Yesterday seemed to be a real struggle. I made a mental resolution last night that if today’s effort was equally as hard, I’d give myself a rest day tomorrow (Sunday). Well, today was probably easier, though I haven’t yet compared the stats.
I’ve had a pedal around the Watopia Flat route before, but never done the full circuit. As mentioned yesterday, figuring out when I have completed a full circuit on Zwift is not that intuitive. I’ve taken to mentally making note of how long the route is, and then using the on screen display to tell me, approximately, when I’ve been fully around the loop.
This morning I couldn’t remember if the Watopia Flat Route was 10.3km, or 11.3km, so rather than risk it, I did 11.4km.
Those devious deviants at Zwift HQ put a sprint about 3/4’s of the way round the circuit. I don’t remember my time, but I do remember I was ~157th. To be fair, I was shot even before I started, so putting any time on the board was “good enough”.
One of my favourite parts of the Watopia Flat Route is when the Alpe Du Zwift comes into view as I slowly climb the winding corners. I’m actually less keen on the corners themselves – a more direct route upwards would be preferable, if impossible for my weeny legs.
At the moment I’m aiming to up my cadence. This being the measurement of times I can spin the pedals in a given minute. I’m trying to get above a 70 average on my rides. Currently I’m around the mid 60s. Whether this is a valid metric to judge personal improvement, I have no idea.
One cool thing about Watopia Flat is that there are a small number of roller coaster style peaks and troughs. It’s not quite as flat as the name leads you to believe. The idea of ripping down hill is very appealing. The only problem with that is you have to climb a hill first before you can race down it. And that means, for me, by the time I reach the peak, I’m already too dead to go fast on the way down.
Overall I feel like it’s been a great first full week on Zwift. I’ve really enjoyed it. Every morning I’ve turned up with my credit card, ready to upgrade to a full paying member. And every morning they keep telling me I have ~15km left of free rides. I’ll take it.
As soon as my trial expires I will be signing up. It’s really good, Zwift’s devs and team overall have done a sterling job.
The Tacx Neo 2 comes with a free month’s trial of their software, too. Not sure what that is just yet. I will keep on with Zwift for the short term, and then see what that Tacx software is all about once I’ve seen more of this lovely virtual world. Also, who knows if the Tacx Software will run on my iPad? I need a TV!
I may be back with another ride tomorrow. We shall see. Have a good weekend.