Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube
  • Get Started
    • Create Zwift Account
    • How To Get Started On Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Women’s Racing on Zwift
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Climb Portal Calendar
    • Route of the Week Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Game Updates
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Current Models
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
      • XP Basics for Riders
      • XP Basics for Runners
      • Kit Unlock Codes
      • Master List of Badges
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List: Routes
      • Master List: Climb Portal
      • Master List: KOMs
      • Master List: Sprints
      • Master List: Rebel Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Printable List of Routes by Difficulty
    • Speed Tests
    • Tiny Races
  • Women
    • Race Calendar
    • Why race?
    • Women’s Teams
    • Racer Spotlights
    • More Women’s Racing posts
  • Shop
    • Watopia Map and Other Posters
    • ZI Indoor Cycling Kit
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Get Started
    • Create Zwift Account
    • How To Get Started On Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Women’s Racing on Zwift
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Climb Portal Calendar
    • Route of the Week Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Game Updates
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Current Models
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
      • XP Basics for Riders
      • XP Basics for Runners
      • Kit Unlock Codes
      • Master List of Badges
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List: Routes
      • Master List: Climb Portal
      • Master List: KOMs
      • Master List: Sprints
      • Master List: Rebel Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Printable List of Routes by Difficulty
    • Speed Tests
    • Tiny Races
  • Women
    • Race Calendar
    • Why race?
    • Women’s Teams
    • Racer Spotlights
    • More Women’s Racing posts
  • Shop
    • Watopia Map and Other Posters
    • ZI Indoor Cycling Kit
More
    Racing

    How the Race Was Won/Lost: Libby Hill After Party Crashing (ZRL Week 4)

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    May 2, 2022
    LAST UPDATED May 2, 2022
    9

    The fourth race of Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Season 3 was held last Tuesday, and it featured a fun mix of six sprints followed by an all-out punchy climb on Richmond’s Libby Hill After Party route. The course suited my team (the DIRT Roosters) well because we’re good sprinters, plus we’ve got a couple of guys who can punch their way up a climb.

    Our strategy could be summarized in two points:

    1. Grab as many sprint points as possible. This would be a combination of FAL and FTS points depending on how each rider was feeling, and which powerups they were holding.
    2. Attack the Libby Hill Climb for maximum FAL, FTS, and finish points. Especially Thomas and Antoine, who are well-suited for that finish.

    Of course, race plans rarely survive the real world. In my case, my plans exploded in one astonishing instant! But it wasn’t all bad… here’s the story of our race.

    Race Prep

    I did what I could to be fresh and prepared for the race, following my normal routine:

    • Easy effort the day before
    • Plenty of sleep the night before
    • A clean, carby oatmeal breakfast
    • Beet juice two hours before the race
    • Caffeine gum â€“ three pieces (300mg), one hour before the race
    • PR lotion on my legs about 45 minutes before the race. More bicarb=less burning.
    • Pick my bike setup (S-Works Venge + DT Swiss Disc for maximum sprint speeds) and join the start pens with 30 minutes to go to save my spot in front.
    • A nice 30-minute warmup with the C. Cadence crew

    My legs felt fresh, and I knew the course well. My personal plan was this:

    • Attack the Monument Ave sprint for FTS points at least once, when I have an aero powerup
    • Go for Monument Ave sprint FAL points once or twice, especially if I get a second aero powerup or my legs are feeling good
    • Go for Broad Street FTS (and maybe FAL) points regardless of powerup, since they will be more attainable than the 5x stacked Monument Ave points
    • Go hard up Libby Hill to maximize my finishing points (not expecting more than a mid-pack finish)

    An Easy Start

    The race began rather tamely, which is something we’re getting used to in ZRL at this point. (Racers have learned that hard starts don’t do much more than sap the legs, so you might as well go easier and save your legs for the intermediates and finish.)

    A couple of riders went long on the first sprint, but we didn’t chase. This wasn’t the time to go long – with the pack as large as it would be, and legs fairly fresh, speeds would be high, making the early sprints the toughest ones to stay away off the front.

    I just sat in with my van powerup and went as easily as possible while keeping a good pack position. And I did the same for sprint #2.

    Then I got an aero powerup. Go time!

    Let’s Go… Or Not.

    As we made our around the flat loop, I had my FTS-grabbing plan in place. Start my sprint near the back of the pack, with my aero powerup active before the sprint line, so I hit the start at high speed. Then try to sprint through the group for the quickest segment time possible.

    Then just as we passed the Sagan statue, my Windows 11 PC crashed. Blue screen of death. win23k.sys error.

    My race was over.

    Playing DS

    Watching the pack, out of the race

    After rebooting my computer and starting up Zwift and Discord, all I could do now was pop back in and watch my teammates finish the race. When I told them all what had happened they were understandably disappointed – losing just one rider from your team of six, even if it’s one of the weaker riders on the team, has a big impact on points!

    It’s possible that my PC crash had just lost the race for us. And that was a big bummer.

    Regardless, I settled into DS mode, doing my best to help by talking our team through the rest of the race. We had four riders in the front group: Thomas, Antoine, Sean, and Arjen. (Clem had been dropped from the front after three sprints, but was still planning to chase FTS points.) Four riders was good, but with me out, and our sprint success so far being “good” but not “great”, we knew it would take a strong 5-man effort to pull off a points win.

    After grabbing a few more team points at the Broad Street sprint, it was time for the Roosters to recover and prepare for the finale up Libby Hill.

    Libby Hill Finish

    On paper, we had two riders who looked good for the finish atop Libby Hill: Captain Antoine and Thomas. Antoine has solid w/kg for climbing, while Thomas is one of those strong diesel engines who can go off the front and stay away. (This steady power also works well on longish climbs, but to be honest, I had picked Antoine for the strongest finish.)

    The peloton hit the start of Libby all together (no early attacks), then Thomas upped the watts and went to the front. He quickly got a small gap (2-3 seconds), and was holding orange numbers (8 w/kg+). Could he keep the power up?

    Thomas on the attack!

    I was cheering him on in Discord. “Keep pushing, Thomas! You’ve got the gap! Two riders just behind. There’s the finish line, you’re almost there!”

    He crossed the line in first, 1.4s ahead of the next rider. His 1-minute power at the end of the race was a flat 8 w/kg… 600 watts! Impressive.

    See results on ZwiftPower >

    Team Result

    Thanks to solid performances from my five teammates, the DIRT Roosters managed to finish second in the race. Congrats to TBR 48T on taking first:

    Of course, I immediately began crunching the numbers in my head, wondering about the “what if”. If I had finished the race, could my additional points have let us take the win?

    Based on my points so far this season (16 in race 1, 24 in race 3) it would seem that even me on a good day wouldn’t have been enough to earn the 35 points needed to take first. Which, strangely, makes me a feel a little better about the DNF.

    We’re still holding onto first overall in the division, but TBR gained a point on us with this win, keeping it a close competition for the overall division with two races left in the season:

    Takeaways

    There’s not much to stay from my standpoint, except that a DNF from a PC crash is super disappointing. It bummed me out for most of the day, in fact – I was so desperate that I went outside and did yardwork to get over it. Yardwork!

    Moving forward, I plan to reboot my PC before each ZRL race. I can’t say for sure that’ll do anything, but it does seem to make things more stable.

    Your Thoughts

    How was your Richmond race? Ever lost a race due to a computer crash? Share below!

    Related Posts

    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    ReddIt
      Eric Schlange
      Eric Schlangehttp://www.zwiftinsider.com
      Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava

      9 COMMENTS

      Subscribe
      Notify of
      guest

      guest

      9 Comments
      Oldest
      Newest Most Voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments
      wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

      Get Started on Zwift

      Sign Up (Free Trial)
      Buy Zwift Ride
      Buy KICKR CORE One
      Read More...

      Newest Featured Posts

      Zwift Offers Free Play Controllers To Level 85+ Riders

      Hardware/Equipment

      Join the CommuniTTTy: On-Demand Zwift Time Trialing!

      Racing

      Support This Site

      Write a post, shop through us, donate or advertise. Learn more

      NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

      Zwift tips and news every 2 weeks! Click to subscribe.

      More Posts

      Zwift Will Not Be Hosting an Elite Zwift World Series This Fall

      Racing

      Zwift Charts: Climb Portal Growth

      Routes & Maps

      Friday Night Fun Races Announced

      Events

      Zwift Releases Fitness Trends Charts on Companion App

      Game Updates

      This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs.

      This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts.

      Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy

      Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent

      [email protected]

      Latest articles

      Zwift Route of the Week Schedule

      Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 12-13

      Tiny Race Series – July 12 Routes – Lazy Race Organizer

      Popular Categories

      • Racing1509
      • Events1014
      • News833
      • Training & Nutrition712
      • Interviews564
      • Routes & Maps446
      Comment Author Info
      :wpds_smile::wpds_grin::wpds_wink::wpds_mrgreen::wpds_neutral::wpds_twisted::wpds_arrow::wpds_shock::wpds_unamused::wpds_cool::wpds_evil::wpds_oops::wpds_razz::wpds_roll::wpds_cry::wpds_eek::wpds_lol::wpds_mad::wpds_sad::wpds_exclamation::wpds_question::wpds_idea::wpds_hmm::wpds_beg::wpds_whew::wpds_chuckle::wpds_silly::wpds_envy::wpds_shutmouth:
      9
      0
      Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
      ()
      x
      | Reply
      You are going to send email to

      Move Comment

    • Related Posts