Each week Zwift sends me an email summarising my activity for the week. For previous weekly reviews click here.
Last week consisted of four rides, of which two were races, two were group rides, and all fell under the banner of the Tour of Watopia 2020.
These rides were as follows:
- Wednesday – Stage 1: The Flats – Race (C)
- Thursday – Stage 1: The Flats – Longer Ride
- Saturday – Stage 2: The Loops – Race (C)
- Sunday – Stage 2: The Loops – Longer Ride
Of all rides this week, I enjoyed the races more than the group rides.
It’s nice to be back in a routine of both racing and riding. However, the short schedule of each stage means I am currently feeling absolutely thrashed.
I also feel the overall length and structure of the Tour of Watopia 2020 is in need of a rethink.
Perhaps my biggest gripe is in the placement of the climbing stage – a trip up Alpe du Zwift on the longer ride – and the only options are Monday through Friday. Not ideal.
Whilst I haven’t placed particularly well on the overall official Zwift leaderboards during the racing so far, I have fared better on Zwift Power.
I’m not entirely sure how Zwift Power conducts its rankings, but it would seem the riders are more fairly sectioned. It does beg the question as to why we need a third party website to do this rather than it being built into Zwift itself, but I guess we can add that to the long list of features that our favourite online cycling software currently lacks.
Beyond the first race of the Tour, I haven’t felt that any of my rides this week have been particularly strong. I’ve struggled at some point in every single one, and have been routinely dropped as we have hit the hills.
Even though I’m feeling less than overjoyed at the prospect of another trip up the Alpe du Zwift, my plan at present is to hit the hill at 3.1w/kg – or in short, ride at FTP (214w) average or greater throughout. Not sure how I’m going to hold up with that in mind, but that’s the plan.
After this I have, I believe, about 24 hours recovery before having to head into the Stage 3 race. This … sucks. I’m highly unlikely to be competitive as a result, but in terms of fitness progression it’s all good.
And speaking of fitness progression, whilst I’m not 100% certain what this graph below is trying to tell me, the overall trend does appear to be up and to the right. That’s usually a good thing, right?
Ultimately I feel this last week should be taken in a holistic / bigger picture view approach. I’m never going to win any of these races. I think that much is clear. However, I have had a race where I averaged out 3.2w/kg this week, so that is pushing me in the right direction towards my current goal of a 3.3w/kg hour average.
Sure, it’s going to take a long while to get there, but the progress seems to be in motion and in the right direction.
Other than that, I’m bloody knackered.
If you’re taking part in this years Tour of Watopia, do leave a comment and let me know how you’re getting on. Are you racing and group riding, or just one or the other?