The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread

[Roady]

I just ride my bike!

Currently 4th in GC for my class (M-HAB) after stage 5 in a Stage race. Have an iTT later, after a rest day yesterday will see what my legs are like. Actually felt ok so far this week (ridden 5 stages since Saturday) so hopeful - especially as my iTT on Saturday gave me a 1st in GC and I'd gradually slipped down by a couple of seconds from riders avoiding racing against me and choosing quieter timeslots. An iTT levels that.

We have Four Horseman on sunday as a final stage... But do an extra 3km so actually lap around to make it 5 Horsemen!

Well that hurt...!

FRR Tour of Watopia 2024 Completed! Actually finished the whole Tour, riding every stage as had some good results, but it did all fall apart on the big end stage. Was in bits!

Jan 4th Stage 1 - iTT on Bologna - GC 22nd - Gap to leader: 1m 20s - went well, felt strong and a short one so went full, bumped my zFTP +4 to 266W
Jan 4th Stage 2 - iTT on Royal Pump Room - GC 1st! - Gap: 0 - went well, focussed on speed rather than power due to rolling course. Attacked up, eased down.
Jan 6th Stage 3 - Race on Out and Back again - GC 1st - Gap: 0 - went well but tired legs. Volcano very hard, held onto front to finish for my overall.
Jan 7th Stage 4 - Race on Tair Dringfa Fechan - GC 2nd - Gap: 2.6s - Tough start but managed to stay with front until the end, gapped end climb, unlucky enough to have several of GC in same timeslot.
Jan 8th Stage 5 - Race on Navig8 - GC 4th - Gap: 4.6s - Much easier stage but did mean lots of fresh legs for the end climb, got gapped again in busy evening timeslot.
Jan 10th Stage 6 - iTT on Tides and Temples - GC 11th - Gap 1m 34s - Brutal after the rest day. Legs felt good at the start so went too hard, paid for it on the climb. Several main competitors riding away from me things slipped away! Bumped zFTP +1 to 267W so couldn't have gone much harder!
Jan 11th Stage 7 - Race on Itza Party - GC 9th - Gap 1m 25s - Was good to make some time back and the fatigue didn't feel too bad. Had some help from friends closing gaps but end climb came couldn't match the front.
Jan 12th Stage 8 - Queen stage Race on Four Horsemen - GC 34th - Gap 16m 42m - Utterly brutal stage and very selective. My eGAP massive as someone strong in my race did a top time. Lots of help from friends but really pacing the Volcano and Epic was the only way to get me up the Alpe. Died many deaths there, without 2 friends helping me to the finish I'd have just got off the bike and not bothered!

Total Tour time: 9 hours 23min 36s - winner of GC (HAB) won it in 9 hours 2 mins, so I wasn't far off if I'd been able to match his end stage. He did it in 3 hours 5 mins, mine was 3 hours 24 mins.

Managed to bump my intervals.isu Fatigue to 99 and form to -34 so have been pretty sore & knackered since...! Also lost 2.5kg bodyweight, regained 1kg but I'm now 75kg while still eating everything not nailed down for the last few days

I think it is always difficult to know as before when I did random zwift events you aren’t tracking ftp. So it could be that I have been at similar levels before but most events are never intense enough to hit PBs. At some point I will do an alpe du zwift as it would be a fairly good comparison of performance and factor weight changes (read as gain!)

Zwifts recent few changes to zFTP monitor more than just a 20/40min effort to calculate an FTP. Their 'zFTP' isn't even 'FTP'. Read up on it.

Your Profile on www.zwift.com now contains zFTP, zMAP and even VO2max, but also shows you the various power metrics they're tracking - https://support.zwift.com/en_us/fitness-metrics-faq-Sk0Cebzti

Here's mine: https://www.zwift.com/uk/athlete/34a785e5-ec7d-4818-9132-c0c5f7e71218

 

[robj20]

I initially followed the build me up or FTP builder plan on zwift (6 week version first) then just cycled from there doing group rides, pacer rides and racing, i get on the bike 2-3 times per week. I have to say that ive seen the best progression by adding in 1-2 90 minute z2 rides per week, rather then the all out high effort rides.

Bores me to tears on the trainer much past 45 minutes.

 

[grudas]

I initially followed the build me up or FTP builder plan on zwift (6 week version first) then just cycled from there doing group rides, pacer rides and racing, i get on the bike 2-3 times per week. I have to say that ive seen the best progression by adding in 1-2 90 minute z2 rides per week, rather then the all out high effort rides.

appareteneyl that's where it is, z2 rides.. aka time on the saddle rather than all out efforts.

when I go outdoors I seem to cycle/push much harder but I'm okay with it as my riding time now is reduced to lunch brakes so 15-20k in, which allows me to go "hard" and get the heart rate etc going. Z2 rides in zwift are much easier, especially in EGR mode.

@dlockers I'd do just that, get your FTP setting right - do a test and go from there, take one of the fondo training plans that include some z2 work etc and it'll be a good starter.

 

[Syla5]

Bores me to tears on the trainer much past 45 minutes.

get on group rides, or longer races, stick youtube or a movie on a second screen.

 

[robj20]

get on group rides, or longer races, stick youtube or a movie on a second screen.

I run out of gears on anything not using ERG mode.

 

[Junglist]

Bores me to tears on the trainer much past 45 minutes.

Longest stint I've done so far is about 3.5-4 hours. 3 and a bit hours ascending and descending Ven-Top but the 25 laps around the Volcano was the horrible one. Even worse because I didn't really set out to do the 25 laps, which was just over 100Km. But I got to lap 15 and thought there was no way I was doing this again so just went for it. Only had 2 slices of toast that morning and barely any fluids! Was ruined the day after.

Keep telling myself I'll join in one of those BTMR 100 mile group rides on Tempus but my arse doesn't want to.

 

[robj20]

I like indoors for time constrained rides, of I have more than an hour free I'll go outside.

 

[Junglist]

I vastly prefer outdoor riding but with a little one indoor riding is super convenient. Also this time of the year the cold air does my chest no favours

 

[grudas]

I vastly prefer outdoor riding but with a little one indoor riding is super convenient. Also this time of the year the cold air does my chest no favours

I only do indoor when weather is rubbish or its too late/dark.

zwift is fine but it is a bit boring, anything over 1:30 and I'm dying.

 

[fez]

I need to just man up and get outside. The UK winter is ******* miserable and depressing. Its constantly grey and overcast, cold and the road conditions are ****. The only time its not like that is when its sunny but so bitterly cold that you risk ice and that scares me. So I just need to accept that and get on with it when the conditions are crap.

 

[robj20]

I need to just man up and get outside. The UK winter is ******* miserable and depressing. Its constantly grey and overcast, cold and the road conditions are ****. The only time its not like that is when its sunny but so bitterly cold that you risk ice and that scares me. So I just need to accept that and get on with it when the conditions are crap.

I can see that for road riders it's bad. Mountain biking though, it's only the getting out bit that's difficult once your out it's great fun.

 

[fez]

I can see that for road riders it's bad. Mountain biking though, it's only the getting out bit that's difficult once your out it's great fun.

Yeah, mountain biking I don't care about the weather really. Then its just the issue with getting somewhere and the faff thats involved. Even the **** nearest trails to me add a good 2+ hours to what a road ride would be. 30 minutes plus drive each way. Getting the MTB stuff ready. Putting the roof bars and rack(s) on the car. Putting the bikes on on the racks etc etc.

 

[grudas]

I need to just man up and get outside. The UK winter is ******* miserable and depressing. Its constantly grey and overcast, cold and the road conditions are ****. The only time its not like that is when its sunny but so bitterly cold that you risk ice and that scares me. So I just need to accept that and get on with it when the conditions are crap.

Yeah but once you’re out it’s ok. I did a 40k on Saturday average temp of 1c and it was cold but roads were half dry and once I got into it, it was good.

I did a couple 15ks below 0 and it was sketchy at points but only the deeper back roads. More used roads were salted and had no ice. The backroads at points were so bad my rear wheel was slipping on small inclines lol.

 

[#Chri5#]

Yeah, mountain biking I don't care about the weather really. Then its just the issue with getting somewhere and the faff thats involved. Even the **** nearest trails to me add a good 2+ hours to what a road ride would be. 30 minutes plus drive each way. Getting the MTB stuff ready. Putting the roof bars and rack(s) on the car. Putting the bikes on on the racks etc etc.

Time and extra faffing is what mainly killed my MTBing. Llandegla or Cannock Chase are a two hour round trip, which is a ~50k road ride from home.

 

[fez]

Yeah but once you’re out it’s ok. I did a 40k on Saturday average temp of 1c and it was cold but roads were half dry and once I got into it, it was good.

I did a couple 15ks below 0 and it was sketchy at points but only the deeper back roads. More used roads were salted and had no ice. The backroads at points were so bad my rear wheel was slipping on small inclines lol.

I think this is where I will struggle. Around here is always up or down and I get onto pokey lanes and back roads quite quickly, largely by choice because they are quiet and safe compared to the main roads. The classic issue in the countryside of any road that isn't residential being a 60.

 

[Syla5]

I run out of gears on anything not using ERG mode.

Are you using virtual shifting or real gearing? Also when you say you are running out of gears in what situation is that, you run out of easier gears when climbing etc or you run out of harder gears when cranking down the power?

 

[grudas]

I think this is where I will struggle. Around here is always up or down and I get onto pokey lanes and back roads quite quickly, largely by choice because they are quiet and safe compared to the main roads. The classic issue in the countryside of any road that isn't residential being a 60.

yeah same around me here in Horsham, I pop out for lunch rides etc and honestly if it's above 1-2c, it's fine. Mucky etc but not too bad.

get back, give the bike a quick rinse with a hose and put some chain lube on every 2-3 rides/washes. Seems to be fine.

 

[robj20]

Are you using virtual shifting or real gearing? Also when you say you are running out of gears in what situation is that, you run out of easier gears when climbing etc or you run out of harder gears when cranking down the power?

Real gears, I run out of harder gears.
11t rear, 34t front (frame won't go any larger on the chainring)

 

[Martynt74]

Real gears, I run out of harder gears.
11t rear, 34t front (frame won't go any larger on the chainring)

That's similar to me on my MTB. I had a 28T and it was annoying, switching to a 32T has been nice, but i do kinda wish i'd still gone bigger as my frame can take up to 38T i think. Need to make the decision before i fit the new chain, as don't want to do it twice! Need some hills really to see whether going up further is going to hurt me

 

[Martynt74]

I only do indoor when weather is rubbish or its too late/dark.

zwift is fine but it is a bit boring, anything over 1:30 and I'm dying.

Yeah, main reason for me buying the turbo as the hours of light here can be shorter in spring/summer when it's cooler, so hopefully i can ride indoors without getting heatstroke which i'm partly convinced i had last year!