Possible goals for the month...Sisu Tour de France Sprint Jersey (not all races are good times for me but I think I can do well even if KM joins in. I would love to take on the world's best.) Also, the July Time Trial Series (because several races are short at 4km, 9 km, 10 km, 13 km, plus a 33 km endurance test). There is a quick three portal climb challenge to get the devil jersey. Plus, I should be able to find a good time to try to take the Poggio. Illi at 7:59.5 with 251 watts and Hayashi at 8:00 287 watts. I will need about 300 watts to beat them both. When I get caught up on all of that, I have a custom workout called Hic-cups.
TT Club: Mech Isle: 6:00.362 A very good start 298 watts np=311. Could have been a touch better. But, I am happy with result and it was good training looking toward the Poggio. Also, I think I will get the QOM on Redoute as the clock ticks down to midnight.
Poggio: Oh so close but hurting in the middle doing 270 instead of 280 and I lost the time I needed to win. I finished at 8:06 which is second place (actually third counting Illi on Watopia.) I will return on a better day. I'm so aggravated that I should have gotten this.
Sisu Tour Stage 1: Going for sprinter points with three sections on this stage. With three laps, I need to do one each lap. But which one first? Maybe the first long one but then no power-up on the first time through. Tough call. Better to be patient and grab it on the second lap.
I thought I did great, but more mediocre than I would like. Too early on one, too late on another, too slow at the bottom, and one just right (but solo). Overall, I did great for me with a time total of 1:59.959 for four sprints. I was thinking of another attempt but I felt too tired to push so hard after a long day. It gave me a great workout but there was almost nobody at my time (and close to 100 in the next event when I couldn't be home) Looks like I'm going to be the red lantern.
Stage 1 Second Attempt: Did much better 15.232, 22.115, and an amazing 55.491 for a new total of 112.794 which surpasses the top two B racers in the men's division at 113.792. The Dos Ane Reverse Sprint is also the current record! (yes, it is a very new segment but it will take a full-on elite race to beat that as I topped 500 watts (no power-up). I knew I could beat the one minute mark!
Redoute Best time of 4:55.4 over 5:13 with both of us tied at the four minute mark before my powerful finishing kick right at 400 watts. It was enough to win by a good margin. But now that my time is out there, I expect someone to try to snipe it. (Some day I will explain that whole conundrum.)
TT Club Insbrukring is going to be an 'also ran' effort. I just don't have the energy to race this week because of the Sisu series that I really want to fight on. Sure, I'm going to win the green jersey. But I want to see how well I can do. I might just coast this one. However, there are only a few time slots and none of them are good. I may just skip it. There's no prizes and hardly any competition. Sad. EDIT: I dropped out, no time.
Queen Stage 3 of SISU Tour de France: I think I did great on my sprints. I had hoped to do a 59 on the final sprint but I had a 1:00.33. My total was nice at 144.741 (or possibly 144.311) for a new total of 257.535. We won't get the full results until Monday, which is stage 4 time. Stage 5 is Ventoux ten kilometers which I will rest as there are no sprints. Then just two stages with only one short sprint each. (which is why points would be better than time).
Green Jersey: It looks like I have moved from 7th overall, up to sixth overall. I was only looking at first to beat the men's B racers. Stage 4 will also have almost two minutes of sprints. Most of my time lost is in the Dos Ane where the men are much faster, even though I hold the current record.
SISU Stage 4: Launched my best minute in quite a few years. I took the QOM and the Zwift best time on Dos d'Ane Sprint with 51.048 (beating some real and some very fake times) Now, I own both of these long sprints, living up to my Zwift Academy efforts from my "almost selected' back to back years. Zwift recorded it as 552 watts! I am so...I can't even think of the word. Love it, love it, love it. I just fell into this challenge even though none of the elite gals joined in. Sounds kind of like my Elite Time Trial win a few years back. I will edit in a few days when the stage 4 results come in. I've got the times now: I'm in fourth place, just ahead of two riders. First is a bit of a debate at 340.7, then Second at 348.6, Third 355.4, Zee is at 361.1 (360.8 as my ride was 1:00 but was actually 1:00.3), Fifth 362.0, Sixth 364.0. I only have one second to either come in a provisional third or possibly fifth. However, I am one second ahead of the Men's B after stage 3 (257.5, 258.6, 260.0) Stage 4 Men's B 1@364.506, 2@371.289 I am up 3.7 seconds.
Poggio Qom Attempt: Feeling a little tired and having done so many sprints, that eight minutes seemed very long. I struggled from two minutes to go until the one minute to go section that I fell short by 3 seconds at 8:03.36. I'm getting so very close. I think I started just a bit too strong and then paid for it during the middle portion. Also, I didn't get more than one power up. Maybe that is what through me off getting near the top, that I got zero benefit from that power up dial. On another day, the odds may go well with me. Maybe I will try again in a week or two while I have a good bit of power in my legs. Stay tuned.
SISU Stage 6: I ran the sprints pretty good. I had a 12.86 followed by a 12.683. It seems like one rider dropped out, not riding stage 5. Therefor, I am looking to take third (but essentially second as first place seems to have a weight problem that will be up to the judges if they challenge anyone. It isn't life-changing to have someone beat you by weight loss beyond what is normal.) I expected the rider above me to keep his six second gap on me. He had a nice 12.560, so I only came behind by 0.123. Sharp. One more fairly tough sprint coming Friday. That sprint will be harder as it is uphill and drafting speed is the name of the game there. As long as I don't lose more than two seconds, I should beat the B cat and maybe stay ahead of the A rider behind me. It would be great to all be in the same race. But, it is very tight. I have 3.2 seconds over the top B cat sprinter. But now only 0.7 seconds over the third place in the A cat. I only lost a tenth of second or so. Very, very tight indeed.
SISU Stage 7: I started earlier than I planned, but I was bang on at the sprint line at 52 kph. I managed a 10.587 with a feather. (never an aero when you need it). I was trying to hit a good speed and I ran up a really good time. VanDenBrock ran a 10.048 to (in my reckoning) win the green jersey competition. His Strava profile is open and my coach says he looks legit. (While one candidate has not so great wattage but has incredible watts per kilogram...hmm. Another tell-tale sign is extreme weight loss over their career. One top rider went from 83 to 73 kilograms in a two month period. Wow, that was some great riding after that 'vacation'. You know it is a roulette wheel...and the winner is..) Okay, rant over, doesn't matter.
My total time should hold up to second overall!
T. VdB at 378.042
Zee Kryder 384.127
Next contender needs a 9.5 tomorrow to beat me. Medg in at 385.538 (10.9 final sprint)
In the B cat the winner 'Brof" has an 388.768 (plus 4.6 seconds)
Second Place in SISU Sprinter (no sprinting on stage 2 and 5)
Stage 1: (Placement) #1, #12, #7
Stage 3: #5, #10, #11, #4, #63
Stage 4: #5, #11, #69, #5, #3
Stage 6: #6
Stage 7: #6
Still a possibility for Poggio attempt....
POGGIO RECORD....July 30 2025
Zee Kryder 7:59.0 298 Watts
Illi Gardner 7:59.5 250 Watts
This may be the only time I have beaten Illi.
I am thrilled and exhausted. I've been training for this and attempting it since Illi got it March 21 2025.
Finished my season with Hardknot climb. I only raced it one time. Actually, three other times but that was in test mode and the climb was actually too short. The version that is out now is a brutal hard start. This is why people don't come back to this climb again and again. You learn to hate it. I thought, I better get this one right so I don't have to do it again for a long time. I almost quit half way again. I did the bottom part pretty hard and I suffered for about three minutes before finally opening up the last minute sprint. I felt in control the whole time but it felt like I was going to falter. I finished in 11:09 when I was hoping to go for 12 at the start. This is the first time with the Aethos 5 so it was a bit faster than the old bike and more watts 284. I also did Ventoux right after (for even more torture). I have the form for one more big effort.
