When, in the middle of the Zwift Racing League Volcano stage, I was not totally sure if it was the second or the third climb of the race, it was a clear sign oxygen was no longer reaching my brain properly.
If you experience such a situation, the most probable thing is that you are actually in the second climb, and the fact you believed it was the third was pure survival wishful thinking.
So, let’s analyze more in detail the butterfly effect chronology leading to you sweat, curse, and whine while you see the leading pack inevitably distancing you. Oh yes! Oxygen not reaching your brain and you being distanced go usually together. It’s the basics of Murphy’s Law.
But don’t get it wrong. It’s nobody’s fault except yours.
The root question is why. Yes, why? Why did you agree to this while you could be slurping a beer in your sofa, watching with one eye a non-sensical zombie sitcom on TV and checking the gazillionth Youtube video compilation of dogs jumping into swimming pools with the other one?
In my case the why is very simple and summarizes to a single word: Sweden.
Allow me to elaborate a little bit.
Two days after the announcement of the confinement in Madrid I was conversing with a Swedish friend (I don’t know if he still qualifies as such since he is responsible for my suffering), in which I was telling him it was going to be really tough to be behind closed doors for several months. He answered very spontaneously it would be less mentally damaging for him since he was on Schift (that’s what I understood, Schift).
I did not pay attention, and ignored his comment. After two days, desperate and feeling jailed, I called him back hoping Schift would be some kind of magic pill making things look and feel great.
That’s when he explained Zwift in detail. I went immediately online to check what would be the quickest setup to be able to Zwift.
Buying a smart trainer in April 2020 was the closest thing to an Indiana Jones adventure I’ve ever done. All those going through a similar process would tell you about this time where they had it in the shopping cart but a credit card mistake delayed the payment and then there was no longer available stock. Venomous snakes and acid grenades aside, it was clearly a script for the seventh episode of Indiana Jones saga.
So, the day I received Amanda (my smart trainer and I became so close I had to give her a name) was one of the happiest of my life. The happiness lasted exactly ten minutes and fifty-five seconds. That is the time it took me to calibrate and start my first FTP Ramp Test on Zwift.
From there until now it has been a kind of love/hate relationship with Amanda. The days I feel great and generate a good number of watts she is the best; the days I have the strength of an average snail she is the source of all the problems in my life.
Almost a year down the line I have made dozens of virtual and non-virtual friends on the platform. I have joined a Zwift Club, a Zwift Racing League team, and I am having fun like I haven’t since I was a teenager. I also vEverested three weeks ago! All things I would believe were science fiction a year ago.
Today’s post-race team debrief made me realize there is absolutely nothing more creative than a Zwifter who crosses the finish line of a race in which he did poorly. Me, in this case.
There is an inverse correlation between the quantity/absurdity of the excuses a Zwifter can improvise in order to explain his subpar performance, and the number of watts that the same Zwifter has generated during the race.
The formula for the standard Zwifter, where “x” is the number of excuses post-race and “y” the average watts output during the race, would be something like this:
x = y2
For someone absolutely hyperbolic like me (I have both Argentinian, French, and Italian blood), the formula would rather be:
x = 20.y10
Let’s dig into the portfolio of excuses.
Classics: Tuesday is the International Day of Wifi Connection Issues: “I swear I was in the top 10 when Zwift had a problem: everybody disappeared and I reappeared 1265th.”
Tuesday is the International Day of Numbers Not Making Sense: “My trainer was not accurately calibrated. I mean I am sure I was developing 300w, I know when I do, but it was showing 175w.”
Tuesday is the International Day of Food Poisoning: “10km to the finish line I started feeling kind of sick. It’s the bad oyster in the seafood plate I ate seven minutes before the start of the race.”
Tuesday is the International Day of “I had a horrible day at work”: “Work is crazy and really, really, as soon as the race has started, I had no strength at all. If it was not because of the crazy workday I am sure I would have nailed it!”
Monday night is the International Day of Insomnia: “I got to the race like a zombie. Two hours of sleep is not enough you know. It is a shame because I was ready for a 20-minute PR…”
Tuesday is the International Day of Zwift cheaters: “All the guys arriving before me are height+weight doping/sticky-watts/sandbaggers!!! Look at their w/kg average on 20 minutes! It’s a scandal. They should be UPG or WKG! They are clear-cut cat A!”
Tuesday is the International Day of the Magic Towel: “I was in the leading pack well-protected inside the group, I took my towel to clean the sweat off my face as I was preparing my unbeatable attack, and when I looked back to the screen they were all gone!!!”
And finally, Tuesday is the International Day of Paranormal Events: “I was having what was certainly my best race so far in the Zwift League. Literally at 150 meters before the finish line, a Portuguese removal truck hit a street lamp two blocks away from my place, creating a 20-minute electricity outage in all the neighborhood. I was literally at 150 meters! I am sure this is a TugaZ conspiracy!”
“The dog came and bit the cable of my smart trainer. I managed to get them apart but then an eagle broke the window and attacked the trainer confused by the rabbit sticker. Thank God I managed to take off the sticker while still pedaling. Otherwise, I finish top 5 for sure!!”
No matter how crazy it is, your teammates would never challenge your excuse: best teammates in the world. They understand you need to go through the curve of “acknowledgement you just did awful”, which implies a first phase of two hours of absolute bad faith excuses, leading you to bed still feeling life has been just been so unfair with you.
Now, Wednesday morning is another story. You wake up with an “excuse hangover”. You feel nothing but embarrassed about what a crying little baby you were the day before.
The best thing is, no matter how miserable you feel at that precise moment, nothing is going to prevent you from inventing a whole new avalanche of absurd excuses next Tuesday.
PS: one, only one of the excuses listed above actually really happened to me. Guess which one?
The IRL XTERRA is a series of cross triathlon races that include swimming, mountain biking, and trail running. It began in 1996 on the Hawaiian island of Maui as the Aquaterra, and was later renamed the XTERRA. XTERRA evolved into an endurance sports lifestyle brand with worldwide appeal. Over the past 20 years, XTERRA transcended its status as “just a race” to become a “way of life” for thousands of intrepid triathletes and trail runners across the globe. It has a racing presence in over 30 countries worldwide and is expanding.
XTERRA has brought their adventurous spirit to Zwift to give athletes the chance to experience the excitement and challenge of the event. There are 7 days of Ride and Run races on varying courses which gives athletes the chance to compete and test themselves.
For a year I have been obsessed with the weekly 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! Don’t forget to tune in to the live TV show on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time).
Watopia Volcano Flat recap
Before heading to the Big Apple let’s take a look at how well you did in looping the Volcano last week.
Volcano Flat was a TTT course three times last year – in February (#45), in May (#56), then again in July (#63). Doppio, Espresso, Frappe, and Mocha performed pretty much as expected… coming in a little better than July. But Vienna and Latte blew the doors off – both of them shaved over a minute off their legs.
Highlight of my predictions this week – Espresso. Not just because I nailed 11th spot in my prediction, but also because the R&K Cheetahs secured a PL spot coming in right around the time I set. I’m not saying they got a PL spot because of me, but…
Class
#56
#63
My prediction
#96 PL time
My place
Vienna
55:53
55:28
55:00
54:21
18th
Doppio
47:44
48:06
47:15
47:39
6th
Espresso
48:48
49:54
48:25
48:34
11th
Frappe
50:59
51:02
50:30
50:21
13th
Latte
54:54
54:42
54:30
53:47
22nd
Mocha
1:02:23
1:02:00
1:01:00
1:01:12
7th
As good as the Cheetahs were this week, the R&K Lions were awesome. Fastest team of 5 in Espresso this week, securing 8th spot. Over the last year of TTTs I have seen so much improvement in fitness in our (growing) squad and the competitive spirit is as strong in my Latte team as it is with the Espresso riders! However much performance I gain, I just seem to barely keep up with my friends and teammates. Beyond fitness, one of the things R&K excels at is creating a sense of community and the highlight of everyone’s Thursday is the Captain’s ride reports.
Stripped of our stars, including an Olympic champion in the reshuffle, we searched for replacements in a weekend spent drilling the R&K talent mines. From the darkness we unearthed Simon E, Shifty, and Ben M, all 3 of them rouleurs ideally suited to the flat course. Joining us from the reserves was Martin H the bespectacled sexagenarian lawman and completing the team we had Sherpa, Andy A, and the sole surviving original Vixen, Sue S.
Shifty’s avatar failed to live up to his name and refused to budge from the stalls so 7 of us set off.
A regular pattern quickly emerged, Ben M on the front for extended turns with support from Andy A , Simon E, Martin H, and Sherpa.
Having realised what power we had with the big lad we shamelessly “sweated the asset” and pressed him on through the ups, downs, and flats, occasionally reigning him back when, for example, Sherpa claimed he was off the back due to a loose earpiece. Eventually Sue S slipped beneath the surface of her Florida pool and Simon E was trapped in an overtaken group. We lashed Ben all the way to the finish and Sherpa immediately phoned WTRL WW HQ for the results, but alas, our arch rivals (Frappe team R&K Cheetahs led by the evil Nealel) pipped us by a few seconds. Anyway there’ll be 8 of us next week and we’ve still got Ben the chuggernaut, so watch out pussycats.
R&K riders are entertained by 10 of these reports (11 from next week), and the team captains work hard to out-do each other… and this helps keep the community together.
I realize that every one of the 1000+ teams riding each week has an equivalent story, so I asked a couple of friends for theirs – starting with my old mates CICC – Croissy International Cycling Club. Their “B” team is CICC Blast – here is Mark B’s ride report.
Blast looked good with 8 strong riders lined up. William H had foolishly accepted a bet on Chris Hs tech letting him down and were paying out before the start with his obligatory IT crash. Robbie had sorted his Dalek Discord voice and was duly appointed road captain. The team set off at a fair clip and got into good form swapping strong 45 second turns. The dual goal was to overhaul CICC Crew (who were 90 seconds up the road) and stay out of the clutches of CICC vAmos (3 min back).
Team after team were passed with Larry pulling a few strong turns before dialing out – he had been thrown overboard by Crew late in the day as Crew were overcrewed so it was a fab effort. That left us with 6 strong riders as we waved to Crew on the way past. As the gap to crew increased vAmos came into the rear view mirror – but 2 mins back with less than a lap to go.
Our 6 became 7 as we overtook a straggler who decided to ‘join’ and spoil our line – he was sworn at twice in broad ‘Scots’ then our multilingual climber Mr Perkins impolitely told him in French to ‘cease and desist’ he ignored all of this so Gerry duped him into thinking he was struggling and dropped him. Hammer down for the last few K, Luke disappeared at some point leaving a 5 person pull for the line.
… and if you will excuse me, one more personal ride report. This time from a Team Giant Camden rider which epitomizes how the weekly TTT has helped local clubs become global in these trying times.
From one lone Devonianin the pack, local friends and cycling club mates have come on board and the Devonian crew now proliferate almost every team in the GC family. From the pre-event chatter on the line through the shared agony as someone shouts “off in 5”, to the sound of gasping as finish lines are reached almost an hour later, we pedal alongside… hoping that one day we will get to do this together on the hills of Dartmoor. For now though, its another lap of the Volcano, and right now there is no better place to be, or better group to share it with… my turn on the front again… “Powering Up!”…
I’m looking to feature ride reports from around the community… if your team has a personal TTT story to share come and find me.
Thursday… the International Day of…
Before we head into the recce of Astoria Line 8 I want to introduce a new friend. Luciano Pollastri has made a global migration in the opposite direction to me – I went from the UK to America, he went from Argentina, to France, and now Madrid. (If you haven’t read his Lucianotes article you should, but obviously not til you finish the Recce!) Luciano is going to put together a weekly post-TTT report, but as an introduction to his irreverent style, here are some words we will all find useful:
Today’s team debrief post-race made me realize there is absolutely nothing more creative than a Zwifter who crosses the finish line of a race in which he did poorly: me in this case.
There is an inverse correlation between the quantity and absurdity of the excuses a Zwifter can improvise in order to explain his subpar performance, and the number of watts that the same Zwifter has generated during the race.
The formula for the standard Zwifter, where “x” is the number of excuses post-race and “y” the average watts output during the race, would be something like this: x = y2
For someone absolutely hyperbolic like me (I have both Argentinian, French and Italian blood), the formula would rather be: x = 20.y10
Let’s dig into my portfolio of excuses – these work as well for normal races as they do for the TTT!
Thursday is the international day of wifi connection issues “I swear I was doing great then Zwift had a problem: everybody disappeared and I reappeared 1265th.”
Tuesday is the international day of numbers not making sense “My trainer must not have calibrated right. I am sure I was developing 300w, I know when I do, but it was showing 250w.”
Thursday was the international day of bad food choices “10km to the finish line I started feeling kind of sick. It’s the bad oyster in the seafood plate I ate seven minutes before the start of the race.”
Thursday was the International day of horrible work “Work is crazy and really stressful. As soon as the race started I had no strength at all. If it was not because of the crazy workday I am sure I would have nailed it!”
Wednesday…. the international night of insomnia “I got to the race like a zombie. Two hours of sleep is not enough you know.”
Zwift Cheaters “Everyone ahead of us in the rankings are height/weight/cheating/sticky-watts/sandbaggers!!! Look at their wkg average on 20 minutes on this other race! It’s a scandal”
The magic towel “I was about to take my turn on the front, took my towel to clean the sweat of my face and when I looked back to the screen you’d dropped me!!!”
And finally, the international day of paranormal events
“I was having the perfect TTT – taking long turns on the front and feeling great…. Then a Portuguese removal truck (other country’s trucks may be available in your area) has hit a street lamp two blocks away from my place, creating a 20 minutes electricity outage in all the neighborhood.
No matter how crazy the excuses, your teammates would never challenge them – they are the best teammates in the world. They understand you need to go through the curve of “acknowledgement you just did awful”, which implies a first phase of two hours of absolute bad faith excuses, leading you to bed still feeling that life has been just been so unfair with you. Now, Friday morning is another story. You wake up with “excuse hangover”. You feel nothing but embarrassed about how a crying little baby you have been the day before.
The best thing is that, no matter how miserable you feel at that precise moment, nothing is going to prevent you from inventing a whole new avalanche of absurd excuses next Tuesday.
I am really looking forward to Luciano’s ride reports… and for the record, my earpiece really did fall out this week, and I really did get dropped trying to reconfigure Discord on-the-fly… but I did get back on!
Thursday 25th February – Astoria Line 8
Over to the USA this week, to New York’s Central Park of course. Astoria Line 8 is named for New York’s first subway line – but for the bikes we keep it above ground throughout. The route is an accurate replica of the surface roads in the Park – when the New York world was released Dave Chauner, NYC 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”.
Three laps at around 11.58km (7.2 miles) each with no lead-in gives a total distance of 34.75km. There are no significant hills but this course is LUMPY – there is no significant flat on the course at all, but equally there are no mountains to climb here. Elevation per lap is 141m (460’ in old money).
The layout of Astoria Line has confused me for ages – I ended up watching a ‘cast of the last TTT (thank you Team DIRT) to try and work it out. The pens are slightly the “wrong” side of the start/finish banner so technically (I think) what you have is a lead-in of 11.58km on a lap that’s also 11.58km. I’m going to try and ride this again and pay attention to where the pen is vs the start/finish.
The course itself is best described as a figure-8 if the 8 had an extra loop.
A 2.25 km clockwise loop at the top of the park, straight down the west side of the park to (almost) 8km, then a 3km clockwise loop at the southern end before getting back to the start/finish banner at 11.5km. You can see the start/finish banner by the Pens on the map. Of course, with Zwift you don’t have to worry about directions – just pedal and go!
What to ride?
Unlike last week, this is not a flat route, but there are no mountains here – it’s best described as lumpy. Last week i recommended Venge/Super 9 over Tron… this week I am reversing that… Tron over Venge.
Here are some choices for you at different levels – but to reiterate – none of these combinations will beat the Tron around Astoria Line 8.
Level 5 Specialized SL7 with ENVE 3.4 (last week’s pick, the Roval’s don’t climb well which is why I went with the ENVEs)
Level 6 Upgrade to DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels
Level 10 Upgrade to Canyon Aeroad 2021 frame
Level 13 Upgrade the wheels for ZIPP 808s
Level 33 S-Works Venge with ENVE SES8.9
Level 40 S-Works Venge with Zipp 858
Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge
As always, the Zwift Insider reports on frames and wheels are superlative so if you want to find the perfect bike and wheel combo for you, check them out. The “Fastest Bikes at Each Level” post is also a helpful summary of those more in-depth reports.
Every week i give the same message about the Tron, which can be summarized as “get it”. This week I have a little more practical help. Team Giant Camden who the observant will remember from the Ride Report above are putting on a series of 4 (to start with) Tron Hunter events – the first is March 7th and they will be weekly from there. The routes are hand-picked to have enough ascent to be useful, but not to be just another grind. London Surrey Hills on March 7th, New York Rising Empire on the 14th, Ven-Top on the 21st, and finishing with Royal Pump Room 8 in Yorkshire.
I don’t have links to the events yet but as soon as I do I will post them in the recce. Team Giant Camden are well known for being a friendly lot and while they are based out of a bike shop in London, they have 200+ racers from all over the world with a very strong female contingent. The Tron Hunter rides are open to all… see you there!
Route recon
In my experience this is a hard route to break down and analyze. I find New York’s ground-level landmarks hard to differentiate between and I never seem to know where I am on the course.
There aren’t a massive number of rides on Astoria 8 over the weekend but there are some. If you didn’t ride this as a TTT in September (I didn’t), check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com and find a ride or two. Good news though – New York is one of the guest worlds on Wednesday… and you can always set up a Meetup for your crew.
What to look out for on the ride
This is a technical ride. Like Harrogate last week, winning this week is all about knowing your team’s strengths and weaknesses under pressure. There are a couple of places where teammates might crack; the loop at the north of the park, and the bump right after the sprint are particular hotspots. ,
West side
Out of the gate here you hit a gentle rise and fall leading into the North Loop. This is the most straightforward part of the whole ride. A perfect time to get into your stride… or on subsequent laps to regroup.
North loop
The north loop is a rollercoaster – On the segment picture below, you enter at the top (where the green turns to blue), take the right turn and straight up the hill – North Woods Climb East which is 400m at 5%, down the hill (get your heart rate down) then up East Drive Climb which is a curvy 420m at 5% again, but has a tight 8% section in the middle.
East side
The east side straight is dominated by a triple bump hill. This isn’t steep by any stretch of the imagination – 400, 350 and 300m each at 2.5% – but it is a leg-sapping section, particularly as it comes right after East Drive Climb. After that, though, you head downwards for 700m to the relative calm of the South Loop.
South loop
The south loop is fairly straightforward – a lumpy 3km around. Two areas of note – the sprint, which you can use as a distance marker (it’s 1.25km to the start/finish) and the climb right after the sprint banner (300m at 4%).
The finish
That last climb isn’t rough – but I can tell you from personal experience that on the last lap, 300m at 4% is a killer. On the last TTT I got dropped here – but at least I did a decent turn on the front before pulling the parachute.
The route has an uphill finish – 300m at 3%. Save some adrenaline for that on the last loop around!
Target times
I’m mighty proud of my predictions for last week – if you hit my times you would have been in the middle of the Premiere League in every category. But… what I want to do for you is get closer to the maximum time for each Coffee Class that will still get you into the Premiere. Let’s see how close I can get this week.
This course has been run three times before; last time September (I missed this one), before that was April (#53, my second TTT), and the first time i found was August 2019.
#20
#53
#74
Prediction
Vienna
53:50
55:14
53:45
Doppio
45:52 (9 teams)
48:24 (6 teams)
45:30
Espresso
48:56
47:06
47:15
46:30
Frappe
53:55
48:32
48:30
48:00
Latte
59:20
52:57
52:38
52:00
Mocha
1:09:31 (team 6 of 7)
1:01:55
1:00:06
59:00
I didn’t race in September, and my best time around this route is from the TTT in April when I was with the CICC-B (B stands for Before they started getting creative with team names) team. I took 1:05:19 coming in around a minute after the team. This time around I’m hoping to stay with the Vixens and get close to the PL time.
The Vixens are looking pretty slick… I kept my Vixens spot this week, and feel good about our chances of catching the Cheetahs. We are creeping closer to PL, however, over our shoulder I see the R&K Hyenas have a beefed up roster including Gabi, Dani, and Dani’s dad. Can we keep ahead of them on this rolling course? An epic battle between the lightweight ladies (+dad) and the hulking bruisers.
Wrapup
Last week’s loop around the flat volcano was fun, but this week is all technical. If you practice situational awareness and communications on the flat, you will reap the benefits here. The northern/eastern side (the first half of the ride) is pretty technical and I personally find it hard to know where we are at any given moment. Once you hit the north loop it’s up, up, up in a sequence of bumps, but the second half opens up a little and is easier on the brain so the team can regroup. This is a great course for a Team Time Trial that I hate with a passion!
Welcome to the second post in a series aimed at helping you avoid n00b powerup mistakes in Zwift races.
Powerups add a fun element of randomness and strategy to Zwift racing. While some purists deride their use, most racers welcome their addition to an indoor racing experience which can feel a bit oversimplified since it has fewer variables than outdoor riding.
Experienced Zwift racers understand how powerups work, but we see them used incorrectly over and over again. Hopefully this series can help.
Every rider in Zwift has a CdA based on their weight and height plus other constants controlled by Zwift. This virtual CdA is a key part of Zwift’s physics, greatly affecting your in-game speed.
When the Aero Boost powerup is activated, your CdA is reduced by 25%.
What’s the effect? You’ll go faster for the same wattage. Quite a bit faster, in fact: there’s a reason Zwift racers say the aero helmet is the best powerup to have when you’re heading into a sprint finish!
The Aero Boost lasts for 15 seconds, which means you need to time things just right. A bit of trivia: it used to last for 30 seconds, but was revised in May 2019 because it was simply too strong of a powerup.
How It’s Misused
The most common misuse of the Aero Boost is on climbs. When you climb, you move slower. And like IRL riding, when your avatar is moving slower on Zwift, it is encountering less virtual air resistance. The Aero Boost powerup is designed to reduce air resistance, but if you use it while moving slowly, it’s lowering something that isn’t really there (or, more precisely, isn’t significant enough for you to notice.)
If you’re slogging up the Radio Tower at 12kph/7.5mph, the Aero Boost will not help you.
At what speed does the Aero Boost become noticeably helpful? That’s a good question, but it’s one we can’t answer precisely. Our educated guess is it’s somewhere around 30kph/18.5mph, but of course the Aero Boost is much more noticeable at high speeds like 40-50kph (25-31mph)+. That’s why riders find it especially useful for sprint finishes, attacks on descents, and unlocking the Daredevil achievement badge.
To maximize your Aero Boost benefit, use it when virtual wind resistance is the highest. That means at high speeds, especially when you’re out of the draft, perhaps attacking off the front of a group.
Judgment Calls
The Aero Boost, perhaps more than any other powerup, forces us to make judgment calls about its deployment. It’s the powerup most commonly “held” because riders want to make sure they have it going into the final sprint. Because a helmet on the head is worth two in the bush…
But what are you losing by holding your helmet instead of using it? That’s the judgment call.
A course like Crit City really brings this into stark relief, since you’re receiving a new powerup every lap and races often end in a pack sprint. With a lap lasting approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and most races lasting 6-12 laps, you know exactly when you’ll get another chance at a powerup if you use the one you’ve got.
But what if you have three laps to go, and you get an aero helmet? Do you use now, or hold? What if there are 6 laps to go? What if you’re struggling on the brick climb each lap, and really need a helpful powerup each time around to stay in touch with your group?
As you can see, there is a very real strategic element in play. You may not always make the right call, but that’s all part of the game. Just make sure you aren’t using your aero powerup during a slow climb. Because that’s just silly.
Three laps of Volcano, three times up the Volcano K/QOM, what a race this week in Zwift Racing League! Seriously one of the best courses (Whole Lotta Lava) I’ve seen with so many different dynamics playing out. Add into that a powerup often not seen in racing (pun intended): the ghost.
I was so excited to see how people used this powerup, what worked, what didn’t. What I didn’t expect to see was three separate races play out exactly the same: same powerups used, same tactics played out in the last 800m, same result. Amazing.
Check out the video:
So, what worked and what didn’t in that final 800m?
The Ghost sneaky long-range attack
I actually had my team try this tactic. Just when the road kicked up to 5% before heading into the Volcano (about 600m to go) the plan was to drop the ghost, disappear up the road and have other teammates jump on the chasers wheels. In each of the videos you can see this didn’t really work, and I think this is because the ghost powerup only lasts 10 seconds.
By the time you’ve moved through the pack you really only have about 7s to get a gap – not long enough. In each case the rider only managed to get 1s on the chase pack.
If the ghost remains at 10s (too short in my opinion) then when is the best time to use it? Perhaps in a more punchy climb like Innsbruck’s Leg Snapper or Richmond’s Libby Hill. Or even time it right to have two teammates drop a ghost at the same time and jump on the wheel of a teammate who puts in an attack off the front. Not many people would chase a solo attack, but imagine their surprise when it turns out to be a group of three teammates!
Aero or Feather
This is probably one of the trickiest sprint finishes in Zwift. Not only do you have to watch for the long-range attack on the rise into the volcano, but then you need to navigate around three twists in the road before it kicks up to 3% at the finish. The aero powerup is known to be the sprinting powerup but I am gaining more and more respect for the feather and its ability to give the user a serious kick at the start of their sprint.
In a race like this one, where that sprint is on an incline, the feather definitely won the day. In all three races covered in the video it became a head-to-head battle between someone using the feather and another using the aero. In all three cases the feather, if timed right, won the day.
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.
We’re getting close to the end of Zwift Racing League Season 2, with just 2 “regular” races left! This week we’re on Richmond’s Libby Hill After Party route – a sprinter’s delight, but the puncheurs may have the last laugh atop Libby Hill.
Playoff Notes
When Season 2 began, races 7 and 8 were marked as “Playoffs”. But this is no longer the case.
Instead, WTRL has just announced that additional playoff races will be held between the top 2 teams in each Division 1 on March 5th and 6th between 7-8pm UTC. (Lower divisions will simply have teams promoted and relegated based on ranking after race 8.)
A1 Divisions will be battling for a promotion to the Premiere League, while lower categories (B1, C1, D1) will be battling for the title of ZRL Season 1 World Champion. It sounds like some prizes may even be involved.
We’ll publish a separate post on these playoffs soon. Details will also be on WTRL’s website and Facebook page.
Looking At the Route: Richmond’s Libby Hill After Party
Here’s the course preview video from Rick at No Breakaways:
Route Breakdown
This route is basically 5 laps of the very flat Fan Flats circuit, followed by some flats and descents, with a finish atop the Libby Hill climb. It breaks down like this:
0-24.3km: flat, laps of Fan Flats, 5 sprint intermediate opportunities, 6 powerup banners
24.3-32.2: recovery as we’re done with the flat laps and make our way toward Libby Hill, including powerup banner and a long descent. The last 2km here could get dicey if riders decide to attack early.
32.2-32.9: Libby Hill climb
Out of 32.9km of racing, the first 32.2km are quite flat, or downhill. Sprinters, rejoice!
This route is obviously very aero-focused, with only 60-90s of all-out climbing at the very end. Don’t go with a climbing setup.
Our tests show that the Tron bike is just 1s faster up Libby than the S-Works Venge with disc wheels – but, the Venge is a bit faster on the flats. Either of these superfast rigs will do the job quite nicely.
Five times through the sprint banner means riders will have five chances for both first-across-line and fastest-through-segment points (10 riders deep). The Libby Hill banner is also awarding FAL and FTS points.
The first 32.3km of the 32.9km route are quite flat, or downhill. So this will be a fun route for the sprinters. But the Libby Hill finish makes things interesting, as it won’t be the pure sprinters who shine. Instead, the win will probably go to riders with very high 60-90 second watts per kilo… unless teams can execute more advanced breakaway strategies.
On that note: there are definitely some opportunities here for teammates to work together to get away for a long attack that earns first-across-line extra points. Will anyone be brave (and strong) enough to do it?
Expect early attacks on each sprint attempt, as well as heading into Libby Hill. Chances are the early attacks on the sprint will occur in later laps, as the overall pack speed drops a bit. The question will be whether to chase down/follow an attack, or let it go and hope the blob swallows them before the line.
Lastly, powerups: there will be seven opportunities for a powerup on this route, and powerups given will be an even mix of the Helmet and Van. Both powerups are quite useful in a sprint, but the Helmet is most desired for those chasing sprint points, while the van is a big help if you need recovery on flat roads sitting in the pack. 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!
After almost a year of pandemic-related restrictions, many of us have come to terms and even found a lot of fun and community with indoor riding and racing.
Now that your bike has been set up on the trainer and you’ve continuously leveled up on Zwift, you’ve likely already figured out that a few things are indispensable for indoor riding: one (or multiple) fans, copious amounts of water, and ample towels to protect your handlebars.
But have you considered changing your indoor wardrobe, dialing in your hydration, and using extra protection for your nether region? Check out our top 3 tips to make your trainer sessions more enjoyable and effective.
Are You Using Indoor-Specific Gear?
Heat is likely one of the most important factors in your indoor riding experience. Luckily, several cycling brands have recently launched indoor-specific cycling gear. With lighter fabric, mesh inserts, and even pockets for ice packs, those specific kits can give you the edge over your competition.
Indoor-specific kits like this one from CUORE of Switzerland implement highly breathable mesh fabric on the thigh as well as in the back and straps. In combination with high-performance material and the use of Carbon yarn, this improves moisture management and air circulation, helping your body stay cool and relaxed.
Trying out the CUORE indoor kit, I noticed that having large mesh panels along the quads helped dissipate heat from those large, working muscles. With a chamois that adjusts well to the different needs and positioning of indoor racing, the added comfort with an indoor specific kit is noticeable. Similar to the shorts, CUORE’s tech shirt features large mesh panels and lightweight fabric that helps air circulation and moisture management.
CUORE Indoor Tech ShirtCUORE Indoor Cycling Short
It is unfortunate to see that some brands neglect adding a women’s version to their indoor line, so having companies like CUORE offer a full, women-specific lineup is important. In addition to bibs and shirts, I make sure to wear cooling headbands, which keep the sweat out of my eyes and add a cooling sensation, if only for a short while.
Have You Dialed in Your Hydration?
What you put out on the bike depends significantly on what you put in your body. What indoor sessions might lack in duration, they sure often make up in intensity. Keeping an eye on your hydration and fueling status is therefore key!
Even if most of your indoor rides are relatively short, you want to make sure you fuel enough and with the right amounts of electrolytes (and calories). While you might think that “men sweat more than women,” hydration is more individualized by physiology than gender. Therefore, it can be extremely helpful to do a simple sweat test to get a good indication of your individual needs.
Abby Coleman, Sport Scientist and “Sweat Expert” at Precision Hydration, notes: “Recording the volume of sweat riders lose as well as monitoring the concentration (saltiness!) of their sweat can be really insightful. These two factors, along with the duration of exercise, determine a person’s net sodium losses – which is the ultimate factor we’re trying to address with our personalized hydration strategies.” An initial test for your sweat rate can be simple:
Weigh yourself before a ride, ideally without clothing (A)
Measure how much water you took in during the workout (B)
Post-ride, towel yourself dry and weigh yourself again, ideally without clothing (C)
Subtract (C) from (A), add (B) and divide it by the time you trained
Studies show that a ‘normal’ sweat rate can range between 1-2 liters per hour. Figuring out whether you fall into this range or whether you had a more intense loss is helpful in determining specific hydration needs. Precision Hydration offers online sweat tests as well as one-on-one hydration strategy calls.
In addition to fueling sufficiently throughout your indoor rides, consider pre-loading harder and longer workouts with a strong electrolyte drink. Take some notes on how you feel with and without electrolytes and whether you notice a significant improvement in your performance. Similarly, if you feel extreme fatigue or cramps coming on, you might want to experiment with adding an electrolyte mix to your post-ride routine.
Did You Pick The Right Chamois Cream?
Riding indoors does not equal outdoor cycling. When you are Zwifting, you tend to move laterally less, coast less, and recover less than on the road. As you are spending more time in a static position, you will have a lot more saddle contact and experience increased friction.
For some, this discrepancy might warrant a whole indoor-specific set up, with a different saddle, indoor-specific chamois, or even an altered fit. For me personally, a high-quality chamois cream makes all the difference.
Chamois cream does not only protect your private parts from chafing, it is also anti-bacterial and protects your skin from nasty infections. When you apply chamois cream, moisture-absorbing polymers help regulate dampness and reduce the level of friction between saddle, chamois, and your sensitive skin.
While there is a lot of personal preference when it comes to scent, tingliness, and viscosity of chamois creams, it is worthwhile considering that women’s pH systems differ from men’s. This is why my go-to is a women’s specific chamois cream. dzNuts, the cycling company of TT specialist and pro Dave Zabriskie, features a unique women’s product. The dzNuts Bliss chamois cream not only helps protect your skin from nasty saddle sores but even encourages beneficial skin flora growth with its pre- and probiotics complex. With their focus on natural ingredients such as evodia, tea tree oil, and masterwort, dzNuts Bliss includes wound healing benefits to keep your netherregion happy and healthy for long hours in the saddle.
What About You?
Ladies: beyond the basics already mentioned, what do you find most helpful in your indoor sessions? Share below!
