Zwift Chat

[mjd1988]

Spoiler: Spoiler

 

[Legs]

Very impressive restraint, @Peter Salt

...whereas my graphs depict an absolute car-crash! The W'bal decrement in the 313W segment looks sustainable, so I'll aim at 310W and take it from there when I ride again on Friday. I was always going to be treating this one as a 'sighter'...

Zwifterbikes tells me that even if I can't rally at the end, I'd get 45:46 at 310W average power (possibly a bit faster, since it tends to be a bit pessimistic, plus I've been troubling the scales at around 71.5kg over the past few days, but didn't bother to update from 72kg last night - that's worth 15s, apparently!)
View attachment 697598

Well, I had a window of opportunity to go again last night, and it went slightly better - starting at 310-315W, I survived until Bend 10 before things started going wrong. My W'bal was barely depleted, and it wasn't that I was gassed - just that my legs felt weak and I wasn't able to do much more than soft-pedal.

I've plotted out my progress on the following graph - the x-axis represents constant 50-minute pace, and the three lines plotted are my PB set in a drafting race (46:33), Monday's badly-paced effort (47:23), and last night's ride (47:02). What's remarkable is how close they all are between Bends 6 and 5 - all three efforts within 6 seconds at these two points! Last night's effort was only redeemed by a big push between Bends 4 and 3, where I pulled out 14s. Clearly Bends 10 to 9, where the gradient ramps up to an average of 9.2%, is not a great place to have your legs fall off!

 

[Peter Salt]

Well, I had a window of opportunity to go again last night, and it went slightly better - starting at 310-315W, I survived until Bend 10 before things started going wrong. My W'bal was barely depleted, and it wasn't that I was gassed - just that my legs felt weak and I wasn't able to do much more than soft-pedal.

View attachment 697831

I've plotted out my progress on the following graph - the x-axis represents constant 50-minute pace, and the three lines plotted are my PB set in a drafting race (46:33), Monday's badly-paced effort (47:23), and last night's ride (47:02). What's remarkable is how close they all are between Bends 6 and 5 - all three efforts within 6 seconds at these two points! Last night's effort was only redeemed by a big push between Bends 4 and 3, where I pulled out 14s. Clearly Bends 10 to 9, where the gradient ramps up to an average of 9.2%, is not a great place to have your legs fall off!
View attachment 697835

If you kept that initial pace (from yesterday) up until the end, that would give you a time in the region of 45 minutes flat. Sounds to me like a simple case of fatigue. Get an ice bath like Pogi

 

[Legs]

If you kept that initial pace (from yesterday) up until the end, that would give you a time in the region of 45 minutes flat. Sounds to me like a simple case of fatigue. Get an ice bath like Pogi

That's the plan, but 'keeping up the initial pace' is easier said than done! I'm suffering a relative lack of endurance riding in recent weeks, having only really raced the Zwift Hill Climb Series, which for three weeks was only <7min efforts, and having suffered pretty badly with my hayfever.

It didn't help that I was a bit stressed-out last night that my HRM was refusing to pair with Zwift so I spent a good 10 minutes before my start, piddling about with adjusting the strap, unpairing and attempting to reconnect...

Maybe I'll have a gentle weekend of patio-building and give it one last go on Sunday night, when the training effect of having raced it already twice this week will kick in? Maybe take it down a few watts at the start...

 

[CXRAndy]

So

Well, I had a window of opportunity to go again last night, and it went slightly better - starting at 310-315W, I survived until Bend 10 before things started going wrong. My W'bal was barely depleted, and it wasn't that I was gassed - just that my legs felt weak and I wasn't able to do much more than soft-pedal.

View attachment 697831

I've plotted out my progress on the following graph - the x-axis represents constant 50-minute pace, and the three lines plotted are my PB set in a drafting race (46:33), Monday's badly-paced effort (47:23), and last night's ride (47:02). What's remarkable is how close they all are between Bends 6 and 5 - all three efforts within 6 seconds at these two points! Last night's effort was only redeemed by a big push between Bends 4 and 3, where I pulled out 14s. Clearly Bends 10 to 9, where the gradient ramps up to an average of 9.2%, is not a great place to have your legs fall off!
View attachment 697835

Sounds like you need a proper rest before attempting it again

 

[mjd1988]

Jumped on an Innsbruck ring race there. C cat but mass start. Definitely feel like changing things up with climbing portal was helpful, started with front group to the end and thought numbers up legsnapper were good on probably the course best suited to me.

As it turned out I was 150watts down on average over 40 odd seconds from my best on legsnapper so still a way to go but best overall numbers for a while. Might aim for more mass starts with the hopes of upgrading in the next couple of months.

 

[mjd1988]

Long odds but how great would a Andy Murray/Mark Cavendish double be?

 

[mjd1988]

Spoiler: Spoiler

it's the hope that kills! Still got gas in the tank though

 

[mjd1988]

Spoiler: Spoiler

I feel partially responsible for a bad day of British sport

 

[Legs]

Spoiler: Spoiler

I feel partially responsible for a bad day of British sport

Spoiler: Spoiler

Not all over yet for Liam Broady…

 

[CXRAndy]

What a sprint.

I was screaming at the TV

 

[Legs]

Spoiler: Spoiler

Not all over yet for Liam Broady…

Bugger.

 

[Peter Salt]

What a sprint.

I was screaming at the TV

Everyone saw it by now, right? What about that Philipsen move on Girmay? Alpecin absolutely bullying the hell out of everyone

 

[CXRAndy]

If Cav had a half decent lead out he would win easily. He carries so much speed from so far back.

 

[alex_cycles]

If Cav had a half decent lead out he would win easily. He carries so much speed from so far back.

That was a frustrating finish! Can't help disliking Phillipsen (probably because I have Cav and van Aert on my fantasy team and he's shafted beaten them both)