Zwift Chat

[<Tommy>]

Well that was bloomin awful - and made worse by having to watch my rivals in the league ride away from me and being completely unable to respond!

My running's going well though

Seriously though well done everyone - tough stage!

Oh yeah, 1:02:42 for me

Tough stage indeed mate. Really Bad luck for hitting the wall so hard like that. I thought I was joining you.

I had so little to give at the bottom of the hill. To be honest if you hadn’t been on my wheel I’d of thought about quiting. But I somehow found I little bit as the hill went on. By the top of the climb I’d clawed a minute back on berty and Pete which which seems a bit crazy how bad I felt inside.

I think I’ll prob have the same time as Lee as we crossed the line together I think.

Well done everyone who did that. Fu*king horrendous doesn’t cover it !

 

[bobinski]

 

[berty bassett]

View attachment 494430

hes done it again

 

[IrishAl]

Dunno how that happened? I was thinking the gap was closer than that! I got a bit of a tow from Pete and A AC but I assumed Tommy and Bridgy were marking each other and would respond on the radio tower climb. I was hanging on at that point and didn’t have much left in the tank on the descent or run in to the finish.

 

[IrishAl]

Binned my ride. All was going well until the dip before the final climb to the summit.
I got caught out there before so I dropped onto the inner ring and spun up like a roller racer but the propped resistance never came back, it was like riding up a 3%.
Not so keen on these undulating rides though.

Was there a problem with your trainer? You went over the summit of the climb around 20 seconds ahead of me. I eventually got back to you with around 4 km to go.

 

[AAAC 76C]

Was there a problem with your trainer? You went over the summit of the climb around 20 seconds ahead of me. I eventually got back to you with around 4 km to go.

If you saw my HR at the top of the climb you would have phoned WADA.
It was climbing into the mid 160's before the dip before the final climb and then as I spun into the 11° the correct restance was not happening so I just calmly road to the top hoping someone would catch me.

The finish after the descent was not the one I was expecting and then there was all of the banter going on about where the finish was and I just lost interest and as my climbing stats were not 'sane' I did not save the ride.

 

[<Tommy>]

Dunno how that happened? I was thinking the gap was closer than that! I got a bit of a tow from Pete and A AC but I assumed Tommy and Bridgy were marking each other and would respond on the radio tower climb. I was hanging on at that point and didn’t have much left in the tank on the descent or run in to the finish.

I honestly wasn’t even sure I was going to make the start line. As a hangover from my weekend illness I kept feeling dizzy and a bit disorientated. I couldn’t work out what the problem was... then my eldest suggested I was dehydrated from all the vomiting. She suggested I take some dioralyte and I started to feel better almost straight away. God bless teenagers and they’re pharmaceutical knowledge eh!

I had no chance of hanging on to you guys on the climb. My energy levels were just so low I couldn’t get going at the bottom. I was just trying to work out the time gaps and keep Pete and lee below a minute and a half in front of me to hang on to a podium spot. Then when I saw you gap them it did me a massive favour because I figured they might lose a bit of momentum. I was watching your group a while hoping it would split sooner than it did but Pete must of been putting in a great effort to Sri I in there with Lee.
But the I slowly started clawing time back on them, watching the time slowly come in, gave me a bit of the energy boost that I needed. Still can’t believe I bridged the gap to be honest.

I was extremely lucky bridgy was off his game last night because nine times out of ten he smells blood there and buried me. But last night it was obvious he was battling against it big time too.

I think that’s the hardest effort I’ve ever put in without trying to sound too dramatic. But I was really struggling. If my math is right I’ve got second spot on the podium right now and I’ll definitely take that!

You thoroughly deserve the league Alan. Don’t think anyone could dispute that mate. Class all month mate. Absolute class

 

[IrishAl]

If you saw my HR at the top of the climb you would have phoned WADA.
It was climbing into the mid 160's before the dip before the final climb and then as I spun into the 11° the correct restance was not happening so I just calmly road to the top hoping someone would catch me.

The finish after the descent was not the one I was expecting and then there was all of the banter going on about where the finish was and I just lost interest and as my climbing stats were not 'sane' I did not save the ride.

That’s a pity about your trainer as you would have easily held on to win the stage by a good margin - It is very difficult to pull back time on the big downhill when the group is spread out so widely.
Are you still using the bkool? I’ve had issues in the past where it’s resistance felt low and power output high. It only seemed to happen in Zwift events.

 

[IrishAl]

I honestly wasn’t even sure I was going to make the start line. As a hangover from my weekend illness I kept feeling dizzy and a bit disorientated. I couldn’t work out what the problem was... then my eldest suggested I was dehydrated from all the vomiting. She suggested I take some dioralyte and I started to feel better almost straight away. God bless teenagers and they’re pharmaceutical knowledge eh!

I had no chance of hanging on to you guys on the climb. My energy levels were just so low I couldn’t get going at the bottom. I was just trying to work out the time gaps and keep Pete and lee below a minute and a half in front of me to hang on to a podium spot. Then when I saw you gap them it did me a massive favour because I figured they might lose a bit of momentum. I was watching your group a while hoping it would split sooner than it did but Pete must of been putting in a great effort to Sri I in there with Lee.
But the I slowly started clawing time back on them, watching the time slowly come in, gave me a bit of the energy boost that I needed. Still can’t believe I bridged the gap to be honest.

I was extremely lucky bridgy was off his game last night because nine times out of ten he smells blood there and buried me. But last night it was obvious he was battling against it big time too.

I think that’s the hardest effort I’ve ever put in without trying to sound too dramatic. But I was really struggling. If my math is right I’ve got second spot on the podium right now and I’ll definitely take that!

You thoroughly deserve the league Alan. Don’t think anyone could dispute that mate. Class all month mate. Absolute class

Thanks Tommy. It’s a shame you took Ill so close to the final stage. I genuinely thought you and Bridgy were going to take the top 2 this month that’s why I was so surprised to see such a big time gap. When you were in the virtual leaders jersey at the foot of the climb I was worried me and Bridgy were done for.
You’ve both definitely got good reasons to have another go at that stage but I can imagine the thought of going full gas on that circuit would put off even the best. I can’t make Thursday evening s as I’m away in Dublin for work and won’t get back to late evening.
Thanks for pushing me so hard- this has definitely been the closest league I can recall acrossAll cats. Everyone is certainly on the up.

 

[peterob]

League updated with all the times I think I'm aware of from last night. Please let me know if I've missed anyone.

Big hats off to Al who put in a superb effort last night to climb to the top (to the telegraph tower and the league) . I think we all found that super-tough last night, but having guys around us on the road and in the league spurred us on.

Good luck to anyone racing that course on Thursday or doing it during the week!

 

[<Tommy>]

Thanks Tommy. It’s a shame you took Ill so close to the final stage. I genuinely thought you and Bridgy were going to take the top 2 this month that’s why I was so surprised to see such a big time gap. When you were in the virtual leaders jersey at the foot of the climb I was worried me and Bridgy were done for.
You’ve both definitely got good reasons to have another go at that stage but I can imagine the thought of going full gas on that circuit would put off even the best. I can’t make Thursday evening s as I’m away in Dublin for work and won’t get back to late evening.
Thanks for pushing me so hard- this has definitely been the closest league I can recall acrossAll cats. Everyone is certainly on the up.

To be honest though even if I was feeling better you of probably just put your foot down harder!

And then of course there’s all that time you put on yourself from stage do overs. Definitely in a league of your own mate👍👍

 

[bridgy]

Now the pain has started to fade - great race last night, and a great league too. This is why we do it - racing really pushes anyone with a competitive bone in their body to another level of effort - and I think even more so when its against people you know, like in this league!

I just didn't quite have the legs last night at any stage of the race - that's not to say I had an awful race but I definitely didn't have that top few % that makes all the difference. Last month's finale was a similar route and I averaged 16 watts less last night and was over a minute slower up the mountain - and it still hurt more! (I did a run on Monday night but when I did that ride last month I hadn't run for several days, so that was possibly the difference in my legs). But that's the way it goes, and well done to @IrishAl in particular for a cracking - and well paced ride.

I won't be able to make the Thursday re-run so good luck to whoever has a go then (can't say I'm too disappointed about that!)

 

[Del C]

Now the pain has started to fade - great race last night, and a great league too. This is why we do it - racing really pushes anyone with a competitive bone in their body to another level of effort - and I think even more so when its against people you know, like in this league!

I just didn't quite have the legs last night at any stage of the race - that's not to say I had an awful race but I definitely didn't have that top few % that makes all the difference. Last month's finale was a similar route and I averaged 16 watts less last night and was over a minute slower up the mountain - and it still hurt more! (I did a run on Monday night but when I did that ride last month I hadn't run for several days, so that was possibly the difference in my legs). But that's the way it goes, and well done to @IrishAl in particular for a cracking - and well paced ride.

I won't be able to make the Thursday re-run so good luck to whoever has a go then (can't say I'm too disappointed about that!)

This is a great write up. It really does capture what I think the league is about.

I wasn't at my best yesterday. No particular reason. We all have days when we feel right on it, and some days when that feeling isn't quite there. I knew it would be a hard ride. Titan's Grove is a tough start, especially when its positioned ahead of the KoM and then the Radio Tower.

I went on a 9.5 mile warm up lap around the Greater London Loop including Box Hill to get my legs warm and loosened up. But I never really got off as quickly as I'd hoped and I think I paid for the warm up in the later stages of the race. I dug in really hard, but I was really biting the handlebars at that point.

But despite all that, when I lost the leading group early on, I settled into working with Nick (@BurningLegs ) and we worked well right to the end of the race. We had slightly different strategies. I knew I was tired, so my ride was defensive to keep any gap as small as possible and protect my lead at the top of the C Cats. Nick was hoping to attack near the end, closing the gap between him and me and extending the gap to 3rd place.

So, we had exactly the same tactics and duel taking place as was going on up the road between the B Cat riders.

And this is one of the key factors that makes this league so much fun. The other factors I see are the camaraderie between the riders, which this forum helps build, with plenty of banter and the endless search for the perfect excuse. Also, the courses available offer a wide range of races from the hard, short flat TT stages, through to the difficult mountainous stages like last night.

I used to hate turbo training before I decided to take early retirement, almost 6 years ago. I wish I'd have had Zwift and a smart trainer back then. I'd have thought entirely differently about it.

 

[BurningLegs]

Woken up with a banging headache and sore throat this morning. I blame the cold temps up at the radio tower!

 

[<Tommy>]

Now the pain has started to fade - great race last night, and a great league too. This is why we do it - racing really pushes anyone with a competitive bone in their body to another level of effort - and I think even more so when its against people you know, like in this league!

I just didn't quite have the legs last night at any stage of the race - that's not to say I had an awful race but I definitely didn't have that top few % that makes all the difference. Last month's finale was a similar route and I averaged 16 watts less last night and was over a minute slower up the mountain - and it still hurt more! (I did a run on Monday night but when I did that ride last month I hadn't run for several days, so that was possibly the difference in my legs). But that's the way it goes, and well done to @IrishAl in particular for a cracking - and well paced ride.

I won't be able to make the Thursday re-run so good luck to whoever has a go then (can't say I'm too disappointed about that!)

You know if you started running a few times a week you could probably take a shot at the London marathon. I’m sure a few of the boys would be more than happy to chip in some sponsorship if they saw you putting in the extra miles. Just saying...