very own Yanto Barker sits down with Greg Henderson to discuss his career as a pro cyclist and how he transitioned into a businessman with little experience under his belt, learning the ropes as he went. And they touch on the new IRL Le Col kit for the Tour de Zwift, a match made in cycling kit heaven!
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
The Rapha Festive 500 is a challenge run on Strava where the aim is to accumulate 500kms cycling between Christmas Eve (December 24th) and New Year’s Eve (31st December). Traditionally, this was limited to outside rides only. However, for the first time this year, virtual rides were to be counted, which opened this challenge to new audiences, including myself.
I took up the Rapha 500 challenge but decided to make it a little more interesting by giving myself the target of doing at least one ride in each of the different worlds that Zwift offers, including trying to do many diverse events. I would include warm ups and warm downs in my total of kilometres ridden.
Here is my accounts of how I attempted to complete the challenge.
24th December – Day 1
Event: WRTL Team Time Trial, with Race3R Team AC/DC (TTT) World: Bologna Course: Time Trial Lap
This was the first event of my challenge, 2 laps of the Bologna course, in a Team Time Trial. This was a particularly novel event as it was 2 laps of Bologna and in a Team Time Trial, so I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to have a go.
For those who have never ridden a Team Time Trial, the premise is that there are 8 riders and you ride together and each rider takes a turn at the front of the group. Whilst you there, you cycle hard and your team members sit in your draft and recover from their previous hard effort. The more riders you have, the easier because you have longer to recover before it is your turn to cycle hard at the front of the group again. Sounds simple in theory, but to execute correctly is actually quite difficult because if you cycle too hard at the front of the group, riders behind will be forced to chase and expel unnecessary effort. The finish time is always taken from the 4th rider, so it is imperative to work together and finish with 4 riders.
We experienced our first issue and we hadn’t even started the race. One rider in the team could not connect to his trainer, there was some interference with his Garmin device that was in the garage and with no time to resolve, we were immediately down to 7 riders as we started the event.
We had a relatively straightforward ride to the base of the climb and it was my job to sit at the front of the group and pace the team up the climb. Initially I sat pushing 5 watts per kilo, but that proved too much for the team and so decreased the tempo. It was here on the first climb that we lost our second rider.
At the top of the climb, the remaining 6 riders descended in a group, however I got disconnected from the group and the 5 riders pulled away at lightning speed. There was nothing I could do. I tried the “supertuck” which is where you stop pedaling when traveling over 60kph and the avatar goes into a “tuck” position on the bike, but I lost more ground, so I started pedaling. I was still pedaling as I finished the descent and had to put in a huge effort to catch up with the team who had thankfully backed off the pace, allowing me to rejoin. At this point in the race I was in pieces. I had paced the team up the climb and had sprinted on the descent and now I was back in the group trying to recover.
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one who was suffering and at the start of the second lap, it was decided we needed to slow down a fraction and “catch our breath” because as one of the team stated “we can make it back up on the climb.”
I don’t think we did make it up on the second climb as we lost another rider, meaning there was only 5. I again sat at the front setting the tempo and towards the end of the climb I continued this fast pace so that I would be first on the descent and get caught by the group. This plan sounded good in theory but on the descent, the 4 riders barrelled past me and I was again left chasing.
Once again, on the flat I was turning myself inside out to catch the group and was able to catch them and that was about it, I sat in the group to the finish. One of the most challenging rides I have done.
One of the best things in Zwift is the sense of achievement you get from collecting a route badge. Being Christmas Day, I treated myself to the new Trek Super Caliber mountain bike and headed to the dreaded Jungle to do the new ‘Serpentine’ route that Zwift had released. With the turkey in the oven, I didn’t have time to hang around, so I blasted the route in 46 minutes and collected my badge, which was pretty good going.
Total: 26.51 Grand total: 64.45
26th December – Day 3
Event: Rapha Festive 500 in one go with Michael Knudsen (Endurance) World: Watopia Course: Watopia’s Waistband
This was a 100km endurance ride being hosted by Rapha in conjunction with Michael Knudsen, who is an ultra cyclist who has done some unique and massive cycling challenges such as Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme (read more about Michael here). Michael was attempting to do the Rapha 500 Challenge in one day and this ride was for 100km of his challenge, with the option to stay on afterward and ride with him. I declined to do so, having got my own challenge to complete.
The event had an extensive turnout. Over 1000 people, which made finding the right group somewhat of a challenge. It soon became apparent that near the front of the event, it had turned into a bit of a race. I had worked my way through the masses and was in a group of about 30 riders and we were making good progress and the kilometres were being ticked off. The mini-map showed we were not too far from the front of the ‘race’ and little by little, our tempo increased and after 60kms we caught this group, only to realise that this was actually the second group on the road and the front riders were still way out there.
We never caught the front group. The pace at the front was clearly intense because after around 80kms, we started picking up riders who had been dropped from the lead pack. It was a really strange situation to be in because we didn’t actually know where we were in terms of position on the road and we were still riding at a good pace, without actually feeling like we were racing.
In the last few hundred meters of the event, there was the customary sprinting for Zwift Power placings which I didn’t take part in because in my mind, this was an endurance ride and not a race. Interestingly, it transpired that our group had caught every rider and only 3 finished ahead of us, some 2 minutes up the road.
Start
Middle
End
En route, it was interesting to hear about Michael’s adventures. He outlined that he is a sponsored athlete of Rapha, which is how he is able to undertake such sporting endeavors.
Total: 101.87 Grand total: 166.32
27th December – Day 4
I decided to do two shorter events to reach my daily quota of kilometres.
Ride 1
Event: EVO Steady State Group Ride (Timed Event) World: France Course: R.G.V.
I decided to do a timed group ride, lasting 75 minutes. This was something I rarely do and made a nice change. Four things can be said about this ride;
We were all decked in a florescent pink jersey which was bright. I liked it.
The group ride was fantastically marshaled by Russ “The Colonel”
The event was well attended and the pace very steady
Certainly a group ride to do again
O
Riding with Cav
After the steady group ride, I decided to warm down in a different world, so jumped into London. I was pedaling along and who should pass me by, surrounded by half a dozen riders, but Mark Cavendish, one of the world’s all-time greatest sprinters and winner of 30 Tour de France stages. The group wasn’t going particularly fast so it was easy for me to slip in and the 7 of us tootled around London and I totted up another 10km towards my total along with having the pleasure of riding with Mark Cavendish.
Total: 51.58 + 10.14 (Warm down) Grand total: 228.04
Ride 2
Event: Lotto Soudal Special Guest – Mice with Tim Wellens (Chase Event) World: Watopia Course: Magnificent 8
This event was an interesting one and was a bit of game, which is why I thought it would be fun to take part in. There were two groups which were led by riders from the pro team Lotto Soudal. The first group was led by Tim Wellens and the objective was to ride between 2.5-3 watts per kilo whilst the second group on the road – led by Caleb Ewan – would start 10 minutes later and their job was to try and catch our group.
A sort of “Cat and Mouse race.” Not wanting to cycle “full gas” I was happy to ride in the group led by Tim Wellens. The race was good in concept but the actual delivery fell flat. The problem was that the chase group had an impossible 10-minute disadvantage to make up and never got close to our group. Furthermore, our Group Leader, Tim Wellens, suffered technical difficulties and dropped from the ride for a period of time. For me, it turned out to be the perfect=paced ride and I accumulated more kilometres without over-exerting myself but for others wanting the “thrill of the chase” it didn’t happen.
Total: 41.07 Grand total: 269.11
28th December – Day 5
Like the previous day, I opted to do two events. The Rapha 500 would not be complete without a ZWC Hill Climb Battle, so I had to do that event, followed later by an easier recovery ride.
Easily my favourite race on Zwift, the ZWC Hill Climb Battle thakes place on the reverse ascent the Epic KOM.
I was on form today and was right to the front of the bunch at the start of the race. At the front with me was Florian Vogel, a Swiss professional cyclist who competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. As we hit the start of the climb, Florian started pushing 6 watts per kilo and so I knew I wasn’t racing for first place today. He zipped up the road along with a couple of other riders as I found my rhythm.
As I pushed on up the climb, I was part of a small group with two other riders. I led us up the climb as they sat on my wheel, happy to get any minor drafting benefit that may have been on offer. As we entered the last switch-back, they seemed to drop away from my wheel and I carried on up the climb at around 5 watts per kilo. However, out of nowhere, came a rider pushing in excess of 6 watts per kilo. I was a little taken back to be honest. Here I was, at between 5-5.3 watts per kilo, having one of my best climbs up the mountain and this rider just blew past me.
I followed him up to the turn off to the Radio Tower and he started surging, with his watts increasing to 6.5. I then watched as he tore across the gap to the 4th-placed rider on the road, pushing some incredible numbers up the steepest part of the climb. At this point, most riders, myself included are just maintaining our pace, praying for the end of the climb. Not this rider, he was up the road and soon he was just a spec.
I finished in a strong 6th position and managed to hold off a late challenge by Illi Gardener, an upcoming British professional cycling superstar who currently rides for the UCI Women’s Continental Team CAMS–Tifosi.
Total: 33.22 + 11.03 (Warm up) Grand total: 313.36
Ride 2
Event: Ventouro Social Group Ride (Group Ride) World: London Course: London Loop
I hadn’t actually undertaken an event in London, although I had done plenty of warm ups and warm downs. Having already done a hard session earlier in the day, I was not in any state to be racing hard, so I took part in the Ventouro Social Group Ride. This was supposed to be a nice gentle 2-2.5 watt per kilo Group Ride around London. However, there was no Group Leader or Beacon. So what happens when there is no Beacon to organise the masses? Carnage.
It simply became a free-for-all. I tried organising the group I was in, but quickly gave up and so in the end I just cycled round at my own pace. This showed me that actually, it’s really hard to lead a group. To do it well is a real skill, so huge respect to those who actually lead groups on Zwift.
Total: 26.51 + 5.03 (Warm down) Grand total: 344.9
29th December – Day 6
This was my busiest day on the bike, with 4 rides scheduled across 4 different worlds, It proved to be a challenge.
Ride 1
Event: Koa Sports League Time Trial (ITT) World: Watopia Course: Tempus Fugit
This was 17.6km of pure pain. I started steady, at a good pace, and maintained throughout, finishing with a PB of 23 mins 48 seconds. I was literally at the limit throughout and the previous heavy days in the saddle were now starting to tell. There is not really much to report about the race, partly because when you are on the edge like I was, you just focus on your data and try and keep it consistent and the world around becomes a haze.
Towards the later few kilometres, the vision blurs further and even keeping your rhythm becomes your only focus as each undulation on the road felt like a mountain. They call Time Trials “the race of truth” – well, truthfully, that was painful.
Event: 3R LaGuardia Super Sprint World: New York Course: LaGuardia Loop
The 3R LaGuardia Super Sprint is a 4km, high-intensity race, so I needed to be warmed up before the start. As I cycled in Watopia beforehand, British Professional cyclist Adam Yates, who races for the UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers passed by. He was heading up the Epic KOM, clearly for a bit of mountain training. Having done that already yesterday, I wasn’t interested in following, plus I had my crazy super sprint race to attend.
Having raced the TTR Mini event in Bologna, I was recommended the 3R LaGuardia Super Sprint event to try. I raced it once before and found that with the route being only 4km and with some hills, it was even faster and more intense than the TTR Mini race. To succeed you really have to “blast from the blocks” at the start and fight to the front of the group.
Warm up with Adam Yates
3R Super Sprint race
Sat in the pen, waiting to start, as I ramped up the cadence, I could feel I had absolutely nothing in the legs. I was still fatigued from the time trial of a few hours previous. As people exploded over the start line, I was left struggling at the back. I didn’t have the legs, and I never got near the front of the group. When the pace increased and we hit the first small climb 1.7km into the race, it was like I had hit a wall. Riders sped past me and I found myself in a small group. Our small group pedaled the final few kilometres to the finish, finishing in 50th out of a sizeable field.
This was a lesson in how not to ride this event.
Total: 5.08 + 4.32 (Warm up) Grand total: 394.71
Ride 3
Event: EVO CC Sprint Race Series World: Yorkshire Course: Queen’s Highway
This was a 4 lap Criterium style race. I wasn’t really looking forward to it, but like many things in life, the thought of doing something is often worse than actually doing it. Once I started I actually really did enjoy the race, because the field was small: 9 riders in Cat A.
In the pen, before the start, I enquired how rapid the start was, this was because I was fearful of another explosive start, like the race only a few hours previous. To my relief, the response was “Gentle” – they were right, it was a nice gentle start, we all got away together with no excessive watts being expelled. This turned into a nice ride, a few times people tried to break away from the group, but they were chased down and halfway round, I started getting the feeling that I may be in with a chance for a win. This was based on the fact that when a break did go, I was able to pull it back.
On the final lap, I put in a little acceleration to see if anyone would follow and they didn’t. However, realising that I had done a time trial already, I would be better off to drop back to the group and try and win the race in the sprint, so I sat up and got caught. As we approached the final 300 meters, I decided to sit near the back of the group and watch and wait for the sprint. As soon as one rider went, two immediately latched on and the final sprint started. That split second was the difference and I lost the race there. The 3 riders had too much, I put the power down and just couldn’t bridge the gap, which was now growing. Desperate, I used the “Feather” power-up. It made no impact, I missed the crucial move and finished 3 seconds behind.
In pro cycling, I have witnessed firsthand where sprinters who have just missed victory, bang their handlebars in frustration, I can now relate to that feeling. It just goes to show you that when racing on Zwift, the margins of winning and coming nowhere near are so finely balanced that if you are fortunate enough to win, then victory should be celebrated.
Total: 17.06 + 2.66 (Warm up) Grand total: 414.43
Ride 4
Event: ZZCR Sub 2 World: Crit City Course: Bell Lap
The final session of the day was a gentle group ride around the Bell Lap. It was exactly what I needed after 3 difficult and tiring races.
The main group was slightly slower than advertised but what was really good was smaller groups formed that were both slightly slower and faster and everyone cycled at their most comfortable pace. This was all coordinated brilliantly by the leader, David.
This was a very relaxed ride and despite being a new member to the group I was welcomed to join in the group chat and the 16 laps just flew by as concentration was more on the group discussions than cycling. Before long some of the faster groups caught the slower ones and they all merged.
The relaxed ride was a complete contrast to the previously intense sessions and before I knew it, the session was over. I made a point of thanking leader David because the camaraderie shown was appreciated and had got me through the final ride of the day.
It is clear to me that there are some people who are quite natural at leading group rides and David was certainly one of these people.
Total: 32.05 + 3.96 (Warm up) Grand total: 450.44
30th December – Day 7
There were three worlds left to ride: Paris, Richmond and Innsbruck. So, it was another busy day on the bike.
I was keen to see what new things Zwift has in store so I opted for a Future Works event, hosted on the Champs-Elysees.
Disappointingly but not surprisingly, I didn’t hang with the front group for too long; in fact, only half a lap. I was always at the back of the group, dangling by an invisible bungee cord, where one minute I was in the group, the next hanging out the back, and around the Arc de Triomphe, the invisible bungee cord snapped. I chased to get back on but after 20 or so seconds, I quickly gave up and sat up, waiting for the next group behind.
The second group on the road was a mixture of A and B category riders and I just sat with them until the final lap where the B riders mysteriously disappeared. I later learned that they only did 2 laps, whilst I still had one to go. Our group was miles off catching the front, so I made sure I saved some energy to bag, surprisingly, 5th place. 40 seconds behind the top 4 riders.
There was no time for a warm down as I went straight into my next ride in Richmond.
This was a gentle social ride and catch-up with a friend using the “Meetup” facility. It was during this social ride where I discussed my challenge and it was highlighted that I needed to do a “Workout” – it was true, this was one of the only features I seemed to have not utilised. So mid-ride a new meetup was scheduled and we opted to do the shortest work out programme.
After close to 500km I really didn’t want to do this, but this 30-minute stood session between me and the target, so I just got on with it. Emily’s mix is a session that is short but intense, finishing with 3 minutes of efforts above FTP. I had to hit 385 watts for 3 minutes.
It didn’t happen.
I lasted probably 1 minute at that level before I entered the death spiral where the watts decrease faster than the time on the clock. Nevertheless, I completed the session and mission accomplished.
Total: 20.99 Grand total: 512.81
Epilogue Part 1
Event: Guayaba Race by PETA-Z World: Watopia Course: Road to Sky (Start only)
Whilst planning my quest to complete the Rapha 500, I had come across a very bizarre race run by PETA-Z. It was called the Guayaba Race and was 2.2km in length.
This was easily the shortest race I had done and it fascinated me. I got in touch with the organisers who explained that this was just a one-off event and a bit of fun. The route was from the start pens used for the Road to Sky race and the finish was just at the start of Jungle, just after the first bit of dirt. The challenge was to select the right bike for the event, sort of road bike vs mountain bike vs gravel bike.
I decided that I would spend some of the drops I had just earned over the last week and buy a gravel bike. In doing so I opted for the middle ground, thinking the mountain bike would be too slow on the road, and the road bike too slow in the Jungle. I was confident in my choice of equipment and was in the start pen cranking the watts just before the start.
Within moments of the start, it was clear the gravel bike was the wrong choice. The road bikes were miles quicker and I was being swamped by people who had selected them. Riders on road bikes were pulling away on the descent into the Jungle and as we hit the dirt, I was expecting to start overtaking people. I didn’t. The finish line was getting closer and it was clear the race was lost. To add to my misery, I even got passed by someone on a mountain bike. At that moment, I wished the Dropshop offered a refund on my new purchase, which will never get used again – I reasoned that Zwift needs to offer a Bike rental shop, especially for one-off events like this!
In conclusion, it was evident that the quickest bike to use was the road one because the Jungle section was too short for the mountain bikes to make up any ground, and the gravel bike, well, I was mid-pack, so it was something of nothing.
Total: 5.02 + 3.77 (Warm up) Grand total: 521.6
31st December – Day 8
Epilogue Part 2
Event: WRTL Team Time Trial, with Race3R Team AC/DC (TTT) World: Watopia Course: Road to Sky
Having started the Rapha 500 with a Team Time Trial, I decided to finish the challenge with one. This week’s TTT was up the Alpe du Zwift. I couldn’t miss this.
I’ll keep the report brief, we started with 8 riders and finished with 5. Whilst leading the group up the first section of the climb, I had a dropped connection. This was quickly fixed and there was no panic as I was able to climb at my own pace, back into the group, before anyone had time to miss me. We worked together for the rest of the climb without any drama and reached the summit in 45 minutes. I’m not sure of any drafting benefits whilst climbing but I think the group support certainly contributed to us achieving a good time.
Total: 33.6 + 6.69 (Warm up) Grand total: 561.89
My thoughts on the Rapha 500 challenge
I was pleased to complete the challenge, I certainly made it more complex by attempting to cycle in every world and by combining multiple events on the same day. In truth, I found cycling 100km in one hit easier than breaking the day into 3 or 4 different events as it was always hard to start the next one.
But riding different specialised events kept things interesting and what really was highlighted was the fact that each day, there is always some ride, at some time that you can take part in and enjoy. And they’re often organised by very excellent Group Leaders.
In Watopia, when I see people wearing the jersey that is obtained through completing the challenge, I am sure to give them a “Ride On”, because I know it is hard-earned.
In this week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos, learn how to improve your races before and while they happen. Then learn why people decide to livestream their races or watch others race! Finally, you’ll find videos about steering with the Wahoo KICKR Bike and an adaptive mountain biker giving Repack Ridge a go.
Wahoo Kickr BIKE // Zwift Adds Steering Support
Shane Miller walks through the steps of how to enable and use on-road steering with the Wahoo Kickr Bike, then gives us a demonstration and his opinion of how it works.
Is the Zwift Trail worth finding and riding?
Zwift’s Repack Ridge mountain bike trail still works with just your smartphone, if you want to try some off-road steering. A mountain biker takes it on for the first time in this video by “No Front Brakes.”
7 Tips to WIN Your Next Zwift Race!|
Chain Reaction Cycles gets some tips from Chris McGlinchey of Vitus Pro Cycling to help you win your next Zwift race. This includes advice about hydration and nutrition, warming up, drafting, optimizing your setup, knowing the course, playing to your strengths, and taking it to the next level.
How to Prepare for a Zwift Race – The Final Hours Before an Event
Learn how to make your Zwift race better before it starts with Jamie Anderson, host of “This Cycling Life,” and elite racer Dione Wang.
Why do I Live Stream so much Zwift Racing and Training?!
Elite racer Ed Laverack explains why he livestreams his Zwift racing and training sessions, and why people might enjoy watching them.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
This is a lumpy course that is rarely flat. Key climbs come early, and extra points will go to those with the punch to make it over the climbs with the front group.Let’s dig into the course, including some tips for bike choice, strategy, and more…
Looking At the Route: Yorkshire’s 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit
Here’s a route preview from Rick over at No Breakaways:
Route Breakdown
This route is never flat, and begins with one of the two key climbs right out of the gate:
Out of the start pens the road turns a hard right, and the first climb begins. The Otley Road climb is 1.8km long and averages just 3.1%. You can count on the first big selection of the race will be made here. With a rather low average gradient, speeds will be high enough for drafting to play a significant role, so hold onto those wheels!
A few lumps and bumps brings us to the steepest descent on the route, down Pot Bank. Play this one right with momentum and/or powerups and you may be able to bridge up to riders ahead. Play it wrong and you’ll get dropped!
Then we climb up a bit from Pot Bank, descend down to the river, and begin the timed Yorkshire KOM. At 1.2km and 5.5% average grade this is a second key selection point for the race, and your first chance at intermediate FAL and FTS points.
Descend from the KOM and turn a hard left onto Cornwall Road, AKA Millionaire’s Row. A short climb takes you to the first sprint intermediate of the route, then it’s a short descent before proceeding to a couple lumps and a quick climb back to the lap start/finish banner.
That’s one lap done. But you’ve got one more to go!
Like other lumpy routes on Zwift, the Harrogate Circuit makes bike choice a bit challenging. The Tron bike and S-Works Venge+Super9 disc turn in the same lap times in our tests, but the Tron bike is faster up the climbs, while the Venge is faster on the descents/flats.
So which do you choose? Most will go with the Tron, so they have a slight advantage on the most challenging parts of the route.
If you don’t have the Tron bike, the Canyon Aeroad + DT Swiss ARC 62s is a good choice for low-level Zwifters. Or a slippery frame like the Cervelo S5 coupled with lighter (but still aero) wheels like the ENVE 7.8 or Zipp 858.
Strategic Options
There are 2 intermediates on the Harrogate Circuit, each awarding first-across-the-line (FAL) and fastest-through-segment (FTS) points to the top 10:
Yorkshire K/QOM
Yorkshire Sprint
With 2 laps that means 4 chances to grab extra points. Strong riders pushing hard up the two key climbs (Otley Rd and the KOM) will create gaps and force a selection, and without any long descents or flat stretches, chances are good the riders who make the front group will stay away for the remainder of the race. So if you want any extra points, you’ve got to make it over the KOM in the front group.
Riders with high ~3-minute power to weight would be well-served to attack the climbs in order to thin the pack and drop sprinters. For those not going on the offensive, keep in mind the road gradient is constantly shifting! Keep your eyes open and watch for gaps, as those will be constantly forming.
With all the lumps, this is a good route for a smaller breakaway to get away, perhaps on the final KOM with just 5km left in the race. There’s a lot of incentive here: any small group able to break away on the final KOM will be awarded significant intermediate points on the second time through the KOM and sprint, as well as top finishing positions.
Lastly, powerups: there will be six opportunities for a powerup on this route, and powerups given will be an even mix of the Helmet, Van, and Feather. Make sure you know how each powerup works, and use them wisely!
Your Thoughts
Care to share your thoughts about Tuesday’s big race? Comment below!
