"Other" Rides to Lead on Zwift as a Team...
Folks, just a super top secret note that @scott dinhofer Has been working super hard behind the scenes to get an in-game jersey with ZwiftHQ. Rumor has it that step one is to get it in our workouts, and maybe eventually "in-game" as a choice. I'll take it...at least we know it's in their system!!! :)
So artwork has been sent and we have our 🤞To see what happens.
This means that folks will see the jersey when we have workouts rolling...so thinking more about workouts we could do.
Current Workouts (and Timing)
- HangOn Ride, Saturdays @ 6:06am EST led by @Tim Sullivan And @Coach Patrick
- West Coast Cruise and Crush Ride, Saturdays @ 6:50am PST led by @Sid Wavrin and @Al Truscott
- East Coast Cruise and Crush Ride, Sundays at 7:50am EST led by @Brian Hagan @Robert Sabo
Sustainability
Hang On Ride will continue all year...it's just that good of a ride IMHO.
Cruise and Crush will likely change as folks have other sessions to do on the weekend. I am curious to hear what folks think would be a "sustainable" alternative to this ride....for example, we could do a Version of the Coffee ride...one lap Easy, One Lap Race, then after party (unofficial) at 2.0 or 2.5 to mimic what our long rides will look like. Leaders would be on the hook for the 30' to start...afterparty on their own.
Other / Future Rides
- Friday Freight Train 🚂 could grow and be something for sure...but that depends on the riders. Most folks are "time boxed" during the week, even in summer, so I assume Zwift will still be in play. Not sure who on the Left Coast wants to step up for that? @Sid Wavrin Already does so much...
- Wednesday Sweet Spot Training Ride... I have done these the last two weeks. These are repeats at 90% FTP which are achievable without taking away from the work I am doing on Tuesdays and Thursdays...could map out an 8-week progression and lead an actual AM workout for sure.
Feedback
What do you think of the above? What other ride options do you see? Anyone else interested in being the beacon!!?? 👑
~ Coach P
Comments
I’ll help on the Wednesday AM tempo ride @Coach Patrick
And YOU CAN'T GET LOST IF YOU ARE THE BEACON BROBEANS!!!
Yup that’s perfect time 10:30am for me. I usually ride the Kiss at base at 10:50 but I’ll take 20mins for the team! And promise to stay right! At least if I’m beacon they have to follow! 😂 We could call it Team EN lotto tempo ride! Who knows where we’ll end up!
I really like the timing the and the format of Friday Freight Train. Not sure how anyone else views this as we enter race season. I could see doing that pretty regularly if it was to become a ride option. I would be interested in @Al Truscott view of Saturday CNC as we enter the summer months. I could still lead some rides if the ride remains, but like the flexibility of getting outside for the longer rides as the weather gets better. What is your schedule like in the summer AL? We certainly have the option of maintaining these rides as "posted rides" for team members to get together at the banner if we suspended the official public event until we knew for sure we could provide consistently support the ride with a leader. The other way to ensure we can cover these official events is add a couple ride leader options to each of the regular weekly rides so as people flex in and out of race training schedules we have a good chance of covering the events we post.
Super cool about potential team jersey in Zwift!! Thank you @scott dinhofer and @Coach Patrick !!
Other ride options...as I thought about this, from the perspective of committing to lead, I kept butting up against my own needs for training progression. Doing the •same• thing week-after-week doesn't really fit well with a training plan focussed on progressive increase in volume or difficulty. Other negatives (wait, I'm actually ending up somewhere positive): committing to a ride on the weekend, even for me who does his long rides on Thursday in the warmer months, butts up against my desire to do IRL •races• on Sat or Sun AM. And, during the week, a ride focussed on intensity for an hour, would not be as much fun as doing a race on Zwift.
But then I got to thinking of "recovery" rides. In an effort to garner volume without killing myself as I prep for a triathlon with a 120 km bike leg, followed by an Ironman 5 weeks later, I've been doing some easier group rides, advertised in the range of 1.8-2.2 w/kg, for 60-80 minutes. Those have had between 100-200 riders participating. Being shorter, almost all who start actually finish. And being easier, the group stays together more than harder group rides I've done. So that's a thought. The trick is picking the time. For me, I could see doing that on Monday or Friday, 4/7 P/EDT.
Of course, "one man's ceiling is another man's floor"...I'm talking 1.8-2.2 w/kg rides which would be recovery for me, and might be a good Tempo/Steady state wko for a lot of others on Zwift...not everyone is an A racer, or young, or fit, or, or...I'm just sayin', there are a lot of folks out there on Zwift who don't hammer away the way a lot of the active riders on Team EN do; and there are a lot of Team ENers who either feel intimidated by, or simply •can't• keep up with, the pace of our current rides. And maybe even some of the hammerheads could do with a little recovery in their cycling lives?
@Sid Wavrin Here is my schedule for the remainder of the year (thru Nov!): I can lead Mar 9, 12, 23. I CAN'T lead Mar 30 (in Tucson), Apr 6 (in LA). Back to leading Apr 13, 20, and MAYBE 27. No on May 4 (racing). Yes on May 11, 18. Then Shut Down for the summer - racing, traveling, riding outside etc. - until Oct 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, 16.
@Coach Patrick Happy Birthday?
Ok...as always, so grateful to you who are involved here! 👍
Here's what I am sensing...please fill in the rest and let's see if we can get some other ride leaders!
Monday Recovery Ride: 4pm EDT / 7pm PDT
Wednesday Sweet Spot Intervals WKO 5:30am EDT
Friday Freight Train: XXX EDT / XXX PDT
back in the days the Fridy Freight Train was the place to be... remember when we did 50 volcano laps - rofl.
I am probably alone on my boat, but I find it sad that all rides are in the morning :( Dont create one for me, but wondering if was the only one riding past 20h on week days
Hope the CNC survives even if not an official event
@Coach Patrick Should we note the length of each ride? Also, the courses, and that they should be culled? And what dates we're available...
i'll return to this this afternoon
I think we need a couple more people to chime in here. I feel like Friday Freight Train is not "my ride". I really like it in the forms it has taken as it's come and gone and I have joined many times. I am willing to lead sometimes if it becomes an event and we need someone, but I don't want to take someone's thunder. I also think we need the people who may intend to ride it help with the description. @Peter Noyes and @Nam Lam @Francis Picardare you guys interested in this as a regular ride? If so, what are the parameters? I for one am not looking for a hard ride on Friday AM. Steady to tempo is what it's been in the past for about an hour. Who else is interested here? It's been only 3 or 4 people the last couple of times. My other question is if Saturday CNC will be suspended for the summer months. I think AL is out for the lead after about May or so and think I would be thinking along the same line.
@Sid Wavrin I cant be leader on a morning ride during the week as my working schedule cant be predict 2 days in advance. So cant commit on my side
Also, my body hates riding in the morning and it makes me tired for rest of the day and it scraps my runs later :)
I basically think this ride fits us well as its totally unorganized lol.
Monday Recovery Ride: 4pm EDT / 7pm PDT
I suggest this ride be @ 4:30 PM PDT, +/- 15 minutes (zwift is like an airport, sometimes a big jam-up for "slots" at specific times. Flexibility is necessary...) Then East and Central can make it after dinner, Pacific before, Europe is asleep, and Asia is rising
Course: Flat - Watopia - "Flat"; Innsbruck - "Innsbruckring"; London - "Greater London Flat" or "Greatest London Flat"; Richmond - "UCI World's"; NYC - "Gotham Grind".
Length: 1 hour/60 minutes
The ride should be "culled".
Dates I'm available to lead: March 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (maybe), May 6, 13, 20.....July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Aug 5, 12, 19 (maybe), 26, Sep 2...Oct 14, 21, 28, 4, 11, 18...Then a New Year Starts
Wow, I fell behind on this forum waiting for Monday to reply!
A. As far as Sunday CnC, I think we have a mostly positive response from the community on this one, and I like our format of a culled ride on Watopia figure 8. It basically gives us three KoMs and 3 sprints and then the race at the end that includes the 4th climb.
Last Sunday, we had over 100 people at the start of the climb, but only 38 finisher per the Zwift Companion App. In Zwiftpower we had 19 finishers. Id love to do some analysis on how many repeats we get. I am terrible with names, so I do not always recognize. I do notice that we get a lot more Europeans than North Americans. 4 of the 5 Americans on Zwiftpower were from our Team.
I think the biggest complaint I have heard is that some riders see it categorized as a "C", but its hard to stay with the group unless you are a C+ or better. On ZP most finishers average between 2.7 and 3.0, but its the hard efforts on the longer climbs that makes it hard for the weaker riders. I do not believe there is a need to make any changes. It will just be what is (like the Hang On)
I'd love to keep it going for a number of reasons: 1) To build more of a regular group 2) It's fun to curise along with a big blob 3) There are more people to push you 3) It makes the race at the end more fun.
My only issue is I need a few more back ups. @Scott Giljum is usually running 50K on Sundays, so that leaves @Robert Sabo. I'd also like the option to participate and not lead every now and then. So, it would be great if we could get more ride leads. I can work with Allen (or the google doc) to change the ride lead order.
Also, the other team members that join the ride make it so much easier. A lot of times they are helping coral people. I love when when I see a bunch of EN riders in the event!
At least for the short term, I plan to continue. If it becomes a problem with my life or training schedule, I will let you know.
B. What about races? KISS has a bunch. ODZ has a bunch. Seems like we could do a bunch and you don't need a ride leader. @Francis Picard and I can do a Monday night crush your FTP race :). Actually, I will start swimming on Monday nights, but think about that.
Ok...playing catch up as well...status update on the rides...q's at the top, details at the bottom.
MON -
WED -
FRIDAY sounds like it's not really a formal thing for anyone...I say you keep leading it @Sid Wavrin and we'll see what comes of it. We could totally publicize it as an informal ride in the meantime...
@Brian Hagan I agree that a race could work. I like the Monday 8pm EDT One Lap Hero Race...is that something that you would lead for a bit @Francis Picard ? You don't Have to lead it per se, but would you be a presence there? You could help us determine the right type of course and distance, etc....let me know!
Updated Descriptions below...
Monday Recovery Ride: 4:15 +/- pm PDT - AKA - 7:15 +/- pm EDT
Wednesday Sweet Spot Intervals WKO 5:30am EDT
@Brian Hagan I didn't know that ride finishers could be found via Zwift Companion - I;ve been looking @ Zwiftpower, had 16 last Sat e.g., maybe there are more and I'm not realizing it?
How do you use the Companion to find that number?
@Al Truscott go to activities on the companion app and bring up your activities. Click on any event and it will show the results.
@Coach Patrick Wednesday Sweet Spot course shouldn’t matter much if it’s a WKO. However, Should we stay off the busy more populated default courses just to have some space? Also, Keep it flat-ish? Courses like Volcano flat, Greater London Flat, London Classique, Gotham Grind Flat, Richmond flat?
If some riders turn ERG mode off it’ll default the trainer to a flat road feel anyways I think.
Friday Freight Train Ride-
Thanks for including me @Sid Wavrin. I’m not sure if I could commit to leading the Friday Freight Train Ride every Friday because of my unpredictable work schedule. However, I would be happy to co-lead or serve as a back up if needed.
I agree that this ride should be an EZ social ride to prep the team for the big trainnng on the weekend. The 6 AM PST is really West Coast friendly so I am very interested to make it a regular ride.
Nam
Awesome @Nam Lam @Nam Lam! I think for now let's just get this out to the team, show up on Friday and see if there is any interest. We can make it a regular ride if we get consistent interest. So I think we agree that it is 6AM PST for about an hour on Volcano Flat for a somewhat social pace. Maybe @Coach Patrick can get this message to the team in other places also? One of us who do it can post it on the Group Me each week.
I think between @Sid Wavrin And @Nam Lam We can make it a semiformal ride. How do you all want to handle it...just "meet at the banner" type thing?
@Donnacha Holmes What were you saying this AM re ERG mode? You don't want to do it as a real workout as it kills you? I was thinking that if we set it as a workout, we'd all stay together. You or I could disable ERG mode and we'd still have to ride 90% FTP to keep up...right? I am admittedly a bit Zwift Workout Ignorant.
@Coach Patrick Yes meet at the banner at 6:00 PDT. Ride Volcano flat for about an hour or as long as time or desire permits. No pace goals, but not a hammerfest.
Wow, I found this late...
So, I am a middle of the pack "C"rider as most of you know. Since I am no longer officially racing, I typically ride the trainer most of the year and would be happy to be of assistance in making the rides continue through the summer.
I do not really see myself as a ride leader except in the w/kg range that @Al Truscott mentioned but I would be happy to serve as a backup to keep things going during the summer.
Since I won't have a race build, my tentative plan is to keep the "Get Faster" Forum rolling through the summer for whoever drops in and it seems like these rides would fit right into such a schedule rather well.
I would love to actually ride more of the rides but I find that Tuesday at about 5-5:30 EST, Thursday at the same time(6 AM KISS ride usually), and the Sat Sun rides seem to be fitting my schedule best right now.
Informal Friday Freight Train Ride sounds good @Sid Wavrin and @Coach Patrick . I am sure Peter Noyes will be so excited to ride every Friday at 6 AM PST.
So I see 99 (?+ 9 ENers) were signed up, and I "Zwifted With..." 50. Does that mean fifty people did at least some of the ride, or 50 finished it? You know I'm interested because I am in intense competition with the Sunday CnC for "Most Popular".
@Al Truscott do you see this in your activity result in the companion app? So below I see it that 130 signed up including 8 people I follow. It looks like from the in ride photo we had 119 riders at the 39:13 mark.
@Sid Wavrin So choose Watopia or world hack? I want to make sure I get this right...
Also, heads up that I am submitting stuff to Zwift to see what really happens...
@Coach Patrick what we've been doing is meeting at the banner of Volcano Flat and doing laps with no specific goal in mind for distance. So I'm not sure what you should submit to Zwift. Maybe on this one just put it out to the team as a "meet at banner" event.
@Sid Wavrin Got it...let's see what we can do! 👍
@Coach Patrick
yeah I am fine, we can give a try for a few weeks.
20h35 ET Monday Night would be best time for me, a short 10-15 mile race as I usually just do a hard bike session on Monday that last about 20-25 minutes. (FTP BUMP !!)
LMK what you need and how we should proceed ?
Quick update for everyone on the Zwift stuff...
~ Coach P