I joined a 3R race today in the C category. I don’t usually race but it’s raining, I’m inside, I felt decent and so I figured why not. I managed to finish 18th overall which included the A and B racers. I was 4th or 5th among the Cat C guys so I felt pretty good about the experience overall. A couple of observations:
- You push yourself a lot harder when you ride with others and have a purpose. As I’ve transitioned to mainly solo rides and mountain biking I think I’ve slacked off and not pushed my self as hard as I should
- The lead out matters a lot. I’m not sure if people are using power drills or what, but if you fall behind right off the line you can’t finish with high numbers. When we finished I noticed that my average power about was above that of many people that finished before me. It’s not just power there is a lot of strategy in Zwift.
- Pay attention. I usually watch TV or a movie while riding, but I’ve noticed that if you drop just a few watts at the wrong moment you’ll find yourself sprinting to catch the group. Constantly trying to catch up will burn out your legs much faster.
- The draft is real. It’s a race so hang with a group or sit just behind another rider for maximum advantage.
- I found myself pounding with everything I could dig up. This included occasionally standing an mashing on the pedals. At one point I was just bounding using my arms to push my body up like a crazy person and knocked the painting off the wall. Zwift racing is a great exercise.
- I’ve beat my poor Madone to death. It could really use a tune up.
The ride – Zwift
The bike – Trek Madone 6.9 on a Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer