It’s been a while – 3 months actually – since I was last on Zwift. And whilst it was a suitable hot enough day outside for an outdoor ride, I decided to play it safe on the knee and do one of the tried and tested FTP Builder workouts, to keep a steady pace and limit any chances of doing further injury.
Whilst I’ve been away, I do know that Zwift launched a brand new world. Makuri Islands, I believe is the name. Sadly that wasn’t on rotation. Instead, both France and Paris were available, likely in no coincidence with the Tour de France coming to a close very shortly.
In my three month absence, it doesn’t appear much has changed. Not saying I’m surprised, but it seemed the map was as busy as ever, with me needing to close down some other apps in order to get a decent frame rate. All good.
The ride itself, as you would expect from one of these endurance / recovery rides, was largely uneventful. I did suffer a little in terms of knee pain, particularly by the fourth set, but managed to keep up a decent average cadence after a bit of a shaky start.
As it was a hot day outside, I expected to get my sweat on. Nothing quite prepares you (or me, at least) from just how moist those indoor sessions can be. It’s nothing like outside.
I’d have to say the fact I managed a 30km ride, in an hour, at 150w, is a bit of a stretch. Outdoors I’d have been lucky to hit 20km at similar speeds. That all culminates in that weekly riding goal of 100km being a bit misleading. I’ve often said this in the past, but doing 100km on the turbo is sooo much easier than doing it outdoors.
Anyway, whilst I found the session beneficial, I think my next ride – weather willing – will be back outdoors.
Lastly, not sure why Zwift didn’t upload my ride to Strava. Maybe it’s de-authed in the time I’ve been off. The stats below come from the Garmin upload.
