How the Race Was Won: Temples and Towers Team Tactics (ZRL Race 5)

Yesterday’s Zwift Racing League event on Makuri Islands’ Temples and Towers route was the climbiest race of the season so far. Without a single sprint point to be had, my team (the DIRT Roosters) knew we’d have to ride hard and ride smart in order to keep our winning streak alive.

What transpired was one of the most well-executed team races I’ve been a part of. Here’s the story…

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 (spun with C. Cadence and did some sprint baseline testing for my Sprintbooster program)
• 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, the team was chatting on Discord, and we had a plan. Let’s do this!

The Temples and Towers route is basically three KOMs, each harder than the one before. In between those climbs you’ve got flat roads, including an 11km run in to the finish. Smart racing here is about knowing when to go hard, and when to recover.

Climb #1: Rooftop KOM

Team captain Antoine had proposed a gutsy plan in the days before the race: a hard team attack in the final ~50s of this first climb, in an attempt to raid the FAL and FTS points.

And that’s exactly what we did. As we neared our launch point one rider jumped off the front, and the pace picked up a bit. Then we went through the arch at 4.6km as Antoine counted, “3, 2, 1…” and the Roosters launched!

The attack splintered the group to pieces. We had a few riders mixed in with us at the front, but the Roosters came across the line in places 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8, grabbing fastest thru segment points for places 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

We couldn’t do the math, obviously. We were just trying to breathe. But we knew the attack had worked perfectly. (After the race I added up the points we grabbed in this 50s attack: 93!)

Once thru the KOM banner we basically sat up. No reason to put in extra work, when the groups would be coming back together anyway. Eventually a front blob formed of around 45 riders.

Climb #2: Castle KOM

The Castle KOM is my nemesis. In the handful of races I’ve done here, I’ve always been able to hang in until the lefthand hairpin when it gets steep. Then things blow apart.

This time didn’t feel much different. Admittedly, this was largely the Roosters’ fault. Clem, Antoine, Arjen, and Thomas were all near the front, stretching the group out as they pushed for segment points. Although this might mean other Roosters getting dropped, it was acceptable trade in our book.

I was in 18th by the time the road leveled out at the top of the climb, and I used my aero powerup for a bit of a boost on the flat section. But the group was strung out up the road. I sat in some friendly wheels, then gave a hard push on the slight incline to bridge up to the front group, who clearly weren’t pushing the pace.

Then I tried to rest as much as I could. The dirty Temple KOM was just up the road.

Climb #3: Temple KOM

I didn’t hold out much hope of finishing the Temple KOM in the front pack. I hadn’t been able to do that in last season’s Countryside Tour race, and that was in a lower B division! So my goal was to reach the top in a decent position without blowing up, then hopefully chase back onto the front group.

The climb was a sufferfest. It always is. I hadn’t landed a steamroller powerup (*shakes fist at Zwift gods*), so I just tried to ride smart. Draft on flatter portions. Go hard on steeper bits. Crossing the KOM banner, I surveyed the situation: I was in a pack of three riders (places 19-21), with more about 12s up the road, the front group even further away, and more chasing on behind.

I didn’t have the legs to bridge up to the group ahead, but I hoped my group would swell in numbers enough to put in a good chase.

The Finish

As the packs coalesced on the descent and flats, there were basically four groups within striking distance of the front:

1. Front group of 7, containing Roosters Antoine and Arjen
2. 2nd group, containing Thomas
3. 3rd group, containing Clem
4. 4th group of 9, containing myself

Thomas would eventually bridge up to the front group. Clem almost made it, pushing his group to within 6s of the front. My group didn’t want to work, and neither did I, so we just sat in and waited for the final sprint.

As I approached the sprint, I heard Antoine and Arjen executing their finishing plan. First Antoine surged to the front of the group, then with 400m to go he said, “OK, go Arjen!”

Arjen sprinted past Antoine as Antoine activated his burrito powerup. In my ears Antoine gleefully exclaimed, “I burritoed them!” It was a picture-perfect burritoing, too. As the other riders began sprinting they had no draft benefit since Antoine was holding his position in front of the group. Brilliant.

TFC’s Liame Dunne put in a massive sprint and almost caught Arjen at the line, but Arjen crossed it first, taking his first-ever ZRL win! Watch it on Antoine’s stream below:

30s behind, I was waiting for the right time to activate my aero powerup and sprint. One rider jumped, and I followed, crossing the line 2nd in my group for 17th place.

See ride on Zwift.com >
See activity on Strava >
See results on ZwiftPower >

Watch My Race Stream (Complete with Team Discord)

Team Result

Between our Rooftop KOM attack, Arjen’s win, and finishing with three riders in the small front group, we were confident we had taken the win. But we were amazed when the results showed us scoring 322 points overall, with the second-place team scoring 169!

That makes four wins in four races for the Roosters

Takeaways

While my personal performance wasn’t podium-worthy, I was happy to see two Strava KOM segment PRs and some power bests, including a 3-minute PR at 423W thanks to the Rooftop KOM attack. I also felt like I had more punchy high-end power than usual, probably due to a combination of recent sprint training and finally getting over Covid symptoms.

The Roosters are really working together well these days. After 4 seasons we know each other’s strengths, respect each other’s opinions, and can successfully strategize how to maximize our team points. This race was probably the best-executed team effort I’ve ever been a part of – and I’ve been in quite a few!

To honor Antoine’s masterful burrito drop, I ordered this carne asada-stuffed beauty from the local Mexican restaurant:

Some ZRL racers have complained that segment points are too heavily weighted, causing races where everyone goes all-in on segments, easy in between, and the finish isn’t as hotly contested as it should be. But I disagree. I think riders will always fight hard for the finish, and the intermediate points make the race more interesting, with riders attacking harder on segments than they would otherwise.

Your Thoughts

How did your Temples and Towers race go? Share below!