A 50/50 split – Tips for WTRL TTT #77 – Sand and Sequoias

Since March I have become obsessed with the weekly Team Time Trial… so I asked Eric if i could share my obsession with you all, in weekly doses.

Each week on a Friday I will give you a profile of the upcoming WTRL TTT route, guidance on bike choice and some target times if you want to aim for the Premiere League (top-10 in each coffee class get to be in a special race televised on YouTube). 

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). 

Volcano Flat Reverse (#76) Recap

Before we look at next week let’s review this week’s performance on Volcano Flat Reverse. My goal is to predict the time a team needs to make PL next week. The trick for me is to get as close to 11th spot (top 11 teams per coffee class get an automatic invite to next week’s Platinum League) without going over. This week was doubly challenging since the route had never been ridden in a TTT before. 

Here’s how I did… it’s a mixed bag!

Well… I can feel good about all my virtual teams making it to PL… but I was pretty aggressive. Perhaps you guys are slowing down… where are those watts? 

How did I do today in Latte? It was an epic battle – my club has 2 Latte teams, and our arch-enemy the Cheetahs started 30 seconds behind us. They are typically stronger (but not as well disciplined I have to say) so it was a game of keep-away we were always going to struggle with. My valiant Hyenas were amazing… yes we were caught on the final lap – but our enemies over-cooked and after a couple of kilometers the Hyenas jettisoned the dead weight (me) and retook the lead position finishing 12 seconds ahead (net loss 18 seconds). I finished in 1:00:23, a couple of minutes behind.

Thursday 8th October – Sand and Sequoias

We are staying in Watopia again this week with two laps of Sand and Sequoias. This route is a regular on TTT – I have ridden it twice (once with CICC, once with R&K). In fact this was the route of my first TTT. Prior to that it has been raced four times – #51, 39, 26, and 19.

Two laps at 20km plus a lead in make this a 43km ride – add in a KOM and what we have here is one of the longest TTTs. Even top-flight teams will be in the saddle for an hour, and the rest of us should expect well over an hour. 

Essentially the route is out from the pens on the Fuego Flats desert then back via the Titans Grove sequoia forest. The last few weeks have lulled you all into a false sense of security… steady climbs, flat routes… all just a good time to practice team formation. This is where that practice will pay off. We do have an extended flat, sure – but we have rolling bumps, a challenging KOM, and more rolling bumps… the sequoias part of this course is definitely tricky for a team trial. 

From the desert pens we head straight for the sprint then through the start/finish gate. Through the desert for 10km (including the lead-in) before heading up the hill and into Titans Grove. From here it’s a sequence of rollers before heading up the KOM – 2.6km at a pretty steady 3%, then more rollers. It flattens out as you hit the desert again for the remaining 3.5km to the start/finish banner – then do it again. 

What to ride?

Bike recommendation on this route is tricky… for the Fuego Flats aero is king… but for Titans Grove the rollers give an edge to something more balanced. I will be on my Tron bike this week, leaving the Venge in the garage.

But – there’s a new game in own – at level 23 you can now get yourself a beautiful new Aeroad, shipped directly from Canyon in Germany to your Drop Shop. Eric has a full article with testing and such – but the breaking news is the Aeroad is significantly better than the Tarmac SL7 on all roads, and on a mixed/hilly route it’s pretty darned close to the S-Works Venge. So for this route, with its mix of flat and hills, my recommendation is to get the Aeroad if you’re at level 23+… I’m just not sure which wheels to use.

• Level 5 Specialized SL7 with Roval CLX64 or ENVE SES3.4
• Level 6 Ditch the Roval/ENVE and get the DT Swiss ARC 1100
• Level 23 – Ditch the SL7 and get the Canyon Aeroad… keep the DTSwiss hoops
• Level 33 S-Works Venge… keep the DTSwiss
• Level 40 S-Works Venge with Zipp 858
• Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge

In this case though, if you have a Tron, use it… it beats every other bike on this route hands down. I cannot stress highly enough that if you are racing you need to be working on Tron. It’ll take a while, but just set the Everest Challenge and forget about it for nine months… like having a baby. 

I’d love to hear from you about what you ride and why. Share it in the comments below?

Route Recon Rides

The last couple of weeks I have struggled to find good recce rides – but Sand and Sequoias is everywhere! – check for yourself on the event listing on zwifthacks.com. 

• Saturday
  • For those in the antipodes, Europe and the UK there’s a great 3R race
  • A little later, once the Americans wake up, Team Vegan have a race as well
• Sunday
  • Something a little more laid back? How about this 2.5 w/k ride
  • Or for a really gentle ride around there is this sub-2.0

Race Breakdown 

As you can see from the route map courtesy of VeloViewer, the route is divided into two parts – flat in the desert, hilly in Titans Grove. There is an official Zwift race recon – but i didn’t think this one translated well to a TTT.

Start through the end of the Flats

It’s 10k from the pens to the start of the rise into the sequoias. There are a couple of tiny rises but you won’t notice them as you speed through.  

Col du Saddle Springs

Some wag on Strava coined this term for a segment and I couldn’t resist using it. After 10km flat this is the first real rise – a perfect opportunity for your lighter, stronger climbers to jump ahead and create a split! Rein in those riders and keep everyone together. This first little hill is just 2% for 900m up to the turn into Titans Grove.

More up than down – the approach to the KOM

Rounding the bend from the Col you head into Titans Grove – a very pretty section, although you won’t have the energy for sightseeing. Before the KOM itself are a jagged series of bumps heading upwards before the descent that marks the approach to the KOM itself. This segment feels just like The Esses to me – plenty of opportunity to gain momentum and increase the team’s speed, but also a risk of splitting up.

Titan’s Grove KOM

On the face of it, this is a 2.5km drag at 2%, winding up and around the mountain with three beautiful switchbacks. But the top and bottom are kinda flat… so the middle is steeper. Think of this as a 1km at 4%. That’s enough height and distance to create a split – particularly on the second time around.

I have raced this on two TTTs and in both we lost someone on this segment. Depending on your race strategy that might be fine on the second time through of course.

More down than up… after the KOM and back to the desert

Once you go through the KOM the grade heads downwards. There’s a 4% downhill for a 1.4 km where you will pick up speed, then a series of rollers. With tired legs after the KOM (particularly on lap 2) this will put strain on the team. Keep an eye out for splits in the group.

After the rollers it flattens out as you speed back into the desert, through the sprint and on to the Start/Finish banner.

Target times

There splits here are at 10, 20 and 30 kilometers.

• Split 1 (10km) – Just before the Col du Saddle Springs
• Split 2 (20km) – As you reconnect to the Desert from Titans Grove
• Split 3 (22km) – Passing the futuristic building in Saddle Springs (it’s the LAX control tower)

How have you done in the last few attempts on this course?

Ok… so here’s how I see it. Autumn is coming and the number of teams is picking up. I think you’re all going to do a little better than in July:

Wrapup

This race is all about decision-making. You will be flat out on the flat, and the hills will strain the team… people will get dropped. The question is do you wait for them, or do you drop them?