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.
This week’s rides were as follows:
- Tuesday – Tour De Zwift 2021 – Stage 6: Longer Ride (Indoor / Zwift)
- Wednesday – Tour De Zwift 2021 – Stage 7: Standard Ride (Indoor / Zwift)
- Thursday – Lazy Thursday Night Zwifting (Indoor / Zwift)
- Saturday – Better Than Nowt (Indoor / Zwift)
- Sunday – No Records Were Set This Day (Outdoors)
Due to bad weather, I only managed to get outdoors once this week. Can’t complain too much about that, given that it’s still only February. Also, I don’t yet have my thermal bib tights so going outdoors is chilly, to say the least.
Mostly then, this week was spent indoors, on Zwift.
I didn’t bother doing two repeats of the Tour de Zwift stage this week. The only other time I’ve not done two events on each stage was on Stage 3 / Climbs week.
Once up the Alpe was enough, thank you please.
And likewise, once (or three times) around the Jungle Circuit was enough this week, as well.
Unlike in previous few weeks, I found this week a real struggle.
Partly I think this was because the Jungle Circuit is my least favourite route on Zwift. Mentally that puts me at a disadvantage from the off.
But also I think physically I hit a peak late in January and now I’m on a natural drop off and recovery phase. Perhaps it’s time for a four ride week, rather than pushing for five? As a one off, I don’t think this would do me much harm.
I also think that this extended lock down is really taking it out of me. Full time daddy day care + working / resting / riding mostly indoors is sooo draining. It’s not scheduled to finish any time soon either.
Getting outdoors for a few hours was nice on Sunday. It’s a shame the main climb went poorly. I really struggled on that one pretty much from the off. I was down over 4 minutes off my PB, which is absolutely crazy. However, my PB was set on a fairly lovely late summers day, and I do remember hitting the top with my jersey open, dripping in sweat.
Not so on that climb. With my four layers on, granny gear all the way up, it wasn’t a fun time. I’d planned to stop at the top, have my banana and then cruise back down. Nope. Far too windy and cold. And the descent was hairy due to parts of the road being a river, and having very little control wearing two pairs of gloves.
Then the second part of the ride turned out to be a fail as the road to the river where I was hoping to have my banana as a secondary location if the first was a fail, turned out to be a private road so I couldn’t get down. Sad times.
For the week ahead, I may opt for a four ride week. I don’t know. It’s the last stage of TdZ this week, and I’d like to do two of the three rides, if at all possible. They are largely flat, as far as I can see.
On the positives I’m still hitting all my targets, weight and FTP are looking good, can’t really complain. Just maybe need to ease up a touch on myself. Oh, and it would be nice to have a heart rate monitor that actually worked consistently. Those Wahoo Tickrs are garbage.