Foxes and Boxes – Tips for WTRL TTT #101 – Greater London 8

My passion for cycling started in a hotel bar when I was 49 years old, tipped the scales at 120kg, and never exercised. Three years later I’ve lost the weight (down to “almost” 75kg) and I’m on Zwift most days! I climbed real-world Ventoux twice in a day, and I vEverested Alpe Du Zwift. I love the WTRL TTT, and each week I publish a recce filled with a course profile, bike recommendations and even some target times. I have also started posting video recce’s and highlight reels, and you can find me on YouTube here.

For over a year now, the Thursday WTRL TTT has been the center of my week and Eric has been wonderful in letting me share that obsession with you. 

The TTT is an amazing ride… but if you can’t ride (or even if you can ride, but want more action) don’t forget to tune in to the live TV show on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time)… or even my own livestream event.

Watopia Out and Back Again recap

This was a long one. Maybe the hardest route on the schedule – pretty close to it, anyway. As usual I livestreamed the Vixens… but totally forgot to unmute the mic. Some of you struggled through and watched anyway… watching me suffer in silence must be entertaining!

Here are the results compared to how the Coffee Classes have done historically on this course, and how my predictions went:

Boom! What happened in Mocha – knocked almost 3 minutes off the previous best times around this course… you guys have been practicing!

This week Vixens Captain Trigg played a blinder, taking the opportunity to send our fast-4 up the road at exactly the right moment. The Vixens Highlight reel is turning into a weekly 5-minute TTT soap opera… Some new, some old… some positively ancient. Suspiciously Gaby has a “work appointment” crop up after finding out the course… but Polly stepped up and mysterious newcomer Jack steps in. Would it be enough to overhaul the Cheetahs? Will Sherpa Dave remember to hit the stopwatch to begin our “delay time”? Will he unmute the livestream? Only time will tell…

It’s a tale of team splits, drops and broken cyclists everywhere this week as our guest reports show! First Team Giant Gamden…

What an awesomely auspicious week it was. The 100th WTRL TTT, the first birthday of Giant Camden, and Captain Diego’s 8 day old baby Sienna watching us. For the first time LoaP had a full complement of 8 riders with GCs very own Queen Bi joining, so what could possibly go wrong?

Well banner up, 3 minute delay, pedals down – and we’re already down to seven – poor Jo had tech issues, five minutes of appearing and disappearing while we tried to wait for her but then she was gone 🙁

First 20km in good form, good line, good speed then the Volcano. Back after a three-week break Rob broke halfway up the hill, Osh newly joined struggled also, and Bernard and Pete only just held it to the top, behind the three leaders… but some coordination on the descent and five of us were back together… at least as far as the reverse KOM, anyway.

Bernard struggled on the climb, Captain Diego offered to drop back and give a pull, but the quads were gone and so was Bernard. Four remaining. So Diego, Bi, Pete and Sam bravely rotating and keeping it together for the last 5km and with a final heroic sprint Pete took it on the line, with the other three hot in his wheel.

Team Giant Camden run 8 teams – but my other contribution comes from an outfit with just 3 – vAmos, Blast and Crew. Here’s the report from Mark B of CICC Blast

So after what felt like a cycling version of the Hokey Cokey in the run up to Thursday (you put a whole cyclist in, a whole cyclist out, a whole team in, a whole team out) surprisingly Blast arrived on the line with 8 riders… but Crew and Dyno had reformed as DynoCrew and vAmos were down to 3. 

Anyways, off we set with Mike declaring minute pulls on the front were better than 45 second pulls. He has 2 Maths degrees so Fraser agreed enthusiastically. With the longer distance we agreed 325w on the front (Sherpa’s note… this seems suspiciously precise!) and settled into a rhythm. We stayed as a team of 8 till the volcano erupted!! Plan was to tap up at 4-4.5 w/kg… which worked up the first ramp, then went to custard and we said goodbye to Carlos, Rich and Olivier. Chris stuck with it for a bit longer but I was scared he would out sprint me in Fuego Flats so I made sure we dropped him (kidding!). 

That left 4 of us, Phil (relatively new to Zwift) had been introduced to the supertuck and it’s now his new favourite move. With the 4 of us effectively swapping minute turns to the reverse KoM, a bit of ghosting happened as we all disappeared and then reappeared fortunately still close together. Over the top, down the hill and a push to the finish – a tickle over the hour.

Thursday 25th March – Greater London 8

Back to London again this week for a single lap of Greater London 8, the first time for this route in a TTT, and more important, first time up Box Hill (and down Fox Hill on the other side). It’s a total of 24.3 km (including the lead-in) and 256 meters of elevation.

The ride starts in the pens as usual and runs along the Thames. Sharp right turn up Northumberland Ave to Trafalgar Square then left with the short downhill towards Parliament. Then its a 6.5km flattish loop around Greater London before heading into the Hyde Park Corner underpass. After that it gets lumpy for a while – down through the underpass and up Piccadilly on the other side, before stepping down as you loop back past Nelson’s Column and Parliament. 

At 14.5km we cross the Thames River, and take the tube to Surrey. Shortly after emerging the road turns upwards and you hit Box Hill KOM at 16.1 km. Box Hill is a solid 3km climb, there is a brief 800m respite (which actually starts before the end of the climb) before the kicker – 150m peaking at 10%. After that it’s a nice recovery down Fox Hill before crossing back over to London proper and heading across the line. 

Eric has built Strava segments that profile the route as a whole, Box Hill segment and the descent. 

What to ride?

This is another tough call – is it aero… is it hilly…? On balance, 21km of this ride will benefit from an aero bike, and for 3km a climbing bike. Unless you have your own (or team) reasons to go the other way, a good aero setup is the way to go. I will be on S-Works Venge/Super 9 rather than Tron… and hope to stay with our fast-4 on the climb. 

If you don’t have these bikes, pick your most aero setup. Here are some recommendations on equipment at various levels but check out Eric’s page that looks specifically at the best bikes for a flat course:

• Level 6 Zwift Aero frame and DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels
• Level 13 Canyon Aeroad 2021 and Zipp 808s
• Level 25 Cervelo S5 with Zipp 808s
• Level 33 S-Works Venge with ENVE SES 8.9
• Level 35 S-Works Venge with Zipp 808/Super 9
• Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge

Don’t have the Tron bike yet? The Giant Camden “Get the Tron” series is in full flight. This link on Zwifthacks will let you know the currently scheduled events. Team Giant Camden are well known for being a friendly lot and while they are based out of a bike shop in London, they have 200+ racers from all over the world with a very strong female contingent. The Tron Hunter rides are open to all…!

As always, the Zwift Insider reports on frames and wheels are superlative so if you want to find the perfect bike and wheel combo for you, check them out. 

Grudge Match

In lieu of target times (first time on the route and I’ve no idea what Box/Fox will do to you all), here’s my take on our own battle this week:

This is a grudge match of epic proportions… last week Vixens beat arch-enemies the Cheetahs (another Rowe and King team) across the plains of Watopia, to the top of a volcano, and back again. This week Vixens heroine Gaby has been kidnapped by the Cheetahs, and forced to race for them… but the VIxens retained the new Queen Bee Polly, along with mysterious stranger Jack. As this race loops around Greater London and heads into Surrey will the Vixens keep the crown, or will the Cheetahs find a way back to glory? There are 1050 teams competing, but only two matter tonight.  Both Vixens (hooray!) and Cheetahs (boo!) are Frappe teams of Cat B’s and C’s.

I will, of course, have the highlights reel published next Friday so you can see what happens in the soap opera that is R&K Vixens!!

Route Recon 

I rode this route so you can recon from the comfort of your armchair! 

But if you’re more inclined to read my recon, here we go! 

• As you go through the start/finish gate you have a 500m incline at 2%
• Descend for 1km at 2% into the tunnels, then come back up the other side at a shallow 1.2% 
• At the 3.6km mark you will turn sharp right onto Northumberland. 300m at 4.5% ending in a left turn.
• 2-bump descent towards Parliament
• Mostly flat for 5.5km until you start the descent to Hyde Park corner. Pick up speed as you descent into the tunnels.
• Piccadilly ascent starts at 11km. It stretches 900 meters and averages 2% – but it is broken into two 3% sections with a short flat in the middle. You will see the end of the climb approaching because the road turn sharp right.
• 3.9 km of flat or descending until you emerge in Surrey and begin the main climb of the ride – Box Hill… but don’t forget the short, sharp drop into the Underground at 15km.
• Box Hill starts at 16km. A lot of the climb is draftable but as it pitches over 5% and speeds drop the draft effect will lessen. Ideally stay together to benefit where you can. The climb breaks into into two sections
  • The first 800m (to the first sharp U-turn) is slightly steeper, getting up to 7.5%, averaging 5.5%
  • The last 2/3s (1.9km) is a steady gradient averaging 4.8%
  • The last 300m of the timed section is a slight downhill
• Box Hill Kicker
  • 150m peaking at over 10% – nobody can help you here… push hard and stay with your team-mates.
• Fox Hill Descent is a beautiful 2.4km (less beautiful if you’re going the other direction). It breaks into two supertuckable (is that a word) sections with a short flat section in between 
  • The trick to this descent is accelerate over the kicker and get speed up to supertuck speed as fast as you can… relax… but keep an eye on the gradient… when it dips below five, power on for 5-10 seconds to keep speed close to 55+ as you hit the second section.

Ride summary

Many teams will look at Box Hill as the decider on this course, but I believe your strategy in two key locations will actually make the difference: Box Hill’s kicker, and the Fox Hill Descent.

Hear me out – the weaker and/or heavier riders in the team will give 110% to get to the top of Box, but the kicker is like a wall and by then they have nothing left. You want them for the descent to allow the pack dynamics to kick in as you supertuck. DS’s, think about how to preserve some energy for the kicker, so you can get down the hill as fast as possible!