Zwift Race League e-race Team! and Bike Tinkering

Some bike tinkering whilst I recover from the latest Zwift beasing encompassed adding bar tape to the single speed. I have been holding back doing this for. . . .well. . . 4 years. I kind of liked the basic white rubber grip that came with the bike in 2016. But I was not liking the mould that had formed on the grips over time!

Before with white grips, vintage KSA compound cruncher:

After with matching blue bar tape:

So after the 100 mile TT I have finally recovered. I have decent legs coming out of the build and race effort so I have taken the plunge and joined an e-race team to race the official Zwift Racing League Season 4! I will race for Socks4Watts, with the first event a TTT on 28 Sep 21. I am motivated for this and have tested the legs in a couple of shorter races. I held some good power numbers but lost out on the race podiums due to my poor sprinting ability. I need hillier courses!  

Race report to follow!

What’s Been Happening the last 3 Months!

Shoddy blogging skills and focus - that’s what’s been happening. Loads going on with work and CJ preparing for Uni; Lots if admin stuff has been pushed aside. So time for a catch up. 

My hip and knee injuries lingered on for ages. I had to make the decision to withdraw from the London Duathlon. Slightly gutted about this as the race was my main goal for so long. Being delayed twice due to COVID-19, it was finally happening. So I had to reset my head-space. I could cycle despite the injuries. So I hastily entered a 50 mile TT with Jase Walkley. I had no expectations other than ride and enjoy having a number on my back. 

I’d bagged a LeCol speed suit to try out too. At least my clothing would be aero, even if my bike and position were slightly retro! The course a variation of the A50 dual carriageway route that I did in 2013 to set my 25 mile PB of 55:26.  My 50 mile PB of 1:59:23 dates back to 2009 from a course in the A1 in Cambridgeshire. 

As the race started I knew the weather was good for fast times. I was surprised to be hold 40kph+ with little effort. No doubt the consistent Zwift racing and training had me in better form than I thought. After the first 25 miles I was still holding 40kph and thoughts drifted into the possibility of breaking 2 hours, which was a benchmark I’d never see again at my age. After all, my last TT effort in 2019 for 25 miles saw me suffer badly to clock 62+ min. As I turned for home on the final leg towards Etwall I decided to empty the tank and really push. The result was a negative split of just under 59 min for the second 25 and a finish time for 50 miles of 1:58:33!! This was a life-time PB and I was well chuffed. Jase rode 1:50:00. Insane speed, helped by his work on improving his aero position. 

So after the 50 mile success and not having the London Duathlon to focus on, I needed a goal for early September. So I entered a 100 mile TT that was basically the same course as the 50 done twice. Is completed a 100 TT in 2014 in 4:34, but ridden on feel at perceived IM pace. But 100 miles is a long way and getting the pacing and nutrition  right would be essential. Jase recommended Maurten nutrition. This is a drink mix that gives you all the carbs needed. So no solid feeding or gels required. I’d been struggling with stomach problems on long rides when eating solids. So I tested the Maurten on a 3 hour TT shake down ride and it was great. I’d felt strong throughout. 

I focussed all training in the 100 mile TT and virtually stopped running totally. Most of the training was on Zwift. But I did bag some long IRL rides, including a spin out to Winnat’s Pass. What a brutal climb!  

I was concerned about going too hard too early on the 100. So as my start approached I did minimal warm up. Then as I pushed off I kept the effort level way down. Julie was going to meet me at the North turn point to give me water bottles. The Maurten would be carried in a single bottle in a concentrate. After the first 90 min I approached the first bottle collection. I’d not felt great but seeing Julie at that turn kind of perked me up. I felt much more fluid as I headed back to the next turn. I was averaging just over 38kph. This was faster than I thought I’d go and my maths assessed I could get under 4:10 if I didn’t blow up. 

As I reached 85 miles I felt strong and the Maurten was working great. No stomach problems and lots of energy. So I pushed for home, increasing the lower significantly. I felt like I’d saved too much but maybe that perception is wrong and I’d just paced it well. Better to finish strong than dying feeling crappy. My neck seized up during the last few miles and I really struggled to keep aero. I may have lost some time there but not much. 

I clocked 4:07:21. Well happy with that. Sun-4 hours is not possible for me. The conditions were great for this race; the younger power monsters producing phenomenal times. Not sure I’ll try a 100 again. It’s a bit of a beast. Tempted to try some more 50 mile races. 

Rides and Rehab + Kit Stuff

It has been over a month since my last update. Quite a lot going on but no racing due to my hip problem. I should have raced the Darley Moor Duathlon end of May 21 but no way was the hip ready to run hard. Basically, I continue to rehab myself back to running. I hit the rehab too hard to begin with and made it worse I think!

As I type this my hip feels much better and I am progressing a run/walk protocol. Never done this before but t seems a really good way to return to running. 

The weather has improved in June and this has enabled me to really test the Giant TCR mega-bike! This bike is simply awesome. The power transfer is amazing and the electronic gears make everything so slick. I have led a couple of NTC Saturday Group rides on the TCR; so it has had a real test over the last few weeks. I had a full gas blast up Alsager's Bank (local climb of 1.5k). This climb really kicks up near the top but the bike was amazing. I managed to get in the top 10, averaging 343W for 3:43! 

I think every Blog entry will have a TCR pic from now on!

My old man eye sight was struggling with the old Garmin 500 head unit. So I splashed out on a Wahoo Roam Head Unit.

Wow! What a great piece of kit! Very happy with this gadget. Mainly because I can provide a live feed to Juebs; she can see where I am at any point in time. Also I can plan routes and get directions as I ride. I used this functionality whilst leading an NTC Group Ride and it was a real help.  I also loaded a starred that STRAVA segment for Alsager's Bank. The alert function flashed GO! at the start of the segment. Great fun to use when riding.

Ceebs has tested positive for COVID; so it is self-isolation for us now for 10 days. Just when I was getting back to running! So I am building the skipping and plyo work in the garden. Hopefully this will keep my running come back on track.

New Bike Alert!!!

Not quite sure what happened last week. I took my TT bike to Mammoth Cycles in Stafford for some TLC; it was feeling a bit clunky in the drive system area. Whilst there I saw a stunning Giant TCR - to be precise, a

2021 Giant TCR Advanced SL 1 Disc : Sram Force eTAP AXS in Navy / Red

I had never actually seen, or even considered how electronic gears work. I thought they were all the same. But the SRAM etap on the bike, along with the classic TCR frame and paintwork, just blew me away. Long story short, I now have this bike:

I don't think these pictures do it justice. I tweaked the seat post and that was it; the fit feels custom made for me. I have taken it for a shake down ride of around an hour. The ride is awesome. It is so light and responsive but also has an aero feel to it. The etap is amazing. I could go on. . . .You get the message. I like this bike somewhat!

Catching Up - Alp PB, 5K Run TT, WGT Spring/Summer Zwift Racing

 So quite a lot to review and catch up with. Whilst I have not been racing IRL, I have been very busy and certainly training pretty full-on.

First up, moving on after the WGT Winter Zwift racing with WhittleFit, there is now a Spring/Summer Zwift race league. Not as many events but this time running is integral to the results. We can bag a 5K and 10K Run TT result to add to the 6 Zwift bike races. There are 5 results to count; so a decent run result could trump a poor bike result. Even better - for me - is the Age Group format, rather than Zwift Categories. Mind you, the AG cats are spread by 10 years, which is a huge spread of ability when you are looking at 50 -59. I certainly know I was significantly faster at 51 than I am now at 56. 

Anyway, the first 2 Zwift races have been completed and I have logged a 5K TT at the Track. Here is the full schedule.

I had a good race on 20 Mar 21, finishing 3rd overall and winning my AG. I was able to hang with the lead group without too much trouble - but then so did a big group of riders from all cats. Then it was a blast up the Volcano KOM. I managed a PB climb there of 6:52. This was my first race on the Wahoo with Climb and it was fantastic. . .Really like the Wahoo. Goodbye NEO!

After this race, I knew I had good legs. So I did an Alp Du Zwift solo TT and bagged 44:08!! Another PB by some margin. Not sure how much the Wahoo helped here as the power read out on the Neo was always lower when compared to my Vector pedals. The Wahoo is much more closely aligned.

After the Alp PB I had my COVID jab. Man, I just felt crappy for over 2 weeks. I started to pick up just in time for the next WGT race, which was a short blast of 6 laps in Yorkshire. I knew the course as I had done numerous Zwift TTs on it last year. But the big power monsters would be far quicker. I really enjoyed the race itself and was able to hang with the lead group again. It came down to a sprint, which was slightly up hill. This suited my but I still lost some ground, finishing 7th overall but importantly wining my AG again - only by 3 tenths of a second!

I had to bag a 5K Runn TT result at some pint and with the conditions looking good I opted to do this at the track prior to an NTC structured session. Running 5K on the track solo was mentally challenging! I felt good for the first 2K and was constant at 3:32 per k pace. This was far better than I thought I could run. But then the fatigue started to build and it became very tough. As the laps ticked by I knew it would be close to break 18 min - a secret stretch target for me! Boom! 17:56! Very happy with that. I have only done 2 track sessions all year. So hopefully, I may get even faster?  Maybe!  The pacing turned out spot on:

The next WGT race is a testing 80K TT. I have been riding in an aero position on the TT bike more recently. The position is starting to feel more natural again - did I ever ride an Ironman in this position! But the Specialized Transition is going to the Spa soon for some TLC - new drive chain components. So the WGT race may be ridden on the Evo2Max. It will be interesting to see how the TT bike feels after the tune up. It feels kind of clunky at the moment when compared to the Evo2Max. There is no smooth feel; whereas the Evo2Max feels very slick in the drive chain. More to report on this then.

Wahoo Smart Trainer Number 3

 So I mentioned that my Tacx Neo Smart trainer had a bit of a meltdown. It just gave up - was I pushing too much power?!  Unlikely! It ended up going back to Garmin for a warranty repair. I am sure that my Neo was part of a faulty batch but hey ho; not much I could do but follow the process and return it. But the thought of being without a trainer was very unsettling! This may sound strange but the mental outlet that Zwifting provides is just as important to me as the physical aspects. Add to this the fact that the Neo is a top of range trainer and it broke after only 8 months use.

What am I trying to say here? Well, I decided to try a different make of smart trainer. When the Neo comes back I can decide which one I want to keep; or just have a spare trainer. So I went all out and got a Wahoo Kickr with climb simulator. That's not me in the first pic!

AS you can see, I had to use my Evo2Max bike to include the climb part of the set up; the forks in my Boardman are just too narrow. The bike is too old (2012) and the climb is made for modern bikes with more clearance. 

I have to say, the Wahoo is the best trainer I have used. The Elite Direto just never hit the spot for me and the belt just gave up. The Neo is good; I like it. But all the electronics kind of make it seem over complicated. I can get my TT bike in the Wahoo too - the Neo was a very tight fit that was uncomfortably risky to squeeze the TT bike on.

The climb simulator is very realistic and the feel when the rotes go up or down is excellent. Plus the muscles used for climbing in real life are utilised. Very happy with the Wahoo set up. I now have the Neo back and will lend it to a buddy who needs to try out a smart trainer. Not  sure I will sell it. . . . .

   

Hate Route Watopia, Smart Trainer Meltdown and Alp PB!!

Quite a bit of activity since my last post, which was too long ago. Work has ramped up and I simply have not been able to dedicate the time to write here - feeble excuse! 

 So last post was about finishing the WGT league in a decent position. Happy with that and the spring/summer WGT has now kicked in for a fresh challenge - more on this later. The weekend of 26 - 28 Feb 21 was the Haute Rout Watopia event on Zwift. Of course, I was up for this.

I had completed the Haute Route Ventoux last September and the 3 consecutive day format was really challenging if going hard for a GC result. This event was the same - really hard! I was a solid B Cat in Zwift and quite competitive in all 3 races. The first race went ok and I was top 10. The next day, my legs knew that I had gone hard and I had a torrid time as the last climb progressed. I still managed to grab a top 8 finish in my race iteration. The GC was based on accumulated time over the 3 stages. There were thousands of participants and I had no idea what my overall position was.

The last stage finished up the Alp Du Zwift and I was certainly fatigued. But better than the day before and it was a controlled ride to exhaustion! My time for the Alp itself was 51 min. Compare that to my Alp PB of 46:29 and you can see the fatigue in the legs.

Anyway, overall in the B Cat I was 43rd. Really happy with that result

After a couple of days rest i felt like I had some accelerated recover and adaptation from the intensity of the Haute Route. So I entered an Alp race to see if I could bag a PB. Success! A new time of 45:33. I actually got DQ'd from the race for exceeding B Cat power. So that's me now an A Cat - small fish in a big pond of power monsters!

BOOM!!!

Not happy with what happened next. My Tacx Neo Smart Trainer had a meltdown. I won't go into details but the trainer was useless and had to be returned to Garmin for warranty replacement. Turns out that there seems to be a generic fault with loads of Neos out in turboland. The forums are full of unhappy riders.

So now I await the replacement from Garmin. Being without a turbo was too traumatic for me - sounds dramatic huh?!! Not happy with the fragility of the Neo, I ventured into the world of Wahoo! More on that next post.

Welsh Grand Tour (WGT) Winter Zwift Race League - Final Results

 I mentioned in a previous post the Zwift racing I had been doing with old RAF Tri buddy, Mark ,Frank, Whittle. His WhittleFit team, based in Wales had been participating in the WGt Winter series. As I had joined Frank's training group on Tuesday mornings, he kindly invited me to race with his team. As a Zwift B Cat, I was in the largest race group, with over 140 Zwifters. The final race was last weekend and the league final standings would be decided. I had a decent result on the Bologna course and that managed to bin my worst ride, having ridden 7 of the 8 races (6 to count).

I managed to finish in 6th position in the B Cat league, which was pleasing as the racing was competitive. I wish I had eased down more for the first few races as I started quite fatigued in these events and my results were not great, when compared to more recent races where I had fresh legs!

But the series was most enjoyable and provided a race focus that would have been impossible to maintain through the dark winter months. The good news it that there will be a Spring/Summer series commencing in March. This time there will be a joint bike/run focus, which will suit me well - look forward to that starting.

Talking of running, I have tried to up the speed work. . .but nothing too drastic; just ease into it. I completed a set of 8 x 800m with a relaxed 1 min walk RI on the road on Thursday. Although I had tired legs from the previous day's Haute Route Zwift Group Workout, the 800s were ok, averaging 3:48 per K pace. This was probably quicker than I intended. I would like to bring the pace down to 3:30 per K by summer for this type of session. That should indicate that I could break 18 min for 5K.

Now there's a nice target!

Next Zwift Race and Run Focus

Hello all you folks out there not reading this. Hello family if you read this in the future. So the final WGT Zwift League race is tomorrow morning. The route is La Bologna TT. I have eased back and followed Whoop closely to ensure recovery for the race. It is a short race with a punchy 2.5k climb to be negotiated twice. short the climb may be but it is a race decide, especially with the final climb ending the race at the summit. If you are not with the group at the start of the climb, race over!

Race report to follow. Randomly, see below my test for logging video clips on my Blog. This is moi in France 2019 doing some yoga type stuff pre-ride  8-)

Right. The London Duathlon has been postponed until 5 Sep 21. Not great news but the event is far more likely to happen in September than this April . . . COVID-19 remains the blocker for racing. So I am focused on getting some run speed for a crack at a half decent 5K time. I am rubbish at solo TTs but that is all I can do for now. Sub-18 min? Stretch target I reckon. But I have a secret weapon! I have invested in some Hoka Carbon X trainers. These are my first exposure to carbon plated shoes! Will they bring me the speed I want?

Time will tell. First impressions are good. I find it hard to run slowly in these. The faster you run, the better the feel. But you need to let the run flow. Don't force it. 

More to follow on these good looking trainers!

COVID Lockdown - Goals. . . . What Goals? 8-(

 Well, as Jan 21 comes and goes the UK COVID lockdown continues. So my take is that sporting events will probably dry up for the year again. My target is. . . .was. . . . The London Duathlon scheduled for 25 Apr 21. Training has been going well but with less than 3 months to go, I doubt the event will happen. As with many people, planning the racing for 2021, I must assume there will be no IRL racing. So where will the racing fix come from? It seems that Zwift will continue to fill the cycling racing void. As for running, I am thinking that I must plan for some Time Trials - maybe a 5k TT focus. More to come on this topic.

Previous Blog posts have detailed the Zwift racing I have done with Frank Whittles WhittleFit Zwift team that participates in the Zwift WGT Race League. I had a good result a few weeks ago in a drafting Innsbruck race that incorporated 2 big climbs. Courses with long climbs suit me; hence, I targeted the next mountainous race - which was today! I have been getting some decent training in with long-time buddy Jase Walkley, focusing on training hard when recovered (guided by my Whoop). Jase was riding today too; the course was the classic Tour of Fire and Ice, starting at the base of the volcano and leading up to the Alp Du Zwift. Then a pain-fest up the Alp to finish. To spice things up further, the race was non-drafting. So, basically, a mountain TT.

We grabbed a decent warm up by riding Stage 6 of the Tour De Zwift, which was about an hour ride at various effort levels. The Race was next. My plan was to start steady, maintaining around 3.8 W/Kg. I felt ok as we headed towards the Jungle but I was way back around 170th position. I figured that I must hold back until the Alp climb started. AS the start of the Alp approached, I found myself alongside both Jase and Frank, So I figured I was in good company as these guys are strong riders. It was time to employ my climbing strategy - 1 min out the saddle, 30 sec seated. I pretty much maintained this sequence for the entire climb. I was controlled but on the edge of blowing - just where I needed to be. I still managed to up the power towards the end to finish strong and grab 3rd place in the B Cat according to Zwift Power. Zwift gifted me an updated FTP of 250W too.

   

The Zwift events have really filled a void for me, especially with some really icy weather lately. At the moment the Tour De Zwift is underway also. I have been fortunate to get my hands on the real life kit too!

Next series for me to focus on is the Feb 2021 Haute Route Challenge. More on thise event soon.

I am bringing in more focus to my running next also. Whooping fantastic. . . .

Measured Progress and Training Dungeon Re-vamp

 My Whoop adventure continues - oh, Happy New Year folks  8-)

I have 10 days to go before I can get my initial month of baseline data but all is looking good so far. I am sleeping longer and better than ever. Just focussing on these recovery necessities is making a difference to my training approach. I have the next Zwift race for WhittleFit tomorrow and I have ensured that I am rested prior to the event, which is basically a 60k TT (Zwift draft effect disabled). Let's see how I feel and how I perform. The flat TT course does not really suit me that well but I hope to be in the top 10% of the B Cat racers. The event after this is far better for me as it is basically a mountain TT up ADZ. My PB is 47:40 for the Alp. . . . .Game on!

Over the last few weeks I have been making some changes to my indoor training environment - the garage!  It was becoming a dump and training was squeezed into a corner. I have not got any before pics but below are some shots of how it looks now - very different.

I sorted the rubbish that I have been hoarding (including old furniture that was used to store bits and bobs), fitted some wall mounted bike rack clasps, fitted 2 bays of shelving for the bits and bobs, and lay a soft gym tiled floor to enable static workouts.  The place feels great now. .  .very happy

Sporting my new Biemme all weather jacket. Super bit of kit that regulates temperature and keeps you dry. Plus it is mega-aero!

Below is Julie's new e-bike! A TK Maxx bargain and hopefully a useful addition to enable us to have fun riding together.

The training den with new floor and bikes stowed better

So what does 2021 promise? Probably more turmoil! With another full lockdown due to COVID-19 in progress I have no idea if the London Duathlon will be allowed on 25 April. To be honest, I have my doubts and this is impacting my motivation. Until I know for sure that this event will be cancelled, I will prepare as normal. So this means introducing some more speed into my running - gradually! I have already upped the intensity of hill reps and continued the long runs up to 21k.

Onwards and upwards. . . . 

Whoop - Less is More?

 I have it! I a Whooping! Yes, my wrist now has a permanent implant, with the Whoop wristband worn 24/7. I have data from 26 Dec 20; this short period has provided an initial baseline of my personal bodily readings: HR, HRV, Strain, Sleep and Recovery. After the first 30 days of data, I will receive a more detailed and accurate Whoop experience.

So what are my initial thoughts? I like it. . . .Lots. HRV seems to be the key variable and key indicator as to how recovered the body has recovered. In turn, the overall recovery % then provides a pointer as to how hard you should push your body in training. I have already started to change planned sessions and take extra recovery - some recovery training or a day off.

That said, there is a balance to be struck. Sometimes, it is ok to build fatigue in a planned way. The key is knowing when to back off the intensity to let the body adapt. I know all this - and have done for years! But the Whoop experience provides data driven guidance in real time. For example, I was not recovered when scheduled to race on Zwift (Whoop recovery n the red at 22%). Racing on Zwift is brutally hard and there is now way of having an easy race. So I backed off and rode an easier Group ride. I will have to pick my max intensity days wisely!

I have limited data at the moment but come the end of Jan i will have a true baseline. The Whoop data for me at the moment is still interesting. I have a high HRV when fully recovered - but too early to know what my 'normal' HRV actually is as my reading is up and down, which is to be expected with various strains each day due to training.

Below are some data screen grabs from the Whoop website. I really hope I can make fitness gains - or at least maximize fitness for my age and capability!