Did You Ride Today?

[CAMPYBOB]

37 degrees and sunny. The roads are still very gritty and white with salt, but they are finally starting to dry up a bit. Tomorrow may be a outdoor road day at long last.

I hit the trainer for 2 hours and kept the RPM's up as I did Box Hill and kicked it all around London Towne. Again, I rode with some fast gals and guys while doing a decent job of taking my turns on the front. What I lack in gears I make up for with wheel sucking!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

It got up to 43 degrees this afternoon, but rain started at 11 AM and never stopped. The wind was a mild 3 to 7 MPH.

Another session on the trainer just under 2 hours. Once again 2,500 of us rode in London and I combined some climbing with some flat speed work and picked the tempo up just a little compared to yesterday.

The base miles for 2018 are in. I'm rolling pretty well and feeling great. It's time to get outside and start working on endurance and increasing speed and recovery.

 

[Henrywrites]

I always have the days that I ride which are on Mondays, Tuesday ,Thursdays and Saturdays. Luckily, today is one of the day and I can say that I had fun riding my bike along the Okpara square axis leading to the government house in my state in Nigeria. While on the trip in the morning, I saw two drivers that were seriously having issues and tried to fight. I didn't stop to get the full information since I was keeping fit and try to get to work early.

 

[steve]

Got the cast off my arm last night. I'm probably about 2-3 weeks away from being able to ride on the road and ride out of the seat etc.. I've got very little movement in my elbow, other breaks have healed well.

Will be doing some epic sessions on zwift over the next couple of weeks.

 

[steve]

So got my first ride on the indoor trainer without a shoulder to wrist cast over and done with. Still able to ride a decent wattage. There were some fit guys in this event, I didn't touch the front once.

KISS Men's Crit - Europe p/b Tacx

Results on Zwift power

 

[CAMPYBOB]

726 Watts in a cast?! BRAVO!

 

[steve]

726 Watts in a cast?! BRAVO!

No cast today mate. It was removed at about 6pm last night

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Cool...how's the arm doing then? I assume there's been noor limited physiotherapy started yet?

Those Zwift training rides are brutal and the races are just plain psychotic from start to finish. Weight doping, tweaked smart trainers and lots of guys with huge engines. At least Zwiftpower is making an attempt at booting the most obvious sandbaggers and cheats.

What's insane is that 'D' races have half the fields DQ'd for riding with 'B' Watt/kg and Watts. Anything for virtual bragging rights, I guess.

We had 62 degrees for a high today, but rain moved in at 2 PM and got heavier as the afternoon progressed. I hit the trainer for just under two hours on Zwift's Watopia Road To Ruins Route, the Volcano Flat Loop and the Volcano Circuit. My legs were freakin' fried when I started. I throttled back a bit and they still were screaming when I finished.

As Onoda Sakamichi of Yowamushi Pedal would say, " I'm just a lowly First Year on Zwift, but I hit Level 20 this afternoon!".

 

[Methodical]

Is a Zwift trainer worth purchasing? I've heard folks I ride with talk about this trainer. I assume most folks have it for winter training because some can't or don't like to ride in the cold weather. I prefer to be outside cold or not, but I am a chicken **** when it comes to riding in rain - I took a spill in the rain some years ago and that just sticks in my mind.

Thanks...

 

[CAMPYBOB]

There are MANY smart trainer that are compatible with Zwift. They range in price from $350 to $1600. They also range in function and features, of course.

You can also use many of the conventional 'dumb' turbo trainers in conjunction with a speed sensor and a cadence sensor. A heart rate sensor is also recommended, but not a requirement unless you race Zwift's many offered races.

Go to the Zwift website and you will find a list of compatible smart and conventional trainers and the basic hardware requirements to get in the game.

The three links below will be a lot to digest, but will get you informed and ready to try Zwift. Zwift offers a free trial. I recommend it. It's what got me started.

http://zwift.com/?utm_source=google...jqK7Ci0KGaun20LJhZU3k1yl_v8cwQMRoCdhEQAvD_BwE

https://zwiftblog.com/

http://titaniumgeek.com/zwift-user-manual-unofficial-running-updates/

Ask away with any questions. Steve, 'U'and myself do Zwift and are pretty familiar with the details and equipment required.

And to answer your question...yes, an expensive 'smart' trainer and Zwift subscription really is worth it 'if' you want to remove most of the boredom from indoor training. It's far better than staring at a clock on the wall and your bike computer and wondering how much longer you have to endure the torture.

 

[Methodical]

There are MANY smart trainer that are compatible with Zwift. They range in price from $350 to $1600. They also range in function and features, of course.

You can also use many of the conventional 'dumb' turbo trainers in conjunction with a speed sensor and a cadence sensor. A heart rate sensor is also recommended, but not a requirement unless you race Zwift's many offered races.

Go to the Zwift website and you will find a list of compatible smart and conventional trainers and the basic hardware requirements to get in the game.

The three links below will be a lot to digest, but will get you informed and ready to try Zwift. Zwift offers a free trial. I recommend it. It's what got me started.

http://zwift.com/?utm_source=google...jqK7Ci0KGaun20LJhZU3k1yl_v8cwQMRoCdhEQAvD_BwE

https://zwiftblog.com/

http://titaniumgeek.com/zwift-user-manual-unofficial-running-updates/

Ask away with any questions. Steve, 'U'and myself do Zwift and are pretty familiar with the details and equipment required.

And to answer your question...yes, an expensive 'smart' trainer and Zwift subscription really is worth it 'if' you want to remove most of the boredom from indoor training. It's far better than staring at a clock on the wall and your bike computer and wondering how much longer you have to endure the torture.

Thanks. I am heading the the site now.

Ain't that the truth. That's my main reason for not wanting to ride inside - the how long do I have torture.

I definitely have an older trainer (CycleOps) that I purchased back in 2012 and I don't see it on the list. I'd have to upgrade to get in the game.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

28 degrees with morning rain, then a little freezing rain and finally some light snow flurries. The real story is the 3" of hard rain we received overnight. Many roads are flooded and closed in a three county area. The 62 degree temperature we had yesterday crashed like a rock through the softening lake ice.

2 hours and 43 minutes on Zwift with over 3000' of virtual climbing. I did The Big Loop Route with the Epic KOM Climb and threw in the Radio Tower Climb to finish the first stretch of climbing off. Then it was over to the Jungle and the climb back up out of there. Did a Volcano Flat Loop and a couple of Volcano Circuit laps and a little free riding.

Again, I throttled back a little to save the shot legs and only turned up the wick for the last Volcano Flat lap. It was another fun ride!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Thanks. I am heading the the site now.

Ain't that the truth. That's my main reason for not wanting to ride inside - the how long do I have torture.

I definitely have an older trainer (CycleOps) that I purchased back in 2012 and I don't see it on the list. I'd have to upgrade to get in the game.

The CyclOps Magnus and Hammer are popular among Zwifters. The very expensive Tacx Neo is, hands down, the highest rated among Zwift users. The lower end Taxc trainers do not enjoy a 'great' rep, but are decent enough for a starter grade smart trainer. The Tacx Flux has a poor reputation.

Wahoo trainers get high marks. The Kickr and Kickr Snap are well liked.

In conventional trainer, I recommend the Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll 'Smart'. The Rock & Roll 'Smart Control' is their Zwift controllable model. The rocking action makes it much more comfortable to ride for longer periods of time. My ride today was typical at 2 hours and 43 minute in length with lots of virtual climbing. My backside felt great when I finally got off the bike. Trust me...you will want to rock, one way or another!

Go to the Zwift Rocker Plates Facebook page. There, you can see all kinds of home built rocking plates guys are putting under their trainers to increase riding time, comfort, make standing and pedaling more realistic and fun. I HIGHLY recommend going with a rocker of some sort.

There's lots of YouTube videos of rockers being ridden. You can buy ready-made rockers from CoPlate (bikeaces.com IIRC) in the Netherlands and from SBR (swim bike run) here in the States.

With the comfort provided by the rocking action and the entertainment and diversion riding in Zwift provides...indoor training has been completely revolutionized!

You can also check out Rouvy, FulGaz, Trainer Road, Virtugo, Road Grand Tours and the other computer program riding games and sites. Most offer free trials. Some require a smart, controllable trainer. None are quite as much fun as Zwift, in my opinion.

Lastly, be sure and watch Shane Lama's YouTube video, "Zwift On A Budget". It provides the bare bone, low cost was to get started. The new Apple TV is also a fairly low cost way to go also. Smart phones, iPads, notebooks, PC's, HDMI to big TV's...all of it is used for Zwifting. Hit the Zwift Riders Facebook page and look at the pictures of some of the 'Pain Caves' people train in. That will give you some idea of everything from a basic setup to the big dollar luxury style training rooms.

I'm just down in my basement. And yes, you will probably want multiple fans!

 

[Methodical]

Cool. Thanks for all that information.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

29 degrees and a dusting of snow today with a little more coming overnight. The wind was mild at 3 to 7 MPH all day.

I hit the trainer for 2-1/2 hours on Zwift. Did the volcano climb twice, a couple Volcano Flat laps and a couple Volcano Circuit laps. Anywhere from 2,300 to 5,000 riders in the game this afternoon.

I saw a guy that had done 145 miles!

 

[zipp2001]

The road bike made it's first appearance in 2018. Been spending the winter recovering from an arm injury and in the woods on the new 29 plus, and fat bike. Finished tuning it up Wednesday along with putting on a new front chain ring because the old one was shark teeth. Mother Nature gave me an opportunity to get out before some more expected snow tonight. Two days of rain with some good temps helped clean off the sides of the roads, and it sure was great to be back on the road bike.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upDDpNaskQU

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Nice ride, Zipp! Your roads look a lot like ours right now. White with salt and lots of runoff water. Good for you to go clean it up right after the ride!

We got 1/2" of snow last night. Just enough to keep the roads fouled for another day.

I've got two road rides in 2018. Both were short. This week we are supposed to be warming with temperatures in the upper 40's and even the upper 50's. I hope to be back on the road and off the trainer!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

39 degrees and sunny after 1/2" of snow last night. Winds going 7 to 14 MPH. Just enough **** to keep the roads a mess.

2 hours and 15 minutes on the trainer doing Zwift. I dialed back the tempo just a little. I'll admit it. The onlne workouts are killer tough and my legs are going, going, gone!

I got through the 1600' of virtual climbing OK, but my top end and torque were wiped out. I could wind it up now and again, but not at will, like I usually can.

3,500 to 4,200 riders in the game and I certainly had some fun not mixing it up too much.

 

[zipp2001]

Nice ride, Zipp! Your roads look a lot like ours right now. White with salt and lots of runoff water. Good for you to go clean it up right after the ride!

We got 1/2" of snow last night. Just enough to keep the roads fouled for another day.

I've got two road rides in 2018. Both were short. This week we are supposed to be warming with temperatures in the upper 40's and even the upper 50's. I hope to be back on the road and off the trainer!

Woke up to 7 inches of snow this morning so will hit the trails with the Fat Bike after church. They are projecting close to 70 degrees by Wednesday. Will be bring the road bike into work Tuesday because where I work always gets less snow so hoping to ride a couple of days after work this week on the road.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

57 degrees here today with rain from day break to early afternoon. Near 70 tomorrow under cloudy sky. I hope it drys off enough to ride. There's still a few roads closed from the flooding. The added rain was definitely not needed.

The wind was up at 10 to 15 for most of the afternoon.

I hit the trainer for an easy 1 hour and 45 minute session in London. And I got virtually rained on while doing so.

A fun recovery ride and my entire body is stiff and sore!