Zwift Chat

[BurningLegs]

You'd probably mute me in-game too then, @JLaw. I can get a bit chatty. Mostly in that middle third of a race when things quieten down and the pace drops but sometimes at the pointy moments too. I can get a bit sarcastic at times

Today I was trying to do some damage on the final climb before the bridge - pushing at about 5w/kg and hoping to get a small group to follow me but nobody was having it and just letting me go. I knew I wouldn't make it to the finish on my own from there so settled into the group at 4w/kg and started making sarcastic comments about the group being full of sprinters.

 

[Del C]

Looks like some excellent rides from the Cyclechat team tonight.

Don't know what happened to me tonight. Just didn't seem up for it.

I really didn't go for the start properly and just let the group go. Thought of just dropping out but decided to carry on, and then when it was too late, somehow I decided to ride. I overtook all the also-rans and put over 5 minutes into some of them over 3 laps. Even Strava told me my ride was 'harder than my usual effort'. All a bit pointless if you start the race in a half hearted manner.

Does anyone else ever get days like that?

 

[mjd1988]

Sorry guys ... I let myself down,, my friends down, my family down

For all the great work the team did tonight ... and feck me, what an amazing team effort .... I just couldn't drop him. Legs just didn't have it tonight. I thought we'd have him on the 2nd climb but he had the 2 strong riders with him who kept bringing him back (plus Ferres initially until he went off the front).

Really enjoyed riding as a team

The sprints probably did it too for me tonight - 'won' points on the first sprint but looks like that didn't count 3rd on 2nd sprint, but nothing on 3rd sprint and almost dropped. I knew at that point i didn't have much left.

Had to work really hard that final climb to not get dropped. I was on my limit the whole way up. So glad you didn't wait for me Brendan - much better for you to beat Ferres

Thanks @Ketty , @mjd1988 , @Freelanderuk , @Brendan Parker , @CXRAndy for the support on the road and @Marino.g for the support on chat

Don't be silly just not your day! Bad course when you need a break as there is really no let up

 

[Whorty]

Looks like some excellent rides from the Cyclechat team tonight.

Don't know what happened to me tonight. Just didn't seem up for it.

I really didn't go for the start properly and just let the group go. Thought of just dropping out but decided to carry on, and then when it was too late, somehow I decided to ride. I overtook all the also-rans and put over 5 minutes into some of them over 3 laps. Even Strava told me my ride was 'harder than my usual effort'. All a bit pointless if you start the race in a half hearted manner.

Does anyone else ever get days like that?

I go into races feeling like that sometimes. If I start hard it normally wakes me up, but if not then I know it's going to be a very painful ride.

At the end of the day we're only human - we have good and not so good days. I'll try to ride in B some more going forward, see if I can kick start my progression, so you know there will be at least one more rider behind you in races

 

[Milzy]

That was a fun blast. Sadly I couldn't hold the front group. I definitely need more race practice.
I couldn't believe Steens break aways. Staying out there for good periods of time 12 seconds or so off the front. Brought back and attacking straight off the front again. Never seen anything like it. He must be awarded the combative award.

 

[steverob]

That was fun!

My first even Wahoo League win which was also my first outright race win on Zwift (the actual Zwift race, you know what I mean) and all thanks to @steverob and his MTB advice

It was a fast start but I managed to keep up with the road bikes on the 2km lead in to the dirt. I looked and Steve was a few seconds behind and didn't know if I should attack or wait up... I thought it best to attack and went for a 25km solo breakaway. Managed to keep everyone at bay by the end of the first climb and then extended my lead each lap thereafter.

Quite interesting how no one twigged on that me and Steve were on MTBs and changed.

On the climb on lap 3 with everyone settled in their positions we all dropped the pace and rolled over the line. Series done. And a new FTP of 262!

I wasn't able to hold the front group out of the pens, but did manage to keep them in sight during the tarmac phase - the furthest they got ahead was 7 seconds. Once we were on the dirt I was able to reel them in and made the catch at the T-junction; then was able to get a gap off the front of the group within another quarter of a mile.

By that time @Joffey already had an 8 second lead. He did ask if I wanted him to wait, but I didn't feel I had a big enough gap to the chasers yet and didn't want him getting caught by the group - especially as at that point I thought the others would change bikes at the lap banner and so remove our advantage. I wanted to put 10-15 seconds into them first just in case.

Of course, it turned out that none of them even realised about the power of the MTB (until we told them on lap 3) and so we rode away from everyone else for the rest of the race, barring one sandbagger who overtook me on the bridge on lap 2 - though even while he was doing 3.5 w/kg, I was still able to keep in his draft for half a lap and managed to overtake him briefly on one of the downhill bits, much to his consternation!

 

[Whorty]

Don't be silly just not your day! Bad course when you need a break as there is really no let up

Yeah, legs just a bit heavy and nowhere to hide on that course.

Shame Zwift crashed on me on stage 1 ... I'd have been 40 points further ahead Great riding with you guys though. You and Brendan have got really strong during these races, you'll both do well in B

 

[Brendan Parker]

Does his chatter drive you nuts? It certainly did for me a couple years ago when we were racing C together. I think I muted everyone in response.

yer he kept messaging me to push on, then i nabbed the second sprint off him after he pulled me up the hill, felt a bit bad (it soon passed) then i told him i wasn't pulling as i was under team orders and he left me alone

 

[JLaw]

(I think I'm running quite close to the 95% limit now looking at tonight's ride - could someone who knows what they are doing maybe have a look for me on Zwift Power and see if that is the case so I can adjust my effort not to get DQ'd on the Wed night league? - Thanks)

I'm not exactly sure what the rules are, but you've got 2.5, 2.48 and 2.43, and no "almost C" note. So I'd guess you're clear for a full effort for at least the next 2 races.

 

[Whorty]

yer he kept messaging me to push on, then i nabbed the second sprint off him after he pulled me up the hill, felt a bit bad (it soon passed) then i told him i wasn't pulling as i was under team orders and he left me alone

He needs more mates to ride with him ... or maybe we could get him to join CC

 

[steverob]

Oh, and like Joffey, I also managed to increase my FTP! 235 to 237 isn't exactly great shakes, but at least it shows that I was putting down a significant effort on the first lap and a half!

 

[JLaw]

You'd probably mute me in-game too then, @JLaw. I can get a bit chatty. Mostly in that middle third of a race when things quieten down and the pace drops but sometimes at the pointy moments too. I can get a bit sarcastic at times

Today I was trying to do some damage on the final climb before the bridge - pushing at about 5w/kg and hoping to get a small group to follow me but nobody was having it and just letting me go. I knew I wouldn't make it to the finish on my own from there so settled into the group at 4w/kg and started making sarcastic comments about the group being full of sprinters.

Maybe. But I've never been all that social while racing. To me it seemed like more whining than anything. Whining about the sandbaggers riding off the front, whining about them when they lapped the legit C lead group and the ensuing mayhem, whining about drafting off sandbaggers when he was doing it too, etc. Jut got damn annoying.

 

[Add]

Hi sorry for not checking in, been busy as hell. I’ll try and make Friday, put me down as a definitely/ maybe.

 

[Whorty]

Maybe. But I've never been all that social while racing. To me it seemed like more whining than anything. Whining about the sandbaggers riding off the front, whining about them when they lapped the legit C lead group and the ensuing mayhem, whining about drafting off sandbaggers when he was doing it too, etc. Jut got damn annoying.

He does like to chat Last week he drafted off the sandbaggers, but on a different week when we were riding with them he got all shirty (and we didn't even know they were sandbaggers!). Best to ignore him

 

[steverob]

I think I'm running quite close to the 95% limit now looking at tonight's ride - could someone who knows what they are doing maybe have a look for me on Zwift Power and see if that is the case so I can adjust my effort not to get DQ'd on the Wed night league? - Thanks

Yes, you were pretty close - 2.499 w/kg tonight - can't get much closer than that! Having said that, you do get a 0.1 w/kg leeway for a single race, so you still would have been okay tonight.

Long term though, you are getting close to C, but not quite close enough for ZP to list you as "Nearly C". Remember that on this particular measurement there is NO leeway - if you go over 2.5 w/kg, you're reclassified immediately.

Your current average is 2.471 w/kg. Given your two current best results (tonight and the Borekop race from 2 weeks ago), if you go over 2.523 w/kg in any race, that will be enough to bring your average over 2.5. At current weight, that means you cannot do more than 274 watts for your best 20 minutes - for comparison, tonight you did 272 watts.