Tough Times
I have spent a lot more time on Zwift over the past 5 months than I ever planned to and initially at least, that had nothing to do with the pandemic. At the beginning of December just a day after arriving in sun-swept Tucson for winter training I had the worst crash of my life. I was riding on a straight section of road about 20 minutes from home when I hit “the perfect storm” crack in the bike lane just right and was catapulted onto the dusty tarmac. In the words of the selfless female cyclist who had been following behind and called the ambulance: “Your bike just stopped in that crack”. My body didn’t stop though, and ended up with six rib fractures, a punctured lung, broken hand, and lights-out concussion as recompense for being on inertia’s bad side.
It was a complete mess and despite excellent care from physicians in Tucson, I spent 22 days in the St Joseph’s and St Mary’s recovery units. When I finally got out for the final time, I couldn’t ride outside or even think about it. The vibrations caused too much pain and there was still a risk of internal re-injury if I had any mishap. Still, I was compelled to get moving. I had my last surgery on January 12th and by the 15th I had Zwift set up on the back patio in our Tucson rental house. The sun was shining, the season was only 6 weeks away and there I was pedaling slow circles and occasionally scolding our dog when he tried to dig new holes in the garden. I didn’t ride outside for 54 days (if I remember correctly) but thanks to Zwift I was still getting somewhere.
With the help of my family, my team, and the limitless empathy of my wife Emily I got back into shape fairly quickly once my injuries healed and I thought I had a chance at my early season goal at the Redlands Bicycle Classic. We all know what happened next and that is what brought my Elevate-Webiplex teammates and me to the start line of the Zwift Virtual Tour of the Gila.
Catching Up
The whole COVID thing really took the wind out of our team’s sails motivationally. Virtual racing came up in conversation but I think the prevailing attitude was apprehension and confusion over the whole thing. Personally I hadn’t raced on Zwift in about 4 years after I began racing as a pro on the road and spending the bulk of my winters in warm weather camps. For me the light bulb went off when I watched the Zwift Redlands Bicycle Classic and saw almost all of my usual competitors trading virtual attacks with the familiar and iconic Dave Towle commentating the action. That sure looked like real racing and I knew I wanted in.
Over the next 4 weeks we organized as a team and everyone dedicated a lot of energy, frustration, and four-letter words to figuring out the technology and tactics involved. We did several TTTs together to work out the draft effect and raced some smaller Zwift Tour for All races as a team using Discord voice chat. By the time Gila rolled around, we had come a very long way.
“This is so HARD!”
That phrase was yelled, muttered, and gasped more than once in our build-up and as we started Gila on Friday. The opening Team Time Trial was a virtual bloodbath. We had practiced well but it is an entirely different feeling when you add a full watt/kg to the effort. We ended up keeping 4 finishers together and turning in a fine 6th place result out of 25 teams. On the road, we might expect to win an event like that but with our lack of experience online and missing a few of our strongest IRL riders I was really proud of our effort.

On the second stage the realities of a 150-rider pack, a hilly course, and racing with some of the best e-racers in the world hit home for us. I managed to hang on to the lead group and sprint for 14th, but the field had been decimated by the finish. We didn’t have many cards to play with as a team and it felt like we were at the mercy of the more experienced squads. I was happy with my own ride but I knew my teammates would have faired far better than my measly 700w sprint to the line. Next time.
How the Race was Lost.
On the final stage I felt from the start I was on a good day and I mentally rehearsed my move on the final climb to the Epic KOM. “Hit out early. Find some help. Build a gap.” Those were my directives to myself that rang over and over in my mind as we approached the 9km mountain pass. I knew the climb was steepest at the bottom and if I left it to the second half, the rolling terrain would favor the group over an attacker. I really didn’t want it to come down to a 1-minute sprint up the final ramp to the line.

At first I didn’t hit it that hard at the bottom, punching into the orange numbers only as much as the eager field around me. But then as the peloton seemed to exhale and settle into a steadier climbing rhythm I decided to bear down and stay on the same pace. Soon I was joined by Chris McGlinchey of the Vitus team and we started to stretch the gap to 5 or 8s as the climb eased off to steadier 3-6% gradients. Parts 1 and 2 of the plan were complete and I was working furiously on part 3, building a gap.
Unfortunately, part 3 stalled out as we struggled on. McGlinchey mostly sat on, knowing that I was behind him on GC. And despite holding good power, the group kept us within 3-9s the rest of the way. I didn’t really see a choice other than to press on. Starting the final ramp to the line with a small advantage would still be better for my odds than going back to the group and sprinting.
Attacks flew, the group swarmed to within touching distance of our back wheels, but as we came off the short descent into the last kilometer there was still the smallest of separations between us and everyone else. I just went for it, trying to hold them off with a prolonged burst at 480-500w. I was still leading within 100m of the line! McGlinchey had played the smarter hand though, falling back into the chasing group for a moment, recouping energy in the draft, then launching again. He passed me like a rocket but I was able to hold off the rest. Second place.
Power data for stage 3 The final push on the Epic KOM
I guess I made it back…
I had turned in one of my better 20-minute power outputs, set a 4-year PR for max heart rate, fulfilled my game plan… and it just wasn’t quite enough. Still, I was beaming, my mind adrift in the pleasant wash of adrenaline, relief, and satisfaction that only comes with racing success. It sure felt like the real thing just then even if I collapsed onto a nearby futon and not into the arms of a waiting soigneur. And the pounding in my ears was gradually replaced by a new refrain: “I guess I made it back”.
I’d been struggling for months with the idea that I would never be the same rider again after my accident. COVID and a lack of racing only made the self-doubt worse as I couldn’t prove myself in competition. I didn’t know if virtual racing could fill that gap for me, but at least for a day it really did.
I can’t wait for the next one.
Questions or Comments for Jordan?
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I can fully appreciate your struggle and the use of Zwift to find your way back. I suffered a crash that resulted in a torn Rotator Cuff and Bicep Tendon. I was at my best form when it happened. Surgery and the following 12 weeks of recovery followed by nearly a year of rehab caused me to lose it all. I gained 30 pounds due to immobility and my climbing legs just laughed at me. When I was finally able I mounted up at a mere Level14 and proceeded to sweat my way up to what is now impinging on… Read more »
That’s awesome to hear Brent. I honestly think my early rides would have stayed at 15-20 minutes if not for zwift. It was uncomfortable with every breath but with a virtual distraction I could work my way up to an hour, then two and so on. You will be level 50 in no time 🙂
Jordan, what was that rig you setup on your handlebars and how did that play into the recovery. Looks almost like a cushion or a plush hoodie over a foam cushion.
It was just what I had lying around actually. My back was ruined after the surgeries and my wife bought me a basic back pillow wedge on amazon so I could sleep sitting up. I just put it on top of the aerobars and it elevated the set up enough that it took pressure off my ribs and hand. The cover was washable too so I could sweat on it all I liked 🙂
Great article, inspirational—great to hear about recovery. Been Zwifting quite a long time, and the pro/invitational races and riders are a great addition. As the racing format gets more fine tuning it will improve the experience for everyone, even 50+ cat B folks like me—the trickle down benefits of improving any technology for high level racers. Good stuff.
I had no idea you were in an accident! What an amazing comeback. We look forward to following your progress.
I’m about to have carpal tunnel surgery within 6-8 weeks. This type of set up might be workable for me, but I am wondering how you shift gears. I don’t readily see anything in the pic. Can you tell me a bit about that? Being out of the saddle for more than a couple of weeks will be difficult for me to deal with for a number of reasons. As such, anything you can share would be so appreciated.
For sure this could work, it felt like it took 50% of the pressure off my hands and upper body to have the support there. Shifting gears was a pain but I was able to reach under/around if I needed to. At the beginning I was going so slow that I only needed one gear! You could also adjust the resistance/erg mode on your phone if you have a smart trainer and stay in one gear. Best of luck with the surgery 🙂
Thanks, Jordan. I do have a smart trainer and Zwift so I’ll have a couple of one gear options to work with along with resistance ability. I’m so glad one of my Zwift buddies found this article. It’s great that you were able come up with this.
Jordan thanks for this. Great to see how you are doing as we see some of your KOMs in our parts (Chilliwack) that we get after. I have been Zwifting for the last few years when I can’t get outside. I just had a fall with fractured ribs and a displaced fractured pelvis. Ortho says 12 weeks nwb so not yet back riding but I am encoraged by your article to get back on Zwift as soon as I get the go ahead. Like you I would not manage much on the old trainer rigs but despite the great outdoor… Read more »
Thanks Cameron, Chilliwack is great riding when the weather cooperates 🙂 Best of luck with your recovery.