Zwift Chat

[mjd1988]

Out of interest, what was the B race like post-sprint each lap - wondering if it was like ours?

Basically once you hit the top of Constitution Hill, all the way to maybe Parliament Square, the pace massively dropped off almost like the leaders were happy for the group to reform and everyone get their breath back. The race really only restarted again on the climb up Whitehall each time.

The tricky bit was that if you had sprinted and needed to recover or (like me) had not sprinted and rolled across the line with the intention of catching up to the leaders after the sprint, there was a big risk that you might not get back into the group in time. I certainly had to chase back on hard 3 or 4 times and very nearly missed the catch once or twice, but once I was in the group I was able to recover at 2.3-2.4 w/kg easily.

Very similar. The one time I decided to relax for the sprint I expended the most energy chasing back on, whereas the couple of times I went all out I had a lovely recovery before the group caught.

From the last race @Whorty and I did on this course I knew there was no point trying to close down fliers after the hill as they never got away so just ploughed up it in the pack and conserved for the sprint

 

[berty bassett]

I can only echo what tommy said - time in stages like stage 3 is dependant on the speed of which group you’re in , no way of changing that
That is why I like the smaller races , say just all us lot , because it is more down to own effort
Really enjoy racing with / against tommy as there is no telling what way it goes
He got me this time - I will try in the next race 😁
This seems to happen every year , I hit the ground running but then plateau
Everyone else gets fit and wipe me out !
So come on Paul , Pete ,Al, norry burninglegs Bob - not so much tommy
Pull your fingers out and get fit 😁

 

[CXRAndy]

It was tough for me up the first climb. I'd not hit those kind of numbers for quite a while. I was just beginning to drop in HR when the pace upped towards the first sprint. I slipped off the back of the pack and the sprint took whole pack away. A pack formed just behind which ended up with myself Jeff and John in a group of maybe 10. We were pulling away from a larger group behind.

This is when I thought I could grab a few points by sprinting for a fast time. Unfortunately the pack apart from I think three of us, contested the sprints. There wasn't enough lead in speed to launch from, I had a faster sprint on the last lap, despite a much lower power, everyone was racing towards the finish. I was 6 mph faster entering the start on the final sprint

I didn't see my time for my first sprint, not knowing it just wasn't quick enough to trouble the top 10. I wouldn't have gone for my 2nd sprint and then should have been able to stay with my team mates.

#Hindsight

 

[Peter Salt]

Stage 3 Thursday 6pm for me

I'll consider joining you for that one, Andy. Won't be going usual race speed but will try 85-90%. Nothing is on the line so I can always slow down and limp to the finish

Everyone else gets fit and wipe me out !
So come on Paul , Pete ,Al, norry burninglegs Bob - not so much tommy
Pull your fingers out and get fit 😁

Oh, I'll get you one day mate. Not lacking motivation, just overdone it a bit and need to listen to my body. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger - will come back with double the force

 

[CXRAndy]

This seems to happen every year , I hit the ground running but then plateau

You need to accept you're an A cat. Race hard in that category to continue your development.

Then when you race Tommy, you can do this


View: https://i.imgur.com/fm65hXA.gif

 

[bridgy]

To be honest in these races if you’re sat in the front group and you can stay there the finish time will just depend on which group in which race is quicker so as much luck as anything else.

Still, I’m taking it! 15 seconds, 1 second doesn’t matter to me. A wins a win

This is of course true, but even on this relatively flat course the groups do split up so you need to be in good form to stay with the big boys at the front.

And looking at mine, yours and Lee's events on Zwiftpower, yours was the slowest of them all, and mine was the fastest! You just managed not to get dropped from the very fastest guys in your event. If you'd done that in my event you'd have been 2 minutes quicker.

So take the credit @<Tommy>

 

[Whorty]

Very similar. The one time I decided to relax for the sprint I expended the most energy chasing back on, whereas the couple of times I went all out I had a lovely recovery before the group caught.

From the last race @Whorty and I did on this course I knew there was no point trying to close down fliers after the hill as they never got away so just ploughed up it in the pack and conserved for the sprint

Same here ... the one lap I held back on the sprint i got spat out the back and had to work just as hard to latch back on as if I'd gone for the sprint .... was a bloody hard race though. Legs feel it today!

 

[CXRAndy]

Legs feel it today!

legs are fine, its my crispy lungs.

 

[steverob]

I had no intention of going for the sprints last night as I know from previous experience I haven't got enough short term power, so even if I go for them I'll still finish well outside the top 10 and run the risk of then getting dropped while I recover as I'll be knackered; better for me to keep a steady pace and see if I can hold the tail end of the sprinters group and eventually get back on.

On most laps the lead 15-20 riders did get a small gap but each time thankfully they slowed just enough that I (and the 10-15 other riders around me) were able to catch, regroup and then cruise for the next mile. Possibly team tactics came into play - dropping other riders who are a threat to you is one thing, but if two or three of your teammates are also in that second group, you're more likely to ease up.

However I did see a fair few people go for the sprint on the early laps, burn all their matches in doing so and end up losing the front group never to get back on, so it was a risky strategy unless you knew you were good enough to score some points. I did try on the penultimate lap sprint (thinking that would be the one with the least competition) and still was about a second behind 10th, which ironically was taken by @IrishAl that lap anyway.

If you did want to see my struggle to keep up with the pack and my terrible attempt at sprinting, the full video is below:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3mhh42MGBo

 

[<Tommy>]

You need to accept you're an A cat. Race hard in that category to continue your development.

Then when you race Tommy, you can do this


View: https://i.imgur.com/fm65hXA.gif

Should your wife be worried about this infatuation you have for lee?

Good luck tonight 👍

 

[alex_cycles]

Well that was fun but hard. Stage 3 ZP time: 58:21 @IrishAl https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=2556743 position 121
I took a whole second out of @BurningLegs (BE VERY AFRAID)

Stayed with my initial group for a lap and a half and then started feeling it so dropped back a bit to the next bunch. Managed to hold 3.0 W/kg though, which was more than stage 1 (2.8 w/kg) so quite pleased with that. A bit too much time yo-yoing in the bunch and more time than I would like not in the double-draft.

 

[<Tommy>]

This is of course true, but even on this relatively flat course the groups do split up so you need to be in good form to stay with the big boys at the front.

And looking at mine, yours and Lee's events on Zwiftpower, yours was the slowest of them all, and mine was the fastest! You just managed not to get dropped from the very fastest guys in your event. If you'd done that in my event you'd have been 2 minutes quicker.

So take the credit @<Tommy>

Thanks mate 👍. Yes, contrary to what Lee’s chief cheerleader / stalker seems to see from row Z, we have shared it out fairly evenly over the years haven’t we. I guess you’ve been there yourself enough times eh. Winning races I mean, hopefully you haven’t been stalked by a middle aged bloke shaking Pom poms too! It’s always more fun when we’re all racing together though isn’t it.

My power number was good last night so that was satisfying. But I got gapped slightly on the last climb so I guess the punch isn’t quite there at the moment.

Like Lee said it would be nice if we could find a time that suited us all to race each other more often.

@berty bassett, I spoke to Pete a week or so back and he’s aiming to make a comeback in a month or so hopefully. I think the Irishman might need some convincing though, he seems to be having fun in C cat.

 

[Whorty]

Anyone know what the course is next Tuesday? Can never find the race schedule on the WTRL website

 

[<Tommy>]

Same here ... the one lap I held back on the sprint i got spat out the back and had to work just as hard to latch back on as if I'd gone for the sprint .... was a bloody hard race though. Legs feel it today!

I think I mentioned that here on in the B team group. I think if you’re not going to contest a sprint you have to work on finding the middle ground just behind the sprinters. Ideally being near or at the front as the sprint begins.

 

[<Tommy>]

Anyone know what the course is next Tuesday? Can never find the race schedule on the WTRL website

4 laps of New York, park perimeter.

I’m not sure I’ve done it before.