XRS Races – Saturday Classic (C Cat – 4th Place in Cat.)

It’s Saturday – so let’s get racing again…..

Hello again YouTube and welcome to the XRS races Saturday Classic this has become a bit of a regular fixture for me actually so uh race this morning is about 43 km which is actually a lot lot shorter than last weeks I did uh even though I

Didn’t stream it I did 100 km race on Sunday uh so this will be a walking apart compared to that hopefully uh but I picked one that’s got a good number of riders in it today so uh we’ll see how we go C category which is where I’m

At and as you can see that’s me in the middle of the uh screen there with my 100 kilm Jersey on let’s give everyone a little ride On all right so just getting warmed up Garmin is telling me to do a base workout this morning I think this is going to be slightly above base cold weekend here in the UK uh everything’s frozen solid this morning I was out early walking the dogs and um it was but

The car was frozen solid so I’m glad I’m not out on a bike on the road this morning and uh I’m back on the trusty wat bike I was hoping to be doing this on a new direct drive turbo trainer I’ve ordered but I’ve ordered it from an eBay

Seller who has a different idea of uh what it means to advertise a delivery date and what it means to actually stick to that delivery date so uh I don’t think I’m going to see that till Monday right so usually out the gate it’s usually quite hot so let’s just start putting some WS in the legs 30 Seconds I’m on the Tron bike today and uh I was in two minds about whether to use full TT rig but this goes up the volcano here we go right that will do some big swap kilo around me For put the heart on myself so I uh appear to be in a group of A’s and B’s here not entirely sure how that’s happened Not going to to contest the uh wo flat Sprint 43k there’s still a lump of racing Oh there it was hadn’t even realized I was on that spring For just want to uh consolidate a lead or some distance early people dropping wattage Bazookas already look at that Load this is fast I hope this settles down in a minute dropping back into the rest of the Seas by the looks of it who we still pushing four wats for kilo Jesus latest version of Swift I lighting me with a little glow there because I’m in a bunch

So couple of a up the road there by the looks of it and I see with them Cher oh what I find with these races is if you can get in a bunch and get out early you can then relax into it a little bit man

Right so uh as you can see the old heart rate’s up there holding about 3 watts per kilo going to hold that till 10 minutes and then I’m going to treat myself and back off can I Bridge across people trying no man no this stage right with the six happy with

That now let’s just hope I didn’t burn too many matches too early on right let’s see any of these guys want to work together just put a bit more Cadence in down the gears there little pack of seas and bees formed here now this around 3 watts per kilo feel

Sustainable as long as these guys want to share the work two minute turns on the front would be nice going buddy nice right just conscious that we are very nearly running out a flat Road as you can see by the lumps and bumps ahead of us and that’s

Where generally I think it will start to splinter looks like that other group that I tried to run with Jesus they’re now 24 seconds up the road and I am heartly glad I didn’t decide to run with them for too long little pack formed here nearest Rider back from US 36

Seconds thank you Esther Kinson right okay so this is actually looking like there’s a a bit of shared work going on here when that road goes up don’t be afraid to come down the gears that’s what they’re there for using Cadence and the cardiovascular system to hold the power instead of the legs alone Group largely staying together here you can see that we slowed a bit lost about 8 seconds to that following group and it looks like everyone’s working their racecraft here including me right okay so where does this go I think this leads up to the Sprint then Italian Villas then the volcano so

Again I’m not consciously going to complete that Sprint nice actually that we’ve got a bit of a group here very often this XRS races Saturday classic when it’s the longer distances you only get a handful of riders and also I like out of the gate mixing it up with the higher

Categories yellow was uh you know I’ve been I do Thursday evening team time trials with with my tri club and uh this week they put me in there one of their fast groups surrounded by mainly cat B Riders and uh you know it Strunk me there’s a

Little bit of you go oh man this isn’t going to be fun but there’s a another bit that says you know if you want to graduate from cat C to cat B you’ll never do that just by trying to run with the cat Seas all the time so I think this particular

Course could become a war of attrition as we get to the volcano and like I say that was the reason I didn’t go full TT rig on this so looks like we’re in this group there’s a little groupa of possibly two Riders behind us and then a bigger group behind

That right so it looks like like we’ve pulled back one of the Seas that had made an early break I’ll be happy to keep it here for a while at least yeah looking at the numbers around me I can just begin to ease off a little bit I think and ease

Into kind of a distance pace we go up here in 14 I think and over the top about third race distance we are in I’d say probably allowing for the volcano I reckon an hour and 10 of racing this morning just going to sit in this group for a

While he thank you s Norman right Italian Villas here we come does that nasty draggy little Switchback climb to get up to the Villas looking at the messages there you’ll drop me on the climb we’ll know that feeling Bud oh man this is really like an FTP

Test in fact this has been like an FTP test without the warmup now I think these guys are riding smart they’re probably just hoping I’m going to burn all my matches so I’m just going to back off first little drag coming up it’ss one or

2% now question is do we Chuck a left here or do we go up the uh k oh I’m lost sorry that’s a bit further on is it all right okay come with me in don’t be a dick 3 watts per kilo 2.8 to 3 watts per kilo to stay with this

Group let some of the other guys do some of the work for a while still on this horrible little drag so here’s is it going to be that way towards the Villas and stuff I think it’s that way nope yes oh thank God we’re not going up the K here we go some

Decent big numbers on the front there by the looks of it let’s keeping with it this is nice now are we going to the Sprint we are and somebody else can have it look look they’re all planning it come on in if you want it take it CH no it’s not a lied

Going to pay for that later CH it’s not even a PB oh Fair Place yeah I’m paying for it let’s get on him come on come on Father P me across here we go paying for the Sprint here getting back on all right bring that H right back in

Wishing at this point that was a carbohydrate drink and not just uh electrolyte as we make our way towards the volcano Fine and again I think that climb is somewhere you can do yourself some damage it’s only a 10minute line but uh you know it’s only it’s only part of the race I see you mate yeah now that guy that just came through I think he was sitting off the

Back so it just shows you how much good you can do yourself just by sitting back like that or like this in fact settle into that pocket of air but don’t be afraid to work once in a while if you want everyone to work with you about half Race

Distance and about a third of the climbing complete so here we go here’s the centerpiece now I’m lost again I thought that was the turn for the uh volcano yes it is yeah look there it is right let’s just just settle in and see what this climb does to

Everyone I’m not a natural climber I’ve been working on it but uh it ain’t me I don’t want to go much above 3.5 all the way up this so yeah look everyone’s getting Lively off the front time to uh let them go Bunch coming slowly back together here come on F

Get on my wheel bch oh man oh boy oh just noticed the live stream’s got the wrong title on it if we’ve never been as with this is not inbrook this is uh the XRS races Saturday Classic on the uh I think this is the watopia big loop oh man

Right so that little group has got away from me 20 seconds or so up the road like I say BL your strengths are not a climber and there’s still 18K of racing left and I got a B category with me hopefully he wants to pull me along a bit here we go right

Yeah ouch I make you right right Breaking Me own there man they’re coming back down oh boy dear Lord am I looking forward to this descent keep it here oh oh see you buddy that’s how you want me you deserve one of those they right on but you’re too far away

Lovely view from up here the Epic K in the distance there the radio tower which I’m glad we’re not going up Circles are getting smaller on the uh map at the top there for oh getting steep this last little grind to the top here we go here we go

Oh man nothing else it could be a b PB oh yes I’ll tell you that so we have 16.4k of racing left and about1 M of a scent so the uh little gretto I was in is now it looks like just me and the Swedish guy 6 seconds down the road the other

Seas now undoubtedly thank you andine uh the other DCS now undoubtedly well established on The Descent going to keep the power in for The Descent I’m never really sure if that’s a good idea so uh yeah if you’re uh joining this partway in expecting to see inbrook sorry about

That got the wrong title on the live stream I’m racing the XRS races Saturday classic in mopia 14 and a half K left just been up the volcano which is always Pleasant oh thank you coach Dave I really do spend too much time on zift don’t I oh man

Thanks Mike you want to be here buddy oh little flat bit Swedish guys back with me see now what I say he’s called me and probably pushing less watts per kilo for the majority of The Descent so dare I try an aot tuck just on this last rank let’s get it down the

Gears and see Bel pedaling now yeah I think you definitely are better pedaling plus I wasn’t really going fast enough for an arot tuck there smash oh boy here we go up to the beach Nish keeping that power in just under 12K to go so I’m guessing which Cher right through the

Tunnel along the Boulevard of Broken Dreams and then chucker left towards the wo plat and pro probably I’d say finish on that wo flat Sprint I do like that little Halo that comes up to highlight your Rider in this version if you’re old enough and in the

UK reminds me of the ready bre adverts right come on fella do me buddy let’s share it right so we’re just coming up to that horrible little Switchback thing up here uh no Mike it’s in the latest version of zwift if you get near another Rider or

In a bunch it puts a halo around you so that you can see yourself more clearly right if he wants to have a go on this climb he can he’s got a point lid and he’s got steering so he can pick his lines which is just what he’s doing fair play buddy

Just remember that on a climb that inside line is sleeper right just under two Park runs from here oh man oh bu that hurts uh yeah I think so Mike oh thank you D he’s uh he’s now 5 Seconds 6 seconds off but it’ll be back and uh you know if I had

Steering oh man we’re going up the K deep Joy I’ll tell you what if he wants it he can have it yeah here he comes so looking at this one two I think there is a cat Rider some distance up the road um and oh boy this is about 80 M climb in

Here right so look there you go Mike he’s got on the wheel of that b and he’s benefiting from it so if I can get on their wheels oh man here we go oh that hurts I’m trying Mike thanks for the chat as always buddy right this is where I think they’ll come

Back to me put the power in it’s about 40 m is a perent left oh right thanks man come so one of the seat is 4 minutes ahead yeah I’m trying to M put the hurt on while I still got the hurt to give oh I’m not going to catch this

Gezer am I G for oh well it was a PB Lo back towards the boulevard Broken Dreams thanks mik so there’s a category C who’s 147 in the lead he’s undoubtedly going to win the ategory two slogging it out for second and third if I can get a fourth I’ll be happy

I’m actually planning a video on why I love the rft racing but right here right now I’m wondering why I love Swift racing oh the nigg here turn little drag over the bridge keeping the power in it’s only an Iron Man swim from here for let’s just

Hope yeah do you know what it’s funny Mike I was just wondering at myself I think zwift and zwift power measure your output over a given number number of races then that becomes your average watts per kilo and you go up the categories based on your average watts per

Kilo I think category C iRacing goes to about 3.2 watts per kilo so I’m guessing you probably need to put in a few races about 3.2 and the algorithm will say yeah your life just got harder and put you in cat B right just hoping I can keep it like this Swedish

Guy he making a bit of a comeback I’ll let that be go or maybe use him much better idea yeah definitely Mike when I get out on the road couple of the local Hills definitely easier and obviously that’s all because of the power you know you just get used to pushing out or

Sustaining a given power I also find we erasing good for your head there’s a a local Hill I Love and Hate Church Lane or Church Hill in Hawley and I used to get to the bottom of it and I could feel myself checking out well doing this sort of stuff get you used

To now being ready for a bit of a beating half a mile come on in you got this I set 33rd out of 96 or maybe not that to you wealth bloody have oh man that was tough thanks Mike thanks for the chats fell and for watching hopefully these uh

Shorter more intense races are a little bit more entertaining there’re certainly harder thanks mate appreciate that so I think I’m now going to uh cool gently down make a visit to the bathroom which I’ve needed from about 10K out and have a good Saturday so thanks for watching Mike thanks for the

Uh uh the comments and the chat as always wishing everybody a good Saturday if you get out on your bike over the weekend and you’re in the UK be careful it’s icy this morning think it’s going to be icy tomorrow and uh yeah right on everyone