Cycling
By the time we were halfway through the course the hill on Innsbruck had taken its toll and we were down to 4!
I tried a mad attack at the top third of the climb to break the group up. The tactic worked, till the second hill and my body couldn’t pull off what my mind thought it could. This did split the group with me in 3rd place, but I had dug a hole that I struggled to recover from. The reality in the trainer room was not pretty - desperately wishing my fan was just slightly tilted on an angle more toward my body and my towel sopping up all the drips.
RACE #2
The pre-race kms were not neutral and we had the top 3 for B-Grade in the split within the first 5-10mins. I love a flat course. This one was familiar from all the eCrit races last year.
With 3km to go I interrupted Shane’s ride to ask advice. I was in top 3 spot and the hill was coming up. Do I use my Truck powerup on the hill or in a bunch sprint? After deliberating with the internet audience, I was already on the hill and my closest competition was passing me. I made the decision to use the powerup just as Shane said not to use it! I made it over the top just hanging off the back of the bunch. It was pulling apart slowly and I had to dig a little to come back up to the other two in the mix of A-graders.
Races Complete! Finishing ZA Strong
My winter escape is almost here and I’m eagerly preparing to take my bike to enjoy some sunshine in between the upcoming work conference.
One of these steps was to try complete any races or group rides (variables in the ZA) around my current work days.
There was some intent to get up early on Saturday to do one then, but sleep won that round! When I checked the upcoming schedule I noticed the races were starting this week! Yay!
RACE #1
As per most Zwift racing, the pace was on from the start gate. Within the first 5 minutes a good group of 5 was formed. It was great to see local racer M.Taylor on the start line as we haven’t ridden together since my last real live race on New Year’s Day!
By the time we were halfway through the course the hill on Innsbruck had taken its toll and we were down to 4!
I tried a mad attack at the top third of the climb to break the group up. The tactic worked, till the second hill and my body couldn’t pull off what my mind thought it could. This did split the group with me in 3rd place, but I had dug a hole that I struggled to recover from. The reality in the trainer room was not pretty - desperately wishing my fan was just slightly tilted on an angle more toward my body and my towel sopping up all the drips.
I tried to bridge to 3rd place on the last hill and got close. Indoor km goal met for the week was a nice touch as the ladies in front of me slowly pulled away. I held on for 4th overall. It was only later that I realised that one lady was in A-Grade so I made it to 3rd in B-Grade! Yay!
RACE #2
I didn’t think I would get a ride in last night, however when I checked the app at 6:30pm it said there was a 7pm race. Previous experience shows that doing back to back races is a bad idea. Shane was setting up for a live-stream coffee and chat ride so I thought I’d sneak into the trainer room and tick over the race with low expectations.
The pre-race kms were not neutral and we had the top 3 for B-Grade in the split within the first 5-10mins. I love a flat course. This one was familiar from all the eCrit races last year.
The aim of this was to stay focused in the bunch, not do too much, don’t get dropped off the back on the hill and finish strong.
With 3km to go I interrupted Shane’s ride to ask advice. I was in top 3 spot and the hill was coming up. Do I use my Truck powerup on the hill or in a bunch sprint? After deliberating with the internet audience, I was already on the hill and my closest competition was passing me. I made the decision to use the powerup just as Shane said not to use it! I made it over the top just hanging off the back of the bunch. It was pulling apart slowly and I had to dig a little to come back up to the other two in the mix of A-graders.
The final sprint went from 300m to go and I lifted then punched it. A.Hailstone was dropped and came up parallel. I pushed a little more and we crossed the line at the same time!! 2nd in B-Grade was a great outcome.
I think being 70% complete the next ride should unlock another reward. My guess is the final one will be a jersey, so I predict this one to be gloves. We will have to wait to see!! 5 more sessions to go. Happy riding!
I think being 70% complete the next ride should unlock another reward. My guess is the final one will be a jersey, so I predict this one to be gloves. We will have to wait to see!! 5 more sessions to go. Happy riding!
