Racing on the Road to Ruins, #Zwift. 30km, 300m. It was a good field and after the initial dust settling phase - the first 2 or 3 kilometres where everyone is putting down far too much power to sustain - I was back in the field. Unlike yesterday, I went off steady and subsequently found myself close to the back. I wasn't too worried. I'd had a good one yesterday so a steadier one would be all right...
Anyway, being quite a big field, I was soon riding in a group of a dozen. Riding together we reeled in rider after rider, working our way clear of the back of the race. I put in the efforts on the climbs to break clear of the group in order to bridge to the next.
By midway I was riding in a small group of five, and we worked well into the second to last climb of any importance. By the time we went over the top of the final climb of any importance the group was down to just two - but sadly, I wasn't in it!
After that, riding solo, it all flattened out with only the odd blip, and a few short down hills - on which I got caught by a couple of riders but managed to hold with them. On the flats it soon became clear they weren't prepared to put in the work. I was on the front most of the time so I eased back from 200W to 140W and still they sat behind!! Okay, if that's the way you want to play it, I thought...
With 3k to go, there was a final 'blip' into the volcano, and I let rip - ooh matron. 300W all the way. Heart rate thumping out of my chest, they could not match it and I got clear. 5m.. 10m.. 20m.. 40m.. and dropped... I was really blowing but knew I had to keep the power down in order to keep that gap. After a minute my heart rate was recovering and they were still nothing but specks in the rear view mirror. I kept pushing hard to the finish just in case.
I finished with a route PB by over four and a half minutes. Good hard race. Sweating like a fat Cypriot in a Turkish bath house - not sure that's a good phrase to use, might start a war or something... Anyway, pleased with that and the knee doesn't hurt at all while I'm on the bike, only when I walk so it's good and bad on that front.
Anyway, being quite a big field, I was soon riding in a group of a dozen. Riding together we reeled in rider after rider, working our way clear of the back of the race. I put in the efforts on the climbs to break clear of the group in order to bridge to the next.
By midway I was riding in a small group of five, and we worked well into the second to last climb of any importance. By the time we went over the top of the final climb of any importance the group was down to just two - but sadly, I wasn't in it!
After that, riding solo, it all flattened out with only the odd blip, and a few short down hills - on which I got caught by a couple of riders but managed to hold with them. On the flats it soon became clear they weren't prepared to put in the work. I was on the front most of the time so I eased back from 200W to 140W and still they sat behind!! Okay, if that's the way you want to play it, I thought...
With 3k to go, there was a final 'blip' into the volcano, and I let rip - ooh matron. 300W all the way. Heart rate thumping out of my chest, they could not match it and I got clear. 5m.. 10m.. 20m.. 40m.. and dropped... I was really blowing but knew I had to keep the power down in order to keep that gap. After a minute my heart rate was recovering and they were still nothing but specks in the rear view mirror. I kept pushing hard to the finish just in case.
I finished with a route PB by over four and a half minutes. Good hard race. Sweating like a fat Cypriot in a Turkish bath house - not sure that's a good phrase to use, might start a war or something... Anyway, pleased with that and the knee doesn't hurt at all while I'm on the bike, only when I walk so it's good and bad on that front.
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