If you are a cyclist, there is a pretty good chance you have heard of Zwift. A virtual world where you can ride on your turbo trainer against and with other people.
I have done a fair bit of riding on it so far, but last night was my first ever bunch ride. And it was awesome.
There is a bit to know about Zwift. This Unoffical Guide is a great starting point. There is a Group Ride Calendar. A map of the island. There are also a lot of great blogs about it. Google is your friend.
So, last night I joined the HDR (Hump Day Ride). kicking off at 7PM Culburra Beach time. I actually hopped on the trainer early to test some things out on the new Wahoo Kickr Snap. Then it was time to join the ride.
The meeting point is a pre determined spot.
As you can see, I had already done 20 odd Kms. And this was an issue as I had the fan going at 2/3rd speed, and got cold after waiting a while. Check out the cool jersey. Bike and Beer. 🙂
At a bit after 7PM we finally got going. The ride leader seemed to be missing, so it was all a bit fragmented at the start, but it didnt take long for people to find a group to ride in.
The agreed level we were supposed to ride at was 1.5W/kg. Well that seemed to go out the window pretty quickly as can be seen below. As soon as we hit some rises in the road, the little fellas took off.
I took some work but I stayed with them and then we were onto lap 2 of the course.
This was supposed to be 2W/kg, but it didnt take long before it was a bit harder than that. But it settled down again and we had a good group going.
Things were going ok until we hit the dirt section. *cough cough*
We were coming to the end of the 2nd lap and I was busting for a nature break. But I had to nudge my wheel across the intermediate sprint point first in our group.
From there on it got even faster and I had some troubles staying with the group. The heart rate was up as we approached the end of the lap, and knowing I had to stop for a piss, I put in a big effort and finished a little in front of this group.
I jumped off and took a leak. I jumped back on and did another few kilometres before I stopped for the night.
More ride data here…
It is a great way to get some trainer time in. Combined with The Sufferfest, I reckon this is going to make me a lot stronger than sitting on the couch because it is too cold or wet.
Interesting read mate. Unfortunately we don’t have room for a trainer but wishing we did as it sure makes what used to be a rather boring activity, more interesting and social.
Norbs,
Great post – I’ve been toying with these group rides, and KISS races – you’ve encouraged me to give it a go.
Might see you on a virtual ride soon.
Phil
I didn’t know about Zwift but it sounds really fun. I’m going to give it a try for sure.