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. . . . .