A little bit hot for being indoors, let alone racing. 28c is the hottest day of the year here… so far. Unsurprisingly, there were not too many Brits about for this one.
Actually, there were not that many people about for this one at all.
With a field of just 18 riders, I knew this was going to be a struggle in keeping with the front group. The problem being that this would be the Hilly Route, which means an almost immediate climb of the Hilly KOM.
And as we all know, racing in any category on Zwift has some … ahem, questionable spreads when it comes to power ranges, so the fast riders would promptly be leaving me in the dust.
Which is, unsurprisingly, exactly what happened.
Before getting into the race I want to say I enjoyed a fifteen minute warm up. Enjoyed is perhaps not the right word. Even with a week and a bits rest, the fell climb on Wednesday took it’s tool on a slightly different set of leg muscles, leaving me decidedly tight. Pushing off today felt like a real effort.
I opted for a light paced group ride, considering stepping up the pace if I felt like it, but not wanting to work too hard knowing what lay ahead.
One cool thing about the warm up was seeing the coffee stop feature in use. Another was the reskinned pace bots. I think the robotic look is super cool, and it honestly makes me wonder why Zwift don’t either sell character customisations, or allow you to change your avatar to be a more gamified version using your drops. A lot of other big money making online games got their founders very rich by selling virtual hats. Just saying.
With the warm up done it was into the start pens. At this point I didn’t actually realise I had to do two repeats of the Hilly KOM. It’s good that I pay attention.
Before I could think too much else we were under way. A couple of fliers took the early pace way up before reining themselves back in. At this point I thought I might stand a chance.
But no.
As soon as we hit the first corner of the first pass of the Hilly KOM it was really quite obvious I was out classed, as per.
Around this point I’d spotted the two laps indicator and so was already conscious I couldn’t completely empty the tank on that first climb. Even so I gave it a solid effort. I came out the top with a small bunch of, I think, 3 other riders. However they had already dropped me by the time we made it to the two statues.
From then on out I was isolated. The choice became either fall back, or press on solo.
I opted for press on solo.
Essentially the race stopped here and it became a personal time trial. No bad thing, it’s all about the fitness after all.
I actually didn’t see anyone, as best I recall, from this point onwards. I could see them on the mini map, and I could see them on the nearest riders board, but for the rest of the race I didn’t see anyone again. My one possibility of a partner was a guy behind, who steadily gained on me, then just as he was about to catch me, he seemed to disconnect. That was equal parts good for my finishing spot, but bad for my legs.
I used one other racer, a chap behind me, as my pace board. Wanting to keep him at a growing distance from me became my marker. There were times I felt I was losing pace, and on the second lap I was out of the saddle several times to put in tactical digs, alongside judicious use of feather and aero power ups to keep me going.
All in though, the strategy worked. I held out and held my spot. Pretty pleased with this.
What struck me was when I left the house about 30 minutes later just how hot it was outside. Humid as heck. My office is shaded somewhat, but I was surprised it wasn’t even hotter than it had been in there all the same. Apparently thunder is on the way, but it’s unlikely any ill weather will impact me. I’m on the turbo for the foreseeable, even in the heat, until all my aches and pains have been addressed. Going to be a challenge in itself, I feel.
But for now, though it may be a late start to proceedings, I am glad to have kicked off the OG Racing series. Whether I am fit and capable for a resumption on Tuesday is anyone’s guess. Right now I feel tired. And hot. But maybe I’ll be massively improved with a rest day on Monday. Or maybe not, considering it’s my first day back at work in two weeks.
