Zwift Chat

[<Tommy>]

Let’s look at it another way. A lot of us have been on here racing, talking cycling and general shite for 5+ years maybe (?). If everyone looks back at their own journey. Where they started from, where they are now (today). I see some people who go up and down up and down. Form wise, weight wise, motivation wise etc etc. And then another group who are much more consistent. There is some merging of the two groups but I do see some people being a lot more consistent than others. That second group are probably no more physically able than the first group. But maybe they’ve found the routine that they are able to sustain.

Obviously there’s other factors people might point to like well, real life taking over. Family, friends, work etc. but really we all deal with that to varying degrees so I’d say it evens itself out across the group.

 

[bobinski]

Well yes this is the point. Going on a training plan for a specific event or aim as you did. You get the results. No disputing that. What I’m saying is that whatever your regime, if you don’t sustain it then the results drop off. Be it a structured training plan someone’s fee you or one you’ve made yourself. So unless you’re willing to sustain training plans indefinitely or have a specific aim, then better to do something you can sustain. Do something you enjoy.

Overtraining is overtraining. A 21 year old can overtrain, an 80 year old can overtrain. Your age is your age. There’s people older than you who can take more load and people younger who can take less….

Absolutely, and i dont think you are saying this, but to be clear, no one can sustain it indefinetly. We all need a break. Or life gets in the way. You come back and whether its IRL rides and a bit of online racing or some other mix, you find your way back into or even stretch fitness, using what works. I absolutely agree you have to enjoy what you choose.

 

[straas]

My plan is to decamp to the outbuilding when View attachment 624928 the zwifting room becomes a dining room (the outbuilding’s full of stuff atm though…)

That's a lovely outbuilding!


Just saw this somewhere else, could make a decent zwift side table? The lilac is £17 with postage. https://www.rinkit.com/products/folding-space-saver-desk?variant=41638139625659

 

[Spartak]

I've been Zwifting since the initial lockdown, and stumbled across this group. I enjoy the banter as much as the racing on these pages.

Obviously I started as a D & progressed quite rapidly, as most probably do, to C where I stayed for a while gradually getting quicker, after a few quick TT 's and Crit City races I was promoted to B, thankfully that didn't last too long and I'm now happily back in C.

I'll never be a racing whippet or a great climber but I use Zwift for those times when I can't get out and ride.

We have a great team in the ZRL in Cat C land, with everyone taking part & encouraging when required.

I really enjoyed the real life meet up in Cheddar last June, it was great to meet fellow CC 'ers and enjoy some great cake.
Lets hope we can meet again in 2022....

 

[Whorty]

Probably like others, maybe not, but I ride for my health both physical and mental (mostly mental if I'm honest). I like the racing as I feel part of 'something'. I do the odd workout when I feel I want to do something different or want to push myself hard. I sit and cruise with the C pace partner when I just want to spin with a group of others.

I'm never going to be a whippet and super skinny. I'm never going to be disciplined enough for a full training programme and I don't think mentally the pressure of that would be good for me anymore. But everyone is different, and that's good.

I'm booking the Tenerife trip today, 19-25 Feb, so my goal the next 6 weeks is stay healthy, stay as 'trim' as I am, and get a few long rides in to get used to the long days in Tenerife (and multiple days!!).

So long as we enjoy what we do, that's the key

 

[straas]

Probably like others, maybe not, but I ride for my health both physical and mental (mostly mental if I'm honest). I like the racing as I feel part of 'something'. I do the odd workout when I feel I want to do something different or want to push myself hard. I sit and cruise with the C pace partner when I just want to spin with a group of others.

I'm never going to be a whippet and super skinny. I'm never going to be disciplined enough for a full training programme and I don't think mentally the pressure of that would be good for me anymore. But everyone is different, and that's good.

I'm booking the Tenerife trip today, 19-25 Feb, so my goal the next 6 weeks is stay healthy, stay as 'trim' as I am, and get a few long rides in to get used to the long days in Tenerife (and multiple days!!).

So long as we enjoy what we do, that's the key

Something to get you excited @Whorty https://theadventurecapitalist.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/winter-cycling-tenerife/

 

[berty bassett]

FWIW i have used a training plan post knee op, then a personalised training plan in 2020 and finally the zwift academy last year. I can't say for sure but the TP and the discipline the plan imposed post op, and after 8 weeks with my knee in a brace, really helped me get to a point where i was cycling up mountains outside Girona 3 months later. Another 3 months of Sufferfest training and i was able to ride reasonably well in the Alps...
View attachment 624924


I think at my age i benefit from the discipline a TP imposes and the calculations of effort as against accumulating fatigue. Sufferfest/SYSTM does all that and it works for me.That said i couldn't do a traineroad TP at all.

The personalised TP i did in layte 2019/2020 in anticipation of Flanders, a trip to Nice etc, allowed for a race a week, TTT's on a thursday. I hit my best ever ftp as i edged towards the end of the plan. Then covid hit and trips fell away so I started racing on tuesdays as well and ended up overtrained and pretty much ruined. I remember the race when it really hit home and where i just avoided coming last. It took a few months to recover-old age is a bastard.Then last year I did the zwift academy just to get a bit of structure back and a got an immdiadte small ftp boost. So, it works for me .

If i was younger and could race 2-3 times a week and recover quickly between each and continued to see improvement in power and endurance, however minimal, then i would probably just race. But i am not. As Tommy says, Martin is a great example of someone who adopts and sticks to a training plan and the benefits are obvious to see. And he's an old man too 😄

My memory is shot - is that the ride where I fixed a puncture half way up ?

 

[Whorty]

Something to get you excited @Whorty https://theadventurecapitalist.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/winter-cycling-tenerife/

Flight booked. Space reserved with the cycling company, just need to do the booking form now

Oh, and hope covid lets me travel

 

[BurningLegs]

Oh, and hope covid lets me travel

Is that covered by any insurance?

I wonder if the insurance companies are covering it or not? They’re pretty comfortable with predictable risks like floods etc but I’d think Covid risks would have them running for the hills??

 

[Whorty]

Is that covered by any insurance?

I wonder if the insurance companies are covering it or not? They’re pretty comfortable with predictable risks like floods etc but I’d think Covid risks would have them running for the hills??

Not put insurance in place yet, but from what I've seen covid is covered so long as you follow proper government advice re testing etc.

 

[bobinski]

The Dangers of Racing in your category



https://zwiftinsider.com/racing-in-...LOw7NLA2C_Vq3x_mr2Sx_7GGWGKI1WBSlx6nNh2rlIUvw

 

[<Tommy>]

The Dangers of Racing in your category



https://zwiftinsider.com/racing-in-...LOw7NLA2C_Vq3x_mr2Sx_7GGWGKI1WBSlx6nNh2rlIUvw

I find it hard to disagree with any of that.

 

[Whorty]

The Dangers of Racing in your category



https://zwiftinsider.com/racing-in-...LOw7NLA2C_Vq3x_mr2Sx_7GGWGKI1WBSlx6nNh2rlIUvw

As someone at the top of my cat, I agree with this (mostly). I certainly look for the mass start races (3R mostly) so that I'm in C, but could end up in a group with B's too. If nothing else it removes the influence of B sandbaggers who signed up to C cat

The 2 B races I did recently I had mixed fortunes. The flat race I made it to the end and even contested the final sprint. The race with the hill I blew up and had to bail. Both though were good workouts, although in neither race did I hit B numbers ... which was interesting as in the sprint race I came 11th, and the more hilly race I was well into the top 1/2 before I popped.

For the league though, I will continue to race in C (like Eric by the looks of it) as that helps the team, and my mates get to hear me swearing on Discord

Interesting article though

 

[<Tommy>]

As someone at the top of my cat, I agree with this (mostly). I certainly look for the mass start races (3R mostly) so that I'm in C, but could end up in a group with B's too. If nothing else it removes the influence of B sandbaggers who signed up to C cat

The 2 B races I did recently I had mixed fortunes. The flat race I made it to the end and even contested the final sprint. The race with the hill I blew up and had to bail. Both though were good workouts, although in neither race did I hit B numbers ... which was interesting as in the sprint race I came 11th, and the more hilly race I was well into the top 1/2 before I popped.

For the league though, I will continue to race in C (like Eric by the looks of it) as that helps the team, and my mates get to hear me swearing on Discord

Interesting article though

What part of the article did you disagree with Carl?

 

[Whorty]

What part of the article did you disagree with Carl?

Not disagree so much as just not agree totally with all of it. The article suggests catting up to get better, but as someone in the comments noted (and I was thinking before I read the comments) you need to stop those catting down first before you can convince people to cat up. In C races they can be as hard as flat B races because of the number of A and B riders, so I don't need to 'cat up' to race B riders. If I was only racing C riders then yes, to push myself then a B race would do it, but I can do C races and face similar competition.

Plus, if I choose the wrong B race and get dropped early, I'll end up doing a solo TT which is less of a workout than being at the pointy end of C races ... so the C race still gives me a better workout. So yes, as he says, it's about picking the right race to cat up to rather than every race.

If I have a choice of mass start race or not, I'd always choose the mass start so I'm effectively in B races anyway. It's a shame some of the crit races can't be mass starts ... that would be really interesting and fun.