Each week I try to review and reflect on my previous week on the bike. This allows me to see how my fitness and ability is progressing on a wider timescale than day to day. For previous weekly reviews please click here.
Two races, and then lots of little workouts in between. I struggled to find the willpower to do a 60 minute+ ride this week. Getting on the bike every day has become ingrained in me, but that doesn’t mean I want to stay there for too long.
Definitely the “highlight” would be the Stage 2 of Race Like A Pro.
And truthfully, until I started this weekly review I’d completely forgotten I’d done the other race on Downtown Dolphin. Crazy.
Here are this week’s rides:
- Monday – [AoC Day #12] Zwift Workout: Control the Burn
- Tuesday – [AoC Day #13] Zwift Race Like A Pro: Stage 2 – Richmond Rollercoaster (Jumbo Visma) (B)
- Wednesday – [AoC Day #14] Type Rider
- Thursday – [AoC Day #15] Zwift Workout: Calorie Crush
- Friday – [AoC Day #16] Zwift Race (B): Rhino Racing Crit City on Downtown Dolphin
- Saturday – [AoC Day #17] T-Minus 7 Days and Counting
- Sunday – [AoC Day #18] Flagging
As above, the main thing I did this week was race.
And of the two, the Richmond Rollercoaster race felt like the toughest.
The route caught me off guard – I’d expected a forward route, starting with a descent and then into the three hills. Alas, no. It was a reverse route, and whilst I knew the hills were coming, I was nevertheless dropped mercilessly very early on.
I feel like the effort I put in was strong… right up until the finish line where I got eaten alive. That part can be rectified with better race management. In hindsight I absolutely should have let myself drop from the two strong riders I was with, and then used the bigger bunch behind to better conserve energy and then finish strong.
So I learned a lot about tactics from that race.
With regards to the Downtown Dolphin race, again it was a new route on me and my only goal in the race itself was to stick with the front bunch until the very end. I managed that, clinging on until the very last climb where, inevitably, I got dropped.
As far as workouts go, that was solid and was a true FTP effort. No wonder I am knackered.
Away from the bike, the week was weird. Thankfully that’s over with.
I’m concerned a little about my weight at this point.
It’s dropped now to 65.5kg…
So I weigh myself every day around the same time. That would be ~21:30. I used the same conditions every day.
Could it be that it is simply down to riding every day that I’m dropped this quickly?
I hope so.
Why I’m concerned is that I have intentionally tried to eat more this week. And yet it has made no difference at all.
There’s no major difference between this week and last. If anything, I burned slightly more calories last week. I’m not tracking calories consumed, but I can tell you I’m not eating less. Or healthier. Hopefully it doesn’t drop further. I can’t remember if I have updated my Zwift weight now to 66kg.
For the week ahead, aside from trying to eat more, I have the Stage 3 race tomorrow on Zwift France R.G.V route. That is priority #1.
After that, I will likely take a recovery-ish ride on Wednesday.
I don’t know if I will be able to face a second race in the week again. We shall have to wait and see how I’m feeling.
But the one other thing I would like to do is to get in an outdoor ride and go down to Winkley Square and see the Christmas Tree. I did that as my final ride for the Advent of Cycling 2020 challenge, and I think it would be a really nice way to cap off this one, too.
It is weather permitting, of course, but I believe we are supposed to be moving away from ice now. Heck, it’s jumped from -3c yesterday to 13c today. Global warming? Good clean coal? Who knows.
Beyond that, it’s Christmas next weekend so I won’t be doing a weekly review on the Sunday, nor the Monday. I may push this out then to be the Yearly Review instead. Have to see how I feel.
But the after Boxing day it will be Tuesday… and that means Race Day. Stage 4, anyone? Jeez Louise.