Each week Zwift sends me an email summarising my activity for the week. For previous weekly reviews click here.
Sometimes they miss off a bunch of my stats, as they have this week :/
Getting back into some kind of normalacy has been the big win of the week.
With 6 rides, I started off the week tentatively, but managed to end feeling like I’m getting back into the swing of things.
This weeks rides were:
- Wednesday – Pineapple Express
- Thursday – First outdoor ride
- Friday – Second, and Third outdoor rides
- Saturday – Rebuilding a Routine
- Sunday – Trek Segafredo x Saris Ride with Koen De Kort & Elisa Longo Borghini (C)
Without a doubt, Friday’s rides were the highlight of my week.
I had no intention of meeting my regular Zwift riding goals this week. For those who don’t regularly follow this blog, these are:
- Ride 100km (or greater) a week.
- Ride 3 hours (or greater) a week.
It should be said that I have only ever considered indoor cycling when factoring in … well, pretty much anything. So even though it is no difference to track indoor or outdoor metrics from a Training Peaks point of view, the typical place I’d look at these stats is through the Zwift Companion App.
And of course, the app doesn’t factor in outdoor riding.
I had a bunch of new toys to play with during this week.
Probably the most impactful has been the Garmin Edge 530.
I’ve been using this for both indoor and outdoor sessions, and really like the features it offers. From the outdoor navigation, to the wattage, heart rate, and power graphs that are equally handy both indoor and out, this has been money well spent for sure. Thanks for the recommendation Philip!
The inclusion of the Garmin, coupled with the Favero Assioma DUOs has allowed me to continue tracking a ton of metrics when heading outdoors. Sure, I don’t need them but they are nice to have, even if I don’t understand a bunch of them. Yet 😉
The one feature I am yet to try which was a huge part of why I wanted all the tech was the Strava Live Segments feature. I’ve already been enjoying hitting certain Strava segements out on the open road, and to be able to see my pacing in real time, I think, is going to be a lot of fun. Kinda like taking Zwift outdoors. Only with less weight doping.
One thing I found during this week is that outdoor riding is basically nothing like Zwift. I’m sure that raises a resounding D’OH! from anyone reading (hello), but wow was I not prepared for headwinds and pot holes. Sweet Jesus.
I have had to learn – fast – how to relax on the bars. The stiff posture I have developed really rather quickly destroyed my shoulders.
The other fun / painful thing I learned this week is how to ride – outdoors – in clips. I think it took 9 painful falls until this finally sunk in. And even now I’m not brilliant at pushing off and finding my clippy cleat when moving away from junctions. Fun times. How the hell people manage to cycle on rollers in clips is absolutely beyond me.
The other thing I’ve learned this week is that Zwift is ridiculously efficient for training purposes.
There is simply no way, that I can see anyway, that I could do (for example) a sweet spot session out on the open road. It’s far too uneven. There’s too much stop start. The lack of ERG mode means I just ride however the hell I like. Sure, it’s early days but I don’t see how that will change that much.
With that in mind I cannot wait to get back on to an SST session later this week.
I’ve noticed a definite drop off in my own performance given two / three weeks off the bike, and whilst that’s likely going to gradually creep back, the best way to get this lost power back will be through the turbo. No question.
Another big win of the week has been in changing cleat position.
Whilst initially this caused several embarrassing falls in my back garden, the overall result has been a much more naturally comfortable – and powerful – pedal stroke.
I’ll be completely honest (heh, as I always am), I am fairly sure I was riding on my toes before. Whatever I was doing, this new approach feels miles better.
I think this would have been very quickly resolved by the bike fit session I had booked, and which has now unfortunately been corona’d.
Anyway, I may even try pushing the cleat forward another notch or two, and see how I get on.
Hopefully this yields some “free” watts in my next FTP test.
Overall there’s been a lot to take in this week. But it’s been a really good week both off and on the bike.
Regardless of a dip in power / personal peformance (as reminded after every ride by the Garmin), I have progressed as a cyclist, no doubt about it. I mean, I’ve actually been outdoors on the bike for the first time in over 15 years… maybe even 20 years. Big achievement.
It’s just great to be back on the bike. Whether it’s stationairy or not, I’m sooo glad I took the plunge over a year ago now and found my passion for this amazing sport. It’s a bit of massive a money pit, but as my mate Paul always says: “You can’t put a price on your health.” Which in many ways is not true, as I can put a fairly definitive price on my health – about £3500 so far 🙂 And counting.
No, in truth I’m just glad to be shot of illness. I’m not quite 100% at this point but I’m probably about as good as I’m going to get. I’m not getting any younger, anyway.
Looking ahead, I’m wanting to get an SST session in this week, and hopefully at least one race. Probably going to get panned. But then, that’s par for the course.
How’s your week been?