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Interview with racing supermom Janis Denning

Monica Schlange
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Interview with racing supermom Janis Denning

Interview with racing supermom Janis Denning

Janis, please tell us about yourself!

I’m a full time working mom of 3 boys. I went back to school full time in 2005 to be a Physician Assistant and I work for a neurology practice in Portland Oregon.

I’ve been cycling for a long time – started on a mountain bike in 1995 and did some mountain bike racing in Northern California in the late 1990s. I met my husband mountain biking and we used to ride a lot together. I switched to a road bike after my first son was born in 2004 and I just didn’t have time for mountain biking anymore. I ran and cycled sporadically for years while I had young kids. We moved from California to Oregon in 2007 and the weather made it hard to get out in the winter.

I finally got serious about using my trainer in 2014 and found Sufferfest which I absolutely love. In 2016 I had my proudest moment ever as a cyclist when I became a knight of Sufferlandria. I also won my Stages bike from the Tour of Sufferlandria.

I did my first ever road races summer of 2016.  I didn’t do well but I was proud of myself for going out there.

When did you start Zwifting and what’s your story there?

I discovered Zwift late 2016 and didn’t care for it at first. I was just riding on my own. I’m not sure I really understood how to track my watts or w/kg so even though I would ride for an hour I wouldn’t work nearly as hard as doing an hour Sufferfest workout. I felt like my fitness slipped a bit. But Zwift grew on me. There was definitely a learning curve to Zwift and it took me a few months to sort it out. I was nervous to join a group ride at first and quite intimidated by racing. Then I got brave and tried the women’s ZHR time trial race and some group rides. When I discovered group riding, riding with friends, and racing that really hooked me.

My setup is in my basement. I have my stages bike paired with 2 laptops so I can do Sufferfest and Zwift at the same time. I Zwift 2-4 times per week, riding whatever course is on that day. Sometimes it’s nice to use the world hack and ride where no one else is around. Watopia is the best world, with the most variety and options.

I’m hooked on Zwift racing and usually do at least one race per week. I like the KISS women’s races and the ZHR time trials. The ODZ women’s race is great but too early for my time zone. I’ve been fortunate to do two of the Cycligent E sports races and they were a blast. And I got to go to Las Vegas for the CVR World Cup Race and I got 2nd! Just today I was asked to join a race team!

QOM Janis on course

Wow! Congratulations! Tell us what the CVR World Cup Event was like.

It was incredibly fun and I felt so fortunate to be able to participate. One of my friends was approached first to participate but she wasn’t available and she offered up my name as a potential rider. As it happened the details all fell into place and I was able to go. I had been a virtual participant in the first event from Roanoke so I knew what to expect, in a way. I was nervous though because the trainer setup was different and I somehow gained 2 pounds from my usual Zwift weight. Even the trip to Vegas was surreal. I had never traveled with my bike before and didn’t know what to expect. Lucky for me Catrina Weiss and her husband Scottie were in the hotel room right next to me and I pretty much tagged along with them.

The best part was meeting not only the organizers but also the riders from both the men’s and women’s events. Wonderful people from all over the world.

I thought for sure I would get dropped in the women’s race as no one was catching Lindsay Guerra, but I hung on. I felt bad though for Ashley Carelock because she had a problem with her trainer during the race and it cost her time. Truthfully I would have been thrilled to get 3rd but as it turned out I got 2nd!  After the women’s race several of us watched the men’s event and what a thrilling conclusion that was!  Then the organizers took all of us out for a wonderful dinner. I was up very early the next day to get to the airport. Later I watched the video of the race and I was just blown away by the online support for both events. What a thrill to be able to participate. I hope I get asked back to future events!

Janis at the Cycligent event in Las Vegas

That’s awesome! I so wanted to go watch that race in person! What bike do you ride in real life?

A Specialized Ruby Comp Disc. I love my disc brakes!

That’s the same bike I ride! Very cool. Please tell us… has Zwifting changed your real life rides?

I’m not sure. Maybe I’m faster? The weather in Oregon has been so rainy and wet I haven’t been out much yet!

What’s your least favorite thing about Zwift and your most favorite?

My least favorite is that all the avatars look the same. I can’t pick myself out. My favorite thing is being able to ride with friends and chat as though we were really together and riding outside.

Is there anything you wish you’d known earlier on in your cycling journey?

I wish I’d known about structured training and power a long time ago when I was mountain bike racing. Maybe I would have been better!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Just that the Zwift women’s community is awesome and super supportive!

Thanks for your time, Janis! Great job in Vegas! See you on Zwift!

If you are a woman on Zwift and would like to be contacted via e-mail to share your story, please e-mail me at [email protected] to get started.

Stuff you need for a great zwifting experience

Jonathan Brostoff
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6
Stuff you need for a great zwifting experience

Stuff you need for a great zwifting experience

As the local Zwift guy in my area, the most common Zwift question I get is “what stuff do I need.”

Although you can get started on Zwift with a $200 fluid bike trainer, an old bike and an iPhone, this article is about the best Zwift setup for the money… before the law of diminishing returns takes over.

Keep in mind that I am NOT a reviewer.  I am a Zwift user and a Zwift researcher.  Although I suggest products, there are many equivalent products out there that work just as well.

With that out of the way, here is a list of “stuff” you need to Zwift smoothly in incredible 4K resolution.

The Main Stuff

Gaming Computer

Since Zwift is a video game, like Call of Duty or Madden NFL 17, the best Zwift experience starts with a powerful gaming computer.  Forget your beloved Mac… this is strictly Windows PC territory.   I’ve been a Mac guy my whole life but they are way too expensive and have lousy gaming specs.

Below are the tech specs your Zwift gaming computer should have in order to be fast today and relevant three years from today:

  • The CPU.  The CPU is the brains of the computer and a great Zwift experience demands a fast brain.  Although Intel’s i5 CPU’s run Zwift well, for a few dollars more it pays to get Intel’s latest and fastest high performance CPU…the 4.2 GHz i7 CPU (model 7700K).
  • The GPU. In order to play Zwift smoothly at 4K resolution, your computer needs a powerful GPU to run the graphics.  Although the NVIDIA 1060 GPU runs Zwift nicely, you should future protect yourself with the much faster 1070 GPU or the lightning fast 1080 GPU.
  • Hard Drives. There are two kinds of hard drives; Solid State Drives (SSD’s) and traditional spinning hard drives (HDD’s).  SSD’s have no moving parts and are faster while HDD’s are cheaper and hold more storage.  Although I strongly prefer SSD’s, your computer will likely come with both.A few important hard drive notes:
    • Buy a computer with Windows pre-installed on the SSD for much faster speed and startup.
    • Install Zwift on the SSD for much faster speed.
    • If you’re using the computer for other programs and games besides Zwift, get an SSD with at least 256GB or ditch the HDD and buy a second SSD. It’s not difficult to replace a hard drive yourself.
  • Memory. The more memory (RAM) your computer has, the more stuff that can fit inside the computer’s super-fast brain as opposed to having to retrieve it from a much slower hard drive. Although memory is easy to upgrade and 8GB of RAM works fine in Zwift, get at least 16GB and forget about it.

There are many PC gaming systems out there but if you want a name brand computer, the Dell Alienware Aurora series is a good place to start.  The Dell costs about $1,800 for the Intel 7700K CPU, NVIDIA 1070 GPU, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD and 16GB of RAM.  For $1,500, B&H sells a CyberpowerPC with same specs except with a 128GB SSD.  Both are excellent Zwifting machines.

If you want a top of the line gaming computer, B&H sells a $2,000 CyberpowerPC with the Intel 7700K CPU, NVIDIA 1080 GPU, 512GB SSD, 3TB HDD and 32GB of RAM.  Although not inexpensive, it is a very good deal.

TV

Even if you have a great gaming computer, your Zwift experience won’t be all it can be if you don’t have the right TV.  Below are the two most important specs when buying a flat screen TV for Zwift.

  • Resolution. The more pixels a TV can handle, the better the picture quality and the more detail you will see.  Since Zwift can run in amazing 4K resolution, you’ll want to get a 4K TV.
  • Refresh Rate.  Measured in frames per second (fps) or Hertz (Hz), the refresh rate is the number of times the TV changes the image.  The higher the refresh rate, the smoother games like Zwift play.  Most smaller and lower priced 4K TV’s have a refresh rate of 60 fps (or 60Hz) while some of the larger, more expensive TV’s have a refresh rate of 120 fps (or 120Hz).  Zwift looks just fine at 60 fps, so if you want to save money, go ahead and get a 60Hz TV.

Warning!  Very few TV companies disclose the actual refresh rate which is what matters for Zwift.  Using a tech trick, most TV companies use marketing names such as “Motion Rate”, “Tru Motion” or “Image Motion” to make consumers think their TV’s have a higher refresh rate than they do.  As a general rule, but not always, the actual refresh rate is half of the manufacturers claimed “motion rate.”

If you can afford it, buy the biggest 120Hz TV your pain cave can fit so long as you aren’t Zwifting too close to the TV.  Although most 4K TV’s are excellent, I’m very happy with the 43” Samsung KU6300 4K Smart TV which sells for $500.  It’s only a 60Hz TV, but it runs Zwift very smoothly.

Smart Trainer

Until an all-in-one Zwift bike comes out, you’ll need to buy a smart trainer to put your bike on.  Smart trainers wirelessly broadcast your cycling data to your computer via ANT+ or Bluetooth so Zwift can figure out how fast you are going.

There are two types of smart trainers: wheel-drive and direct-drive.  They are many differences but on a wheel-drive trainer the bike’s rear wheel stays on while on a direct-drive trainer the bike’s rear wheel comes off and the bike’s chain is attached to a cassette on the trainer.

Although wheel-drive trainers work well and are less expensive, you should get a direct-drive trainer which is usually more durable, accurate, powerful and realistic.

There are many reviews and discussions about which direct-drive smart trainer is the best but most agree that they all work well with Zwift.  A popular choice is the $1,200 Wahoo Kickr which was updated this fall and is now quieter, more accurate and more responsive than the previous excellent model.

Bike

A good Zwift system should include a good Zwift bike.  Your old 7-speed in the garage will work but it may be challenging getting up and down Zwift’s varied terrain.

If you are in the market for a new Zwift bike, you certainly don’t need to break the bank but you’ll still want a quality bike that can handle the rigors of Zwifting on an indoor trainer.  An aluminum 11-speed bike with Shimano 105 components will work beautifully both inside on Zwift and outside on the road.

There are many great bikes out there but the Trek Emonda ALR-5 is an excellent choice at a fair price.  A new 2017 Trek Emonda costs $1,679 but you may be able to pick up a new 2016 leftover for less.

Stuff Nobody Tells You About

Rear Cassette

The rear cassette on your direct drive trainer makes a big difference in your Zwifting experience and should not be overlooked.  Although the Wahoo Kickr comes with an 11-speed rear cassette, most of the other direct-drive trainers do not include one.

If you have a 10 or 11 speed bike and need to buy a cassette, get one with 11-28 gearing which Amazon sells for $50.  The 11-tooth gear will give you power while descending Box Hill, the 28-tooth big gear will help you to spin up Mount Zwift and the 11-28 range will be good for everything in between.

Pedals and Bike Shoes

Whether riding inside or outside, your bike should have clip-in pedals for maximum power throughout the entire pedal stroke.   There are several types of pedals but the two most popular are the Look Keo and the Shimano SPD’s.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both.  The Look Keo’s are road biking pedals that have more surface area to transfer power but the compatible shoes and cleats are clumsy to walk in.   Conversely, the Shimano SPD’s are mountain biking and spinning pedals that have less surface area but the compatible shoes and cleats are comfortable to walk in and easier to clip in and out of.

If your Zwift bike stays indoors most of the time, get the SPD double sided pedals ($30) so you can comfortably walk around your house before and after your ride. If your Zwift bike is also your main outdoor road bike, get the Look Keo pedals ($50+) for better power transfer.

Whatever pedals you get, you’ll need a pair of compatible bike shoes and cleats.  For the SPD’s, I like the Shimano SH-R065 which Wiggle.com sells for about $50. For the Look Keo’s, there are many shoes out there at different price points so go to your local bike store and try on a few pair.

Music Speaker

Music can motivate you to Zwift harder.  If your pain cave needs to be a quiet place for the benefit of your family or neighbors, get yourself a pair of in-ear wireless headphones.  But if you can blast music, you’ll want a good speaker with various connecting options.

There are so many great speakers out there but I love the Polk Woodbourne which Amazon sells for $449.  With its very powerful 180-watt amplifier, the Polk easily fills your pain cave with distortion free music and connects to nearly every device via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplay (Apple devices), USB, and optical (TV).

ANT+ USB Dongle

ANT+ is a wireless technology that allows your smart trainer to talk to your computer and your computer to talk to Zwift.   Your smart trainer is already ANT+ compatible but your computer isn’t so you’ll need to attach an ANT+ dongle ($20) to one of your computer’s USB ports.  Keep in mind that you don’t need an ANT+ device if you’re Zwifting with an iOS device or Apple Computer which both connect via Bluetooth.

Keyboard with USB Ports, Mouse and USB Extension Cable

Although your computer likely won’t be close to your Zwift bike, you’ll still want a wired keyboard and mouse handy in order to log-in to Zwift, send texts, and change views.  Although you can buy a wireless keyboard and mouse, they can be jittery and slow to respond and they shut down after a period of time to save battery.

You’ll also want to move the ANT+ dongle from your computer to within 5 feet of your smart trainer to ensure a trouble-free connection.

The best solution to get these devices from your computer to your Zwift bike is to buy a USB extension cable, a wired mouse and a wired keyboard with USB ports built-in to connect your mouse and ANT+ dongle.  I like the AmazonBasics 10’ extension cable for $7, the AmazonBasics USB Wired mouse for $7 and the Perixx Keyboard with USB ports which Amazon sells for $20.

Heart Rate Monitor

You should always Zwift with a heart rate monitor to measure your effort.  The Wahoo Tickr heart rate monitor ($50) works great and connects to Zwift via both ANT+ for your computer and Bluetooth for your iOS devices.  The Tickr also works great with most power meters, sensors, and cycling computers.

HDMI Cable 10-25’

In order to use your TV as a Zwift monitor, you’ll need to connect your computer to your TV via an HDMI cable. I like the AmazonBasics 25’ HDMI cable which Amazon sells for $13.

Bike Mat

You’ll want to put your bike and smart trainer on a heavy-duty mat in order to dampen vibration and noise, protect your floors and collect your sweat.  The SuperMat, which Amazon sells for $27, is a thick, durable and tough mat.

Fan

You need a fan to keep you cool while Zwifting. I like the Lasko 18” Pedestal stand with remote which Target sells for $50.  The Lasko is adjustable up to 54” high, oscillates, tilts and has three fan speeds which can be controlled by the remote.  Many Zwifters also like the Vornado 630 which Amazon sells for $63.

Desk

You’ll probably want a desk near your Zwift bike for your keyboard, mouse, remotes, phone, gels and various other items.  The Seville Classics Desk Cart with Side Table, which Amazon sells for $50, is adjustable, sturdy and easy to set up.

Desk Organizer

You may also want a desk organizer to keep your loose Zwift stuff and phone in one place.  The ClearTech Acrylic Desk organizer, which Amazon sells for $12, fits on the Seville desk side table and holds your phone, tablet, headphones, gels, bike tools etc.

iPad Desk Mount

If you have a desk nearby, think about getting a desk mounted iPad holder. Even if you run Zwift on a computer, it’s nice to have your iPad’s big screen nearby for the Zwift Mobile App, your music collection or Netflix.  The AboveTEK iPad Holder is a heavy duty, adjustable and easy to set up tablet mount that Amazon sells for $39.

Phone Bike Mount

Although you can keep your phone on your desk or in the desk organizer, you may want to mount it on your bike’s handlebars.  Amazon recommends the Taotronics for $14.

Corkboard

If you have a wall near your Zwift bike, it’s not a bad idea to buy a corkboard for your Zwiftblog course maps, Zwift keyboard shortcuts and flags of the world.  I have the Mead 24” x 18” corkboard which Walmart.com sells for $12.

Prescription Glasses

 If you have trouble reading the Zwift data on your TV, you may want to invest in a dedicated pair of prescription glasses for Zwift.  Goggles4U.com sells comfortable plastic prescription glasses or bifocals for about $35.  The bifocals are great for seeing your TV at a distance and your cell phone close up on your bike.   Get a pair of Croakie’s to hold the glasses in place and a couple of Halo 2 Headbands to keep the sweat off your glasses and you’ll be all set.

Strava Smackdown Series week 8 winners

Eric Schlange
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Strava Smackdown Series week 8 winners

Strava Smackdown Series week 8 winners

For our eighth and final Strava Smackdown week we attacked the Radio Tower Climb segment. It’s hard work just to get there, so respect to everyone who competed! Here are the podium finishers.

All finishing times can be seen on this round’s page at stravaleagues.com.

Prize Details

Typically the World Bicycle Relief swag bag prizes were given to our first place finishers, but since both of our first place finishers have already won a WBR swag bag we’re going to send them a Zwift water bottle instead.

WBR swag bags will go to the next highest finishers who haven’t won a WBR swag bag yet:

Zwift water bottle winners are:

Claim Your Prizes

Since we have no way of directly contacting entrants, prize winners must email [email protected] by May 4th with their full name and mailing address so we can get your prizes shipped out.

What’s Next?

The Strava Smackdown has been discontinued until further notice due to low racer turnout and the Strava Leagues site being revamped. Perhaps we’ll hold another round next winter season!

Zwiftcast Episode 25 – Jon Mayfield Special

Simon Schofield
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Zwiftcast Episode 25 – Jon Mayfield Special

Zwiftcast Episode 25 – Jon Mayfield Special

Episode 25 of Zwiftcast has been released. Here’s the full episode description:

This episode is devoted entirely to a conversation with Zwift creator and co-founder of the company, Jon Mayfield.

Patient listeners will be rewarded with some nuggets of news towards the end of the interview. But the real meat of the conversation is about Jon the man, the programmer and the visionary.  There’s also plenty of insight into how he and his team work, with some questions which the community repeatedly asks tackled and answered by Jon.

The conversation is very wide ranging, looking at potential futures for Zwift as well as Jon’s thoughts on racing; on real world courses; on the community; on the Zwift public roadmap (or lack therof!) the ability to change worlds; voice communications; a velodrome, or not; and yes, facial hair.

ZwiftGPS updated with Strava live and world chooser

Eric Schlange
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3
ZwiftGPS updated with Strava live and world chooser

ZwiftGPS updated with Strava live and world chooser

The ZwiftGPS app has been updated with two important new features accessible from the menu at the top-left.

Connect to Strava

Once connected, it will display your PR from Strava as you attempt a segment, including live updates showing how far ahead or behind your PR you are. This is based on the actual effort stream from Strava (not just the overall time), so it’s pretty accurate – to within a second or two in our tests.

By default it includes all the “Zwift Insider verified” segments. You can also star segments in Strava to include them.

You should see a box drop down from the top of the screen when you enter a segment, showing the segment name and how far ahead/behind you are. You’ll also get an orange highlight of the PR’s progress, and for non-loop segments the route is highlighted as well.

Note: this feature struggles a bit with segments that double back on themselves (e.g. the sprint area of the London map) but we’re working on it.

Change World

This lets you manually select which world to display (Watopia / London / Richmond). Great when you and your friends are using the world tag hack to ride “off-schedule.”

Training with power: your strengths & weaknesses

Nate Dunn
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Training with power: your strengths & weaknesses

Training with power: your strengths & weaknesses

The “Watts up with Power?” ride is likely the slowest group ride you’ll find on Zwift, because it focuses on learning the basics of power based training while riding together on Zwift. Each ride is streamed to Zwift LIVE by ODZ on Facebook, and focuses on teaching specific principles of power-based training. For viewers that are unable to attend live, the teaching is made available for all to review afterwards.

Here is the summary for April 26th from ride leader Nate Dunn.

Power meters enable us to learn more about ourselves as cyclists.  Whether you’re using the TrainingPeaks Power Profile or the more granular WKO4 Power Duration Curve, your data tells a precise story about your strengths and weaknesses.  Let’s start with the Power Profile Chart.

Power Profile Chart

Wondering how your W/kg stacks up against other cyclists?  The TrainingPeaks power profile chart can give you a quick tool to compare some of your best efforts against cyclists across the competitive spectrum.  The chart also helps to identify 3 primary “cyclist types.”  The sprinter, time trialist, and all-rounder.

WKO4 Power Duration Curve

Accomplishing a similar task, the WKO Power Duration curve is essentially a smoothed/mathematically derived curve based on different mean maximal power durations.  While the Power Profile chart gives you a quick glance at your strengths and weaknesses, the Power Duration curve allows a more granular look at the entire spectrum of the intensity/duration relationship of your riding.

So What?  

So you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses and made some basic comparisons with other cyclists, now what?  The Power Profile chart and Power Duration curve can help improve your cycling in 3 specific ways.

1: Provide Context for Goal Setting

Hoping to win the pancake flat state crit championship?  How does your 5s power stack up?  Maybe another race more suited to your strengths is a more appropriate target to build your season training around.

2: Inform Race Tactics

Do you have a high 5s power but comparably low 20m power?  In a criterium your best bet is to ride as conservatively as possible, avoiding breakaways, while positioning yourself in the final laps to produce 1 maximal effort in a final dash to the line.

3: Guide Training Decisions

Are you hoping to excel in a tough road race but your 5m power is comparably low?  Doing specific workouts to improve your VO2max might make the difference and help you make it over a tough climb to contest the finish.

Final Thoughts

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, cycling is an aerobic sport.  Don’t sell out your training to chase small improvements in a weakness.  Regularly assess the cost/benefit of your training to make sure you’re still progressing toward the larger goal of improved aerobic fitness.

Strava Smackdown Series week 7 winners

Eric Schlange
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Strava Smackdown Series week 7 winners

Strava Smackdown Series week 7 winners

For our seventh Strava Smackdown week we attacked the Figure 8 Forward 1 Lap segment. Here are the podium finishers.

All finishing times can be seen on this round’s page at stravaleagues.com.

Water Bottle Winners

Along with World Bicycle Relief swag bag prizes for our first place finishers, three random entrants will also get a water bottle from ZwiftHQ. Those three winners are:

Claim Your Prizes

Since we have no way of directly contacting entrants, prize winners must email [email protected] by May 2nd with their full name and mailing address so we can get your prizes shipped out.

Sprinting on Zwift (SkillZ and DrillZ)

Ian Murray
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Sprinting on Zwift (SkillZ and DrillZ)

Sprinting on Zwift (SkillZ and DrillZ)

Castelli SkillZ and DrillZ Ride, 19 April – On a number of occasions, we have discussed sprinting during the Castilli SkillZ and DrillZ Ride. Today, we focused a little more specifically on sprinting on Zwift vs outdoors.

To see the video of this week go to Zwift Live by ODZ on Facebook or watch it below:

Intro

Sprinting on Zwift is a bit different than during IRL races. In IRL races, sprints are executed best when the sprinter has a few teammates or unwitting accomplices help ramp up the speed while blocking the wind. The sprinter then has the opportunity to conserve energy and gearing before launching. During Zwift sprints, though, some TeamODZ teammates and I figured out that putting a few riders up the road, spaced a few seconds apart, gives the sprinter a better draft zone and multiple sling shots. Because of this difference, we decided to focus only on the Zwift-specific sprinting this week.

Sprint Positioning

As we got into our drillz today, we started the class by discussing positioning. We have covered positioning many times during SkillZ and DrillZ, but I wanted to make sure that we reinforced the instruction by demonstrating the difficulty of sprinting from a poor position. So, we set it up to have two groups. Group 1 (G1) moved to the back of the bunch, and Group 2 (G2) held the front at 1.5 W/kg. When told to go, G1 jumped to 3.0 W/kg for 20 to 30 seconds. While 3.0 W/kg is not a full on sprint for most people, the doubling of pace of the main field is fairly realistic. The point was not for G1 to get away but to show how difficult it is to get away if the sprint is started from the rear of the field. In fact most of the riders were not able to get more than a second or two ahead of G2 after 30 seconds. G2 experienced the same effect when we swapped positions.

Teammates as Slingshots

Next, we shifted focus to Zwift-specific sprint tactics, specifically the use of teammates. During IRL events, the best way to execute a sprint is to have two or more teammates ramp up the speed, peeling off as they fall off pace, and ending with the sprinter launching off the wheel of the last teammate just before he or she loses steam. That works for IRL events, not so much on Zwift. Why is that, you ask? Well, there is one simple explanation. In Zwift, your avatar can ride through the riders in front of you. During IRL events, you can try that once. After you pick yourself up out of the heap of bikes and torn lycra, you will quickly understand how bad of an idea that was.

Since the leadout train is not very effective on Zwift, some folks have figured out how to get the same effect. Basically, it involves sending riders up the road, spread out every one to two seconds. Spreading out some teammates, creates a series of draft zones for the sprinter to use as slingshots and keep building speed. We executed this drill by sending myself and one other rider slightly up the road and having the two group take turns using us as slingshots.

Sprinting From a Distance

For the grand finale, we moved on to sprinting from distance. This is a tough move to make, but may be entirely necessary depending on your opponent. Sprinters come in different types. Some have immense power from 200 meters. Others have a quick, explosive start but can’t go for more than 10-15 seconds. Still others can go from 600 meters and beyond, despite not having super explosive power. Today we worked on going from longer distances to neutralize those short-burst sprinters because there truly is a technique to the long sprint from a bunch.

For the final series of drillz, we broke the long sprint into three parts. First, the burst is needed to create space from your opponents. Second, the gap maintenance is required to set up the finale and hold off any chasers. Third, the finale is needed to close out the sprint, closing the door on any counterattackers trying to come over the top. The burst can be roughly equated to three times your FTP. No, you cannot hold that for very long. That’s not the point. That effort is only a 10-15 second effort to get away. After that short effort, you transition into the gap maintenance phase, which is the longest phase. During this time, you have to hold at least 1.5 to 2 times your FTP. The further out you start the sprint, the longer you have to endure this lactic-acid, lung-searing, heart-pounding pain. The best part of this phase is that you only have another 10 to 15 seconds of effort remaining once you finish it. The bad part is that the remaining time has to be done much closer to the 3x FTP from the burst phase. Basically, you have to give everything you have.

The ability to endure this pain is what separates first and second place, more often than not. We executed a number of these intervals ranging from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pretty much everyone felt that the 60 second effort was pretty horrible.

Conclusion

As we discussed at the end of the ride, sprinting is much more complex than just being the rider with the highest 10 second power. Placing yourself in a tactically beneficial position and utilizing your teammates to maximize your advantage will help you neutralize the strengths of your opponents. Then, following Sun Tsu’s advice to know yourself as well as your enemy, you can turn the tables on your adversaries. Understanding your capabilities and limitations will allow you to dictate the terms of the race, rather than reacting to the plan of another rider. Practicing the long sprint and developing the long power can give you an edge by disrupting the plans of those monster-legged, Greipel types. Notice that I indicated the need to practice. During the last drill of the day, the common theme was going too hard, too early and fading out of contention. Keep working on the drillz that we did during the class and really try to learn your capabilities, and you will put yourself in the best possible position.

Next week, we’ll work on our climbing skillz, including when it is appropriate to go over the red line. Until then, Ride On!

Zwift featured on CNN

Eric Schlange
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0
Zwift featured on CNN

Zwift featured on CNN

CNNMoney posted a video today featuring Zwift CEO Eric Min talking about how our favorite game works, how it all began, and where it’s going.

In the interview, Eric breaks Zwifting into three activities: Exploring, Group Rides, and Workouts.
We also see some “vital stats” which I found to be interesting, especially since Zwift has never really stated how many subscribers they have.

Zwift’s Vital Stats:

  • 80 Employees
  • 120,000 subscribers
  • $45 million in funding

Sneaky Peaks

You can also passing glimpse of some work in progress at Zwift. At 39 seconds Eric is looking over the shoulder of an artist working on a course with a more narrow dirt road–a running trail, perhaps? And at 2:06 developers are working on an updated mobile app which looks to have mapping functionality. Cool stuff!

Eric also talks about how it’s the community, not the game, that has made Zwift a success. I heartily agree!

Power-based training: where to begin?

Brett Jenner
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Power-based training: where to begin?

Power-based training: where to begin?

The “Watts up with Power?” ride is likely the slowest group ride you’ll find on Zwift, because it focuses on learning the basics of power based training while riding together on Zwift. Each ride is streamed to Zwift LIVE by ODZ on Facebook, and focuses on teaching specific principles of power-based training. For viewers that are unable to attend live, the teaching is made available for all to review afterwards.

Here is the summary for April 19th from ride leader Brett Jenner.

Power-Based Training: Where to Begin (*Bonus: Benchmark Testing for Triathletes)

Owning a power meter is often said to the be best investment a cyclist or triathlete can make–after hiring a coach that is. These devices allow us to quantify our efforts, guide our training, create benchmarks for training and racing, and inform us of increasing and decreasing levels of fitness.

While providing many key metrics we must also consider what, fundamentally, is required for an athlete to be successful? Beyond the obvious traits of grit – determination – passion – sacrifice – work ethic etc… what else is required?

The best answer I have come up with includes the following;

  1. Smart Training Plan: French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery famously wrote “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” That one may be obvious but important to note it is just one part of a multi-part mixture here.
  2. Accountability: I believe that two of the drivers of performance are accountability and community; both of which a team provide. It is one of the reasons that I have always embraced trying to build belonging and community with my athletes.
  3. Education and Feedback: Because you don’t want to learn all of life’s lesson the hard way… and feedback is essential to the process, be it numerical, muscular, or from an outside source like a coach.
  4. Community: Perhaps the number one reason that Zwift-based TeamODZ has been as successful as it has. Community, in the end, speaks to that sense of belonging that we all have and, as mentioned earlier, can be a powerful driver of performance.

While cyclists interest lie in bike FTP, I was sure to include the following benchmark swim and run sessions for triathletes;

  • Swim 100 yard or meter and 1000 yard or meter times done after a proper warm-up. As a note here, I prefer to keep the warm-up consistent for my athletes allowing for limited variability between tests.
  • Bike FTP: 5min, 20min test for seasoned athletes or 3 x 8min for beginner.
  • Run – unless you are using a running power meter, you are going to want to setup your heart rate training zones based either off recent race results (i.e.10k or 15k) or a 30min best-effort run done after a proper warm-up.

The key is that no matter how much we try to take the guesswork out of endurance or multisport events, there will always be the need for energy management (pacing), gut feeling, and the necessity to train the ‘inner animal’ to be successful. All of the information and tools in the world can help create a picture for you, and deliver some practical real-world information but remember: this will never be a game of mathematics. It will always retain some pure and dirty straight-out racing. Use the tools to help you, but never at the cost of understanding the following things:

  1. How it should feel
  2. How it does feel
  3. What to do with that feeling

So go ahead and embrace the adventure and enrich your life with something challenging but fun. Do this, and the benefits will bubble up, and your vigor and passion for the everyday will continue long into the season.

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