How the Race Was Lost: Power to Weight (Bologna, TdZ Stage 4)

Since I’ve set a goal of racing each stage of Tour de Zwift 2020, I knew the Bologna TT route was looming. And I wasn’t happy about it.

Bologna, if you aren’t familiar, is a short course with a painful ending. The first 6km is flat, the final 2km is a steep climb (9.6% average). As a bigger rider who can hold decent wattage, I knew the flat part would be a breeze. The climb? Not so much. I’ve raced here before, and I was under no illusions as to what the final result would be. (Spoiler alert: it certainly wouldn’t include me anywhere near the podium.)

Despite this, I was looking forward to another chance to push myself to the limit and see where I landed in the rankings. My goal, based entirely on rough guesswork: finish in the top 50%. Let’s go!

Waking to Drama

I rolled out of bed at 5am, wanting to give myself plenty of time for a warmup before the race at 6:10am. Using my iPhone flashlight I walked into the closet where I’ve been storing my cycling kits since we moved to our new house. But when I stepped in to grab a pair of bibs, I was greeted by an unwelcome sensation: cold water on my bare feet.

What the… !?

There was standing water on the bare plywood of the closet. (This closet is in our unused master bedroom, the last portion of our house that is officially still under construction)

I quickly did the math in my head. How bad of a man would I be if I grabbed my kit and went upstairs anyway? The answer came back: a very bad man. A very, very bad man.

So I got to work (wearing only briefs, mind you) moving all the clothes and banjos out of the closet for safekeeping. Then I toweled off the floor and turned on an extra Zwifting fan to get air moving so things would dry out. Once that was done it was time to get dressed and starting looking around for the water source: outside, inside, under the sink… where was it coming from?

I couldn’t find the source. And water wasn’t pouring out from anywhere. It could wait another 60-90 minutes. Let’s race!

Warmup

I’d have to hustle to get a warmup in, so I went through my typical pre-race ritual quickly: a piece of caffeine gum and some PR lotion on the legs. Actually, scratch that: I went with two pieces of caffeine gum. Because this was already starting to feel like a long day. I got in a 20-minute, ~7-mile warmup on Tempus Fugit before heading to the start pens.

Bike Choice

Many Zwifters have asked what the best bike frame and wheel setup is for the Bologna TT course. It’s an interesting question without an obvious answer, thanks to the way the course lays out.

If you’re talking about an actual time trial (no drafting), the most aero TT bike and wheelsets are your best choice, because the gains made over the first 6km are more than the seconds lost to a lighter bike up the 2km climb. Additionally, many races on this course are two laps – up to the top of the climb, down to the start, then back up to the top of the climb. In this scenario, aero wins much more so, since you have a steep descent (where aero performs better) and even more flat ground between the two climbs.

But what if you’re in a drafting race? That’s where things aren’t as clear. Because if you’re sitting in with the pack and staying out of the wind, the gains from having a slightly more aero setup are reduced. But when everything splits apart on the climb, you’ll want the lightest possible setup.

So I went with the Specialized Tarmac Pro frame and Lightweight Meilenstein wheels. It’s the best climbing setup currently on Zwift, and the same setup that posts the best time up the Alpe.

Of course, even with the best climbing bike on Zwift, I wouldn’t be able to hide. This race would come down to watts per kilo and my butt would surely be handed to me on a silver platter. But I still wanted any advantage I could get up that tough climb!

The Start

The start was quite tame – perhaps the easiest Zwift race kickoff I’ve experienced in recent memory. Everyone was conserving for the climb. I only averaged 306 watts in the first minute, and 282 watts over the entire flat portion before the climb began.

The starting pack of 65 was quickly reduced to 35 by the time we hit the first climb. So I’d made it to the climb in the front group–but how many riders were going to catch me from behind? I was about to find out.

First Climb

The Bologna climb breaks up into three sections for me. First you’ve got the beginning stretch which is fairly steady and steep, ending as you turn left through the brick archway. Then there’s a crazy and steep hairpin which places you on a long, steep straightaway–the steepest part of the climb. Then it’s through another arch to the right and the road gets less steep for the final portion.

I quickly slid to the back of the front group as the climb began, then watched as the chasing group closed the gap behind. Finishing in the top 50% was beginning to feel like an impossible dream – but I kept pushing.

I was able to hold my position around 30th place all the way to the top, averaging 310 watts. Not a great average – perhaps my legs were a bit tired, or I was distracted by my wet closet. Regardless, once the climb was done it was time to supertuck to the bottom.

On some descents, pedaling will get you going faster than the supertuck. But steady, steep descents like Bologna are perfect for the aero tuck, and my legs were happy for the short break.

The Middle

When I got to the bottom there were two riders ~15 seconds ahead, and several just 5 seconds behind. I eased up so I could join the riders behind, knowing they would be catching me soon enough, and we would probably have the firepower to catch the riders up the road.

My strategy at this point was to conserve energy for the final climb. Pushing big watts to tow my group up to the next pack on the flats wouldn’t gain me nearly as much time as those watts would up the climb (read “How to Pace Your Best Bologna TT Race” for more on this). So I sat in with my group, and we gobbled up a few riders as we completed the trip back to the start line, turned around, and rode back to the base of the climb.

I only averaged 231 watts on this flat section, making it barely even a zone 3 effort. But that was fine, because we were gaining places, I was recovering, and now it was time for that final climb!

Second Climb (and Finish)

The front of my small group of five riders was 28th place going into the final climb. I needed to finish 32nd or better if I wanted to hit my goal of a top 50% ranking. On top of that, a few riders from the group 15 seconds back were pouring on the watts per kilo as we hit the climb. I knew this would be a fight to the finish!

I tried to keep my breathing even, alternating sitting and standing efforts. (I love the muscle and saddle relief from standing, but it also elevates my heart rate a bit.) When the road turned especially steep on the hairpin heading into the second section I stood and hammered extra hard, because it’s through these steepest portions where extra watts matter most.

In the end, I finished solo, with riders a few seconds ahead and behind. Zwift’s results show me at 31st place–just barely making it under the 50% line. My second climb’s power was just slightly lower than the first climb, 306 watts vs 310.

Also, ZwiftPower, where I usually finish higher in the results than what Zwift shows, bit me in the butt this time around. Out of 36 finishers, I was 20th. So much for 50%!

See my ride on Strava >
See race results on ZwiftPower >

Power to Weight

This race is a perfect example of rider weight affecting speed in cycling. I’m on the larger side when compared to the population of serious cyclists (84kg), so climbs are where I struggle. I’ve got the muscle to hang with pretty strong riders on flat roads, but when the tarmac tilts up, physics kick in. Power to weight ratio becomes more important the steeper the climb gets, so on a steep KOM like Bologna, my ability to hold 3.7w/kg (like I did in the first climb) is going to lose handily to a B rider who can hold 4w/kg or more.

For more on this topic, read “How Rider Weight Affects Speed On Zwift” >

Takeaways

Here are my takeaways from this morning:

• Lightweight bike is definitely the way to go: I think my bike choice was perfect. A more aero bike wouldn’t have moved me any further up the rankings on the flats, and it would have slowed me down on the climb.
• Fewer cookies: if I want to be competitive in any sort of hilly races, I need to increase my power to weight ratio. I can maybe do that by training more (building power), but that’s been a real challenge in the past. The easier solution, I think, is dropping some excess weight. It’s definitely time to shed ~10 pounds.
• Finish the job: if I’d finished moving the clothes out of the closet before the ride, I would have seen that the leak was coming from behind the wall. Pinhole leak in the copper pipe. Plumber friend fixed it a couple of hours later.

What About You?

Did you race TdZ stage 4? What bike setup did you use, and how did it go? Share below!

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How the Race Was Lost: Chubby Supertucker (Tour de Zwift Stage 3)

Yesterday was the last day for stage 3 of Tour de Zwift, so I needed to get a race in. Two laps of Watopia Hilly Reverse–this would be interesting! I knew from racing it in the past that I should be able to hang onto the front of the race, but thanks to the reverse KOM I also know it would take everything I had.

Since this was TdZ I knew I could plan on a larger field, a shorter race, and at least a handful of sandbaggers pushing the group pace. Even though I’ve raced this route many times, those races were usually four laps long. Two laps meant the pace would be furious and I would need to push harder to stay in contention. Was I ready? I was about to find out!

Warmup

The race began at 6:11am, so I set my alarm for 5:15. Rolled out of bed, grabbed my kit, then headed upstairs for my typical pre-race ritual: a piece of caffeine gum and some PR lotion on the legs. Hopped on early and got a nice 30-minute, ~10-mile warmup in on Tempus Fugit.

The Start

The start wasn’t too bad, around 340 watts for the first 2 minutes kept me in the front group. We had 61 riders at the start, and I think many of them knew that the real action would come on the KOM. I just sat in the pack, conserving as much energy as possible, know the KOM would require me to push it to the limit.

As we approached Hank’s Gas Station (the beginning of the reverse KOM), I made sure I wasn’t too far back in the group. I didn’t want to get caught off the back if a big gap opened up! So I stayed within a few wheels of the front, and when the road got steep heading into the right-hand turn I activated my feather powerup (yes, the powerup gods had smiled upon me), stood up, and hammered.

I was sitting 10th wheel as we crested the first portion of the KOM, and that was a good place to be, provided I could keep the power up enough to join the riders up ahead. If I ran out of juice a gap would quickly form, and I’d be dropped. So I pushed hard to stay in contact with the riders ahead, and when we grouped up after the second uphill push I was still in the front pack. KOM #1: survived!

Wearing the Same Kit

Can I register a complaint? I don’t like wearing the same kit as everyone else – especially in a race. In a social ride I don’t prefer it, but I can accept it. But in a race, I need to be able to tell riders apart. That’s pretty much impossible when we’re all wearing the same kit.

There may be certain riders I want to “mark”–to follow if they attack, because I know they’re strong enough to stay away. There may be other riders who I know are sandbagging, and I don’t need to chase them at all. Lastly, I’ve got teammates in almost every race on Zwift – but if we can’t see our team kit, it’s pretty hard to work together!

Everyone knows we’re in a TdZ event. We don’t need the kit to remind us! Zwift: please let us wear our own stuff for the race events, just like the top racers at the TdZ Pro-Am races are doing.

Back to the story…

The Middle

After cresting the KOM, I knew I could hold on until at least the second KOM. Things got a little loosey-goosey supertucking down the descent: I waited too long to start pedaling again. The group whizzed past me and I had to hammer for about 10 seconds to get back in the draft.

Classic supertuck mistake. That’s the thing with the Zwift supertuck: it works great, until it doesn’t! You’ve got to stay alert, because when you pop out of the tuck you slow down quickly. Typically I start pedaling a few seconds before I know I’ll come out of the tuck, so Zwift is seeing my power when I need it.

zPower Fliers

As we went through the start/finish banner at the end of lap one, one of the riders asked: “flier?” He was referring to one “Hiroaki Sakai”, a Japanese rider who had been off the front since the start of the KOM. “Yes” was my typed reply. No way Hiroaki was holding B category wattage.

The group basically ignored the flier after this exchange, which I was happy about. He would go on to “win” the race by 18 seconds with an average of 369 watts (5.4w/kg). I didn’t notice until the race was over that he was on virtual power (aka “zPower”) along with one other rider who kept attacking off the front. Not surprisingly, neither rider was registered on ZwiftPower.

The Finish

Through the second lap’s sprint banner I received another feather powerup. Hurray! I knew I’d need all the help I could get, as the strong climbers typically hammer extra hard on the final climb of the race, hoping to drop sprinters like me.

There were 15 left from the original 61 riders. I attacked the KOM the same way as I did the first lap, deploying my powerup on the steepest section. I found myself mid-pack in a strung-out peloton, and gaps were opening up all around. This was a dangerous situation, and if I didn’t keep going hard I would lose the group.

The problem was, I was on the rivet, feeling like I was going to hurl. Have you been there? This is where you have to be strong mentally as well as physically. When everything screams “ease up and give up” it’s the mind that enables you to push just a little bit more.

And that’s what I did! I stayed in contact, and as we crested the KOM I took a deep breath, prayed for a good powerup, and tried to recover as much as possible before the final sprint.

Unfortunately, I’d used up all my powerup mojo and the gods only gave me a 10XP bonus. $#%@ XP bonuses!

As we entered downtown Watopia I kept a wary eye on the pack, watching for a rider to begin sprinting. My plan was to follow the first sprint and hold that wheel with the hopes of coming around once they tired.

The first rider went, I shifted up and got out of the saddle, and went all in. But I didn’t have much left, apparently. Even though the sprint only lasted ~10 seconds, I didn’t have the power to get my nose into the glorious wind at the front. I crossed the line in 8th place, which would become 6th place on ZwiftPower thanks to 3 unregistered riders finishing before me.

See my ride on Strava >
See race results on ZwiftPower >

Lose Weight or Race Flats?

Here’s something interesting in the results above: my w/kg (3.6) were lower than anyone else in the list. In fact, the next rider at 3.6 w/kg or less was in 35th place!

This doesn’t necessarily mean that I rode this race super-efficiently: you can see my wattage was not the lowest.

What does this tell me? It tells me I’m chubbier than all the top riders in this race! Here are the weights of the riders who finished ahead of me: 68kg, 54kg, 80kg, 73kg, 73kg, 70kg, 79kg. And I’m the 84kg monster barely hanging on up the climbs!

I could be proud that I was able to hang on – I guess that’s something. But really what these numbers always make me ponder is whether I should slim down and climb better, or just keep being an “overmuscled cyclist”. I like cookies, so the jury’s still out.

Takeaways

Here are my lessons from this race:

• When I feel like I can’t go any harder, I’ve still got more. Push and hold that wheel.
• I need to lose weight. Or maybe I don’t?
• Gotta be careful supertucking.

What About You?

Did you race TdZ stage 3? How did it go? Share below!

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