This week’s Zwift Racing League event on Watopia’s Climber’s Gambit route was the queen stage of the season, containing by far the toughest climb of this series. My DIRT Roosters team races in the EMEA W B2 division, and we’ve surprised ourselves by winning every race up to this point, despite having been promoted up from B3.
But our strength isn’t long climbs, so we weren’t sure how this race would unfold. While we had three decent climbers on our squad, we knew we would have to grab points outside of the Epic KOM in order to win. So we planned accordingly. Read below to see how our race unfolded…
Race Prep
I’ve developed a bit of a ZRL race prep formula, and this week was no different:
- Recon race or rides in the days before, just to refresh my knowledge of the route
- Easy effort the day before (I actually took the day off, trying to get over a chest cold. It didn’t work.)
- Plenty of sleep the night before
- A clean, carby oatmeal breakfast
- Beet juice two hours before the race
- Caffeine gum – 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 (Scott Addict RC + ENVE 7.8 wheels) 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, but my breathing wasn’t 100% thanks to a lingering chest cold. But I was ready to give it all I had, so I headed for the pens while chatting with my team on Discord. Let’s do this!
Part 1: The Sprint
Our plan for the sprint was to send Clem and Thomas up the road early so they could attempt an FAL grab while the rest of the team sat in the wheels and forced other riders to work to pull them back.
Unfortunately, Discord was having issues and Thomas wasn’t able to talk. So we ditched the plan and simply attacked the sprint in whatever way each of us wanted. We grabbed some FAL and FTS points (I ended up 7th and 4th in those contests, respectively).
Then things came back together so we could attack the climb up through the statues, split up again, and come back together again before the Titans Grove KOM Reverse.
Part 2: Titans KOM Reverse
Clem is out wattage bazooka, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to contend for a win up the Epic KOM Reverse. (He’s got a massive sprint and 1-minute power, but his 89kg makes it tough to hang with the whippets on long climbs.) So our plan was for Clem to attack the Titans KOM, making other riders chase him while the rest of us surfed their wheels and attacked hard in the final seconds.
Clem did exactly what we asked, and grabbed 1st in both the FAL and FTS competition. Antoine and Arjen got 3rd and 4th FAL, 3rd and 5th FTS, and me… well, I didn’t quite make it into the points.
I landed a steamroller at the KOM banner, and used it to make the first descent an easy one. Time to spin the legs and prepare for the Epic KOM. We were 2/3 of the way finished, right?
Part 3: Epic KOM Reverse
Team captain Antoine had hope of winning this race overall, and we knew Arjen might even have a shot at it. Me? I was just hoping for a Strava PR.
The climb began and immediately a group of ~15 broke away off the front. I tried to keep my power steady around 320W, but it was all over the place as I hammered on steep bits, chased wheels, and generally tried to climb as efficiently as possible.
Chatter on Discord had been replaced with occasional groans and expressions of anger, including Antoine who was frustrated by a pair of legs which weren’t feeling great.
In the end I finished 38th, which was about where I was just a few minutes into the climb. I beat my PR by about 40 seconds (20:49) but the front riders finished 2 minutes ahead. Sometimes it’s good to be humbled.
Teammate Arjen had another standout performance, finishing the highest of our team in 4th. Antoine 10th, Sean 21st with an impressive ride, Thomas 34th, and Clem 74th.
And as it turns out, the first rider over the line got disqualified by WTRL for being outside the power window, which means we all finished at least one spot higher. So Arjen made the podium!
See ride on Zwift.com >
See activity on Strava >
See results on ZwiftPower >
Watch My Race Stream
Team Result
The Roosters took home another win, with a fairly balanced spread of points between our riders.
With 5 wins in 5 races, things are looking very good for an upgrade to B1 next season.
Takeaways
The Climber’s Gambit route is a nice one for racing, since it has something for everyone. While I’m not a fan of climbing races myself (because I never win them), I think it’s good to have one or two in each ZRL season, to give climbers a chance to shine.
I was happy with my PR on the Epic KOM today, but not terribly happy with my overall placing. This chest cold seems to have impacted my breathing just enough to throw a wrench in climbing efforts more than a minute long.
But in the end we took home the win… which is what really counts.
Your Thoughts
How did your Climber’s Gambit race go? Share below!