Paris and Montmartre QOM

 I ran Montmartre climb a few times, planned an attack and went for it, getting the QOM at 2:15. After a few days there was some times better than mine (sketchy times at best, way too much to be real but) away I went again. I did some strong training and instead of attacking the next ride, I went right into it. I went hard for a minute or so then into sprint mode. I had to slow for a few seconds then sprinted the last 40 seconds (felt like I was dying but I was too afraid of not trying. To my surprise, I ran a QOM 2:05 with 380 watts. I know I can trim a few seconds with the right pacing and power.

Today my workout was 5,4,3,2 with full rest then 4. 5-262 4-268 3-276 2-289 and 4@ 296.

I did a workout with a bunch of one minute intervals at 367 average. It feels comfortable. I can do that for two minutes. All I need is to sprint the last part.

I tried another Montre attack...380 watts on my Cadex for 2:01.96 but 2:02 on Strava, I still really want 1:59.9. Maybe next time, I will go back to the Dogma. The Cadex was really fast on the beginning of the climb. It did dip under 30 for the second part of the climb. I wasn't looking at my speed, just tried to keep the watts steady. I should have started my finishing sprint 10 seconds earlier. The last 22 seconds were at 450. I need to start that at the 30 seconds to go point, even if I am flailing with the last few meters remaining. I think I will wait a week until my next attempt so that I don't burn out trying. I need a few more watts...400 should do it. Patience, I lack patience. 

Then, 2:03.59. I struggled on the effort but kept going anyways as I was already committed. I'm in debate which is faster? Aethos or Dogma or Cadex? The Cadex does the bottom so very fast but is slow on the minute or more of the climb. The Aethos climbs so well but is pretty slow on the approach. The Dogma is a blend of both. But, I'm not confident it is better. I think...Aethos. It is just hard because my halo is the Cadex and it gets a full second ahead that is super tough to catch. I will not give up.

Finally, 1:59.24 and even with Strava's time not exactly Zwift's time, I kept the 59 rather than round up to two minutes flat. My 2:01 and 2:03 times rounded up to 2:02 and 2:04 on Strava. It's almost impossible to be exact. I was trying to average 400 but I came in with 385 for two minutes (350 for three and 300 for almost five) I have done 55 efforts in the last four weeks and still have one or two more to finish the last Fever Tour event.

This two minutes focus should help me on my goal of the miracle minute. Training soon for that effort.

Right now, I don't feel the strength to hold 500 for a full minute.

The Last Hurrah

 Is it possible to stage a 60 second power comeback? I think it is still possible. It would be better if I had a definite date in mind. But, I need a goal to focus on, so be it. I'm also working to qualify for a Canyon Halo Bike. (September 1 is the goal). I'm not sure what the Tour de France will bring to the game this year. But, I wouldn't mind a few new Portals, if they seem interesting. (Someone at Zwift said there will be new Portals as they are already finished: Telegraph, Galibier's other side, Croix de Fer, and Serenne) The Zwift Challenge will be to ride them over four consecutive days. Perhaps, I will only ride to mediocre levels, but it can't hurt to try. But, we must start in the gym and build some kind of base strength.

Plan: Work on stretching a bit first. Add some walking (I don't know what to call it but it is not just 'walking', it is a focused tight movement, more like marching! Maybe that's what it's called.) Next, we will add some weights to gain some strength and add a little muscle if that is possible. Then into strength cycling, then intervals (ouch) and finally power tests. All of it for fun. 

First, rest and reset. Ready? Go!

Four big climbs: First France, later Watopia.

France Sarenne 50:23 (time trial bike)

France Croix     84:04 (2 minute break included,lol)

France Telegraph 42:49 (time trial bike)

France Galibier 66:09 (yes, TT bike also)

I think it is a good sign that I want to try Vonteux, I am working with coach to choose some workout challenges as well as some assigned tests. I am really in need of a 'great day' to boost my confidence, but that may be quite a bit further down the road. I have been avoiding an ftp test for too long. Scary!

Workout 1: 16-12-8-4 This was hard in the 12 and 8 slot but easy in the 4. First time 40@236

Workout 2: 5-5-4-4-3-3 Too hard. I did 5-5-4-x-3-x 17@265

Workout 3:60/60 13@286 (over 3 gears) plus 3@319

Workout 4:Elite Test 2-4-12-S This went good 12 @ 245 4@ 298 2@306 (and 316) sprint @ 661 10w/kg

Sysiphus Test at 285 for a projected 20@ 255 and 242 ftp

Upgrade Update: Canyon road 80 km to go and Canyon TT 24 hours to go.

July Update: Canyon road finished and Canyon TT at 10 hours to go. (54 million to spend)

101 Club

 I am working towards 195. Why? I think I was at 170 but the xp I will earn to get to 170 will actually add up to 25 extra levels. So, I will run out of extra xp at 195. It's a 7:1 ratio. Then it will be 5 months or so until I hit 200. Do I care with it so far away? Two and a half years? No, the thrill is gone. Would MyWhoosh or Rouvy do that? NO. Zwift? Hell yeah. And finally, with MY pestering, they agreed to a special unlock...by reading suggestions in my post. Well, HAPPY DAYS, but you didn't think of that? REALLY!!!

These are my Wake Wheels, a special wheel offered for free, only 55,000 rode less than two hours for, yet incredibly the fastest for racing. The same as white but color changing or red. 

Zwift just added a red stripe so you can see which riders have reached level 100.No official numbers but it is estimated at over 5,000 with another 5,000 on accelerated levels that will reach 100 in the next few months. I was thinking it would be fun to try to get iconic shots of leveling, like the top of the Alp, the T-Rex, and maybe a few others. Very difficult to arrange of course. Here's my first one.

Red carpet ride.

Almost Aero Socks 849 after 399 Days

I'm almost there, just a day away. Right now, I want to focus on a time trial or two, probably Richmond and Yorkshire because they are hilly and it suits my style. I will also be getting the red Dogma and the Red wheels to match. There's not much happening until the Tour events. Probably a new portal or two. There will be a new route on Paris as requested. Again, another victory for special requests. (Paris was my pet project after the New York High line)

I would consider doing a few portals or courses with the socks. However, I probably am just going to break even with a bit less watts in my legs and a bit faster set-up. Hitting 850 is a definite milestone. Then, it is on to level 126, I suppose.

Got 'em now. Are they faster? I'm not sure, but they are ugly. I guess I need to do a downhill on the Alp to find out. Only 500 or so points for level 126, just before new unlimited levels are released. Where's the prizes? I don't care about numbers. I want a prize I'm reaching for. Even the socks, a 13 months project, was still progress toward something.

This week, James started a new challenge for me....a week of sprint record attempts.

The first was Scottland Champion's Sprint...(I won) Kryder 10.15 Fuhrer @ 10.50 Etienne and Guerra at 11. This is now the Q for Strava

Second, Watopia Reverse Sprint...record. 9.37 Kryder 9.53 Larson, Guerra 9.56)

Third, Fuego Flats Sprint....by a hair. 27.99 (top times were 28.39, 28.44, and 28.51) 

Fourth Richmond 23rd Street was TM 22.07, Bates 22.47, Kryder 22.63 (Strava TM 21 and ZK 22) I had a power shortage at the house and lost my chance to break this. Maybe some day in the future.

Fourth Watopia Sprint Forward....1) 19.93 2) 19.95 new number 1- Zee...19.30!

James told me I was using a double shot power-up. He said (and confirmed) there are no odds, the system gives a single, double, or triple shot depending on your location in the race. So, of course, I went to the very back of the pack and bingo, the holy grail, the triple shot. Being armed with such a powerful weapon, I sauntered over to the Hilly Kom. With some of my sprint power, I ran a 1:22.79 at 454 watts, surpassing the known records of 1:34 (the furious Fuhrer) and 1:30 (a very skeptical run). My previous best was 1:46 in an Academy qualifying event. Also, without level 5 Aethos and aero socks at 466 watts.

Big Spin and the Epiloch

 I ran the absolute first stage...lime helmet, blah. It took 33 minutes, so no double spin. The leaders finished in 28-29 minutes. I would have to race all out to get a double. It would be easier to late-join and ride 10 minutes every hour. But, I did a long workout and stopped there. Socks are at 798, which is about four weeks away now. I hate white socks but I would try them on one or two special pr attempts, like the Poggio to get back the Q that was stolen recently. 

I found out late so I waited until the last day of Games to race the Grade. 10 feathers? How could I resist? I did almost the same watts as my previous best time and was exactly one minute faster! 10:22.2 I think it isn't quite fair but that's Zwift folks. (Remember the Zipp free speed race on Tempus? and then also time trial with draft broke all sorts of records.) I got close to Kates time of 10:07. I might try again in two weeks with the goal of hitting the ten minute mark. We need to calculate the power needed first, then plan the effort. I'm thinking of going in the huge gear for my next attempt.

So my loving coach said I would need 14 more watts to up my power to hit the ten minute mark. Then, he said if I could get the aero socks, I might only need 10 watts, which may be doable. However, that would mean earning 37 points in the next 12 days. That means adding almost a week of hard efforts to get the socks in two weeks instead of three. Or possibly doing two massive sprints at the end of every training day. #newgoal

I rode the Tourmalet today. I still am not good with my endurance, so I didn't finish under the hour mark (I actually rode under 56 minutes of moving time.) I lost my progress on the end of the decent, losing six points on the socks (I'm at 819 instead of 825) so it won't happen until mid April. Even 25 would be tough to do in only a week. I may still attack the Grade on April 5th as my last chance to hit the ten minute mark that McCathy set. 

I ran the Tour Zwift Grade Hill Climb twice to go for a faster time getting 10 feathers on each run. I had a 10:22 (a minute or so faster) with a good start but a little faded in the finish. I went a second time with a flying start and I used the feathers at better times with very good wattage, and finished at 10:12.91. It felt good because I knew it would only be ten minutes of suffering. However, I am more proud of my regular effort at 11 minutes without the gimmick of all power-ups. It was a bad idea to set it up, but I wanted to try before it disappeared as it may never surface again.

Three Short Climbs and The Big Spin - Zee style!

 Big Spin is coming and already a points gathering opportunity for previous riders. I will try some of those as it suits me, but more for points than items. I kept going both times until I had the bikes and wheels I wanted.

What is Zee Style? It is for those who race the stage, finish, and late join for extra spins. A few of us started this method as it was a fun challenge. Then, I mentioned it to Nathan Guerra. He joined in and had a blast with us. He mentioned it during a race broadcast and suddenly there were hundreds of people doing it. Wow. I thought it was awesome.

I tried all three new portal climbs at full speed. But now I am going at them all in style to test myself. I am not concerned about getting beaten or not. I have lost that illusion. Someone with a spin bike or a squiggly power meter can always ride on Strava and demolish one's best efforts. But I am proud of what I can do with these short, short efforts. [and just to prove my point, someone just ran the Poggio, my unbeatable effort, faster with hazy wattage and a very suspect account. They started Zwift two months ago as a woman but they have a halo bike from formerly riding as a man, a man with higher wattage than pro women. Ugh!]

PATERBERG: The Great and shortest climb on Zwift: 491 watts for a time of 0:57.13

KOPPENBERG: Sprinting up the climb with 2 feathers....1:36.5 422 watts 

MUR de HUY: 4:00.31 Four minutes and 338 watts!

However, the Paterberg is broken and BnB is showing as the Paterberg falsely.

One last power climb before a well deserved break, North Sgurr on a road bike. I broke the three minutes mark which is very hard to do on a solo ride without drafting through the first half. I really surprised myself. Hoping to get in the big gear for the Scotland time trial in two weeks time. We'll see soon enough. Bye for now. Love and peace.

Training: I rode all eight of the Spring Climb Challenge. I had four decent efforts on the four short climbs and then did the Cipressa at full effort, setting a personal best of 12:57. That put me in fourth overall. My Koppenberg was at 300 watts and I did the Huy at 125% at the end, Sprinting the downhill and setting a CR much faster than the others.

Zwift Games - The Illusion of Racing

 This is training stimulus only. I cannot take these events very seriously. There are just too many variables in play. If you draft off a 'Flying A+ Racer', you can often beat almost everyone. Put in a mediocre effort with a pack of 50 or more riders? Bonus score. The time trial doesn't count toward the GC? Are you kidding me! Whose idea was that? The long stage is just a long drag toward the final climb up the Grade. Of course, you win nothing. Usually, the standings are littered with super human results. Got a spin bike? You can take all the marbles. If it is all just for fun, then sure I will join. I don't plan on killing myself for Stage Five. But, let's give it a go. Would be nice if a few elite racers would spur me on to my former greatness. I'll settle for 'Not that Bad' at this point.

I need a positive boost. I've been down a bit...and cranky. Cranky texting, cranky posting, just in a bit of a funk. Stage one was not my best, coughing all day. I hung on doing a lot of effort for three minutes on the climb....and then I just couldn't hang on. Too many riders drifting back and I can not steer around them. Racing without steering has become a bit of a drag. I don't remember the last race I won. I'm afraid to look. Anyways, stage 2 tomorrow. Let's hope it doesn't totally stink.

Well, it went poorly on Zwift. I got shoved into 90th place. I did move up at one point only to sink quickly back to the end of the pack. On the climb, I was doing 350 watts and never gained an inch. I was stuck. The group got over the top and quickly accelerated. I had a 2 second gap but it was impossible to close. It just kept growing. Eventually, there was a group of 6 that was behind the main group. I just kept going until the final sprint. I was second of the six and was 83rd place. Not fun though. Zwift drafting/passing sunk me again. I will race stage 4 but maybe just cruise for 3 and 5 due to schedule next month. Even at the start of this race, I was going hard and couldn't move forward in the group of 100.

Am I ready for the Tour de Zwift? Kind of.

 I'm just working towards a building phase. I was thinking of shaping up for the Zwift Games but now I think it would be fun to try the Tour since I am a former winner. Why not? Well, I missed the first race. I really wanted to do it. However, it started only at noon and I had a 1:30 appointment. Hardly enough time to race all out, shower, recover, eat, get dressed and leave. It was the most sensible thing to do. But now, I am forced to race Friday or maybe Sunday afternoon. I did a ride today, instead of the race. I had a good time under 36 minutes. Nobody would push the pace on the flat. It was a little crazy on the climbs and I had to dig really deep and burn downhill to get the front group. I was in the top five when we crested the last climb and I did a fairly good sprint, just not my best. I was just jumping in for fun. And, it was fun. But now, I want more. I want the race and see how far back could I really be? To win the overall, you have to be free to race on Mondays. I only have a few free starting with stage three. By then, I could get buried. But let's see what we can do. I'll update this page (or delete it if it goes horribly wrong.)

Stage 1 race was, well, not great. It was a very small field of 9. I held the group until that first climb and fell off. From that point, I lost time obviously because a solo rider can never match the speed of a pack. Disappointing but not unexpected. Moving on...

Stage 2 ride. This was really competitive. While the flat speeds were never very hard, I was at the front the entire race. I kept pushing the pace a bit heavy and when the final climb came, I could only surge for a minute or two. I lost about 45 seconds to the front riders and came in 10th place of 294. That is still pretty awesome. It's a very good time. Now, I have to match that in the next race. Hmm, will my legs be ready?

Stage 2 Race: Well, it is very simple to explain. Everyone had an ftp much higher than me. I lasted 18 minutes, through Dos Ane sprint and two other power surges (they really hurt and what's the point? Only two riders fell off during the ride, someone early and then myself.) I couldn't push very hard after I got dropped. I went at a medium pace, losing a minute up to the climb and then another minute on the climb as I was still gassed. The rider behind me caught up before the end, but I went hard the last 20 seconds and kept at 16 of 20 (but 2 riders didn't finish)

Stage 1 and 2 events:36:07 and 30:56 total 67:03

Stage 1 and 2 races:  37:22 and 31:41 total 69:03 (six seconds back)

Stage 3 ride today. I was well prepared and raring to go. I was full on for the first 20 minutes, but I started to suffer. The lapped riders were very confusing and I opted to follow a small group on my last lap rather than try to sprint ahead to catch the leaders. They just slipped away on the downside of the climb. I was alone, headed to the Castle climb and I caught someone that was dangling just ahead of me. Silly! Why not just work together. I beat him on the Sgurr climb anyway. I think someone passed me on the climb. It's all a bit of a blur as I was going flat out into a sprint. I finished 14 out of 400 (but one was a late join). My sprint legs came back after running this course a few days ago. That is unexpected after so much endurance training in December. I don't know if I will enter the advanced race, definitely not Wednesday. I can't do this three times in a row. I may do the Alp or I have my sights set on doing Bretagne again soon to test my five minutes power. 

Stage 3 32:10 total time 99:13 Stage 3 Advanced Race 35:40 total time 104:43

I was just too mentally tired of racing this course twice, that I couldn't want to do it again. I struck out on Bretagne and ran it under five minutes at 328 watts! BOOM! That felt really strong in the big gear, I kept a cadence of 94 in that gear. I definitely blew up at the finish line, barely able to pedal, even on the downhill it was painful. I rode a few kilometers just to flush the legs but there was nothing left. My time hovered at the 5:00 to 5:05 mark. But with a burst of speed and two feathers at the top, I finished in 4:49. I had hoped to crack five minutes with my level five bike. I went more for aero than climbing this time and it worked perfectly.

So, right now I have 99:13 against Fuhrer 102:52 and I believe one other Gokce, who is wicked fast but did not race stage 1 (yet).

I had a great race, in the front, feeling good, good power, and then I bumped my keyboard and everything froze for over a minute. I finished in 33:18 but the riders I was with going down Fox Hill finished just under 32 minutes. Major bummer, but at least I survived. I would have finished 13 of 600. I actually came in 30th. Boo hoo. I'm over it already. I'm just glad I had good legs and felt strong even on Box Hill after running hard at the front for 17 minutes. I'm sure to lose ground on Fuhrer. Maybe I can beat that with the advanced field, if I don't get dropped on those little pitches.

In the stage 4 advanced race I wound up at 33:22, fours seconds slower than the same stage with a long dropout. I can't believe how they dappled at the front at 3 to 3.5 w/kg. Really disappointing.

Stage 5 went fairly good the first time, keeping up in the second group when it split on the climb and nabbing the sprint. In the advanced event, I was dropped and finished last or 13th, and was slower from running the second half of the race by myself. I'm not looking forward to Richmond reverse where I can get dropped right off the bat on the first two climbs. Let's see. My times were 28:46 and 29:55.

Well, the final stage 6 and I couldn't race on Monday because of my schedule and then I trained too hard and got a head cold. I'm told it is pursuit cough (?) from possibly going too hard (for me, not compared to elite athletes, lol). I kept up on the first climb (woo-hoo) but even with a sprint, I was tailed off quickly on the second climb. I mean, I was nowhere. I was 17 of 19, and very quickly realized there was nobody behind me. I had to just do me. I did the best I could for a solo effort without a TT bike. 27:32. My total time was 3:08 which was third overall (and the only, yes only, advanced finisher. That's in part because Fuhrer didn't do all six stages but, as you may have guessed, she was kicking my butt in the stages we both raced.)

So, nothing to brag about and nothing to be ashamed of. I could tank my score and probably go faster with the B squad. But, why bother? Do I think I have a better chance in the Games? Doubtful. The best strategy is to race with the fastest people who are not fast enough to drop you. And, race with the biggest field, which means Monday at 12 or 1 pm. I think I am working at least two of those days, so let's just do it for fun, right? (edit added) I found out that my last place finish, while trying my best, lost a few points and I can now ride in the 650-750 group. Unless I win, will my score go up?

Long Distance Base Rides: Four weeks of Suffering

 I did the Alp Everest, rested almost a week, then returned with some crazy ideas. I am crazy.

Four Horsemen: Beating the 2:37 best time!

Mega Pretzel: 2:57 is 7th overall but I was flying on the climbs

Fifth place. I could go a few minutes faster, but I will never repeat this. lol.

Innsbruck KOM Attack

 This is a very tough challenging climb. But, I can take it because it isn't just up like the Alp or Ventoux (which has one little dip for 30 seconds or so). I ran this the other day and recorded all of the sections that were 10 % or higher. There's quite a bit. There's about 6 sprints at the lower half, then another in the middle, On the upper half there's a series of steps that take about three minutes with a very short respite of 4% before the final sprint. The scattered flat spots are my reprieve, where I can rest a bit.

As a background, I put in a solo effort to take this title. I did some great wattage at a steady 15 minute effort with a few power strokes and a final kick to the line. It was a level zero Aethos. But the time was 15:39. Now, I wanted to try again, but a bit smarter, harder on the steep parts.

15:39 Level one Aethos on June 3 2024. Level 5 Aethos November 26 2025....15:13 (beating Julia's remarkable 15:17 by 4 seconds!) Naturally, I had an aero power-up to seal the deal, saving it for my final attack to the line. It was fast, it was perfect. It was much harder than I expected. But, I stuck to the plan and went as hard as I could in the red sections.

Start.. 30 seconds sprint, 44 seconds, 35 seconds, 33 seconds, a long 60 seconds, 45 seconds. A bit of breathing and another 60 seconds, then the preparation for the final set of steep inclines: 24 seconds, 31 seconds, 104 seconds of endurance followed by two 20 second sprints. A lone 41 second sprint to the line. I wanted to start it sooner but I was on the verge of collapsing in pain. I saw 5:17, then 5:15. One more push to sprint harder and I came over the line at 15:13!!!

I noticed on the boards that Julia has the fastest time before my record. However, she finished in 6th place! So how did she end up in the number one slot? Hmm, someone flagged the top five times after their effort? How crass! Some of the people don't get notifications or know how to deal with flagging harassment. (and yes, some of the times were absurd but there's always a few 'flyers' just slow pedaling, sight-seeing at 402 watts average with 110 heart rate)

In the long run, this ride only matters to me. I don't really care about being faster or pacing better than anyone else. It's the goal and then reaching it. Someone will come along eventually and either beat it or cheat it. That's what happened in Makuri, after I worked so hard, so many times until I got it just perfect. Even with a level 5 Cadex, it seems impossible to beat. I am obsessive some times and I may just get it stuck in my head again. I would have to train precisely to do a seven minute all out effort, followed by 30 seconds rest, followed by 30 seconds do or die sprint. I don't know if anyone can legitimately beat the current time. Possibly drafting in a tiny race, possibly in a level 5 Tron, possibly with cheetah leg muscle implants.

This gave me a bit of training and racing stimuli. It's very important to work to some goals. I was very sore the next day, and still too tired the second day to ride. Tomorrow starts anew.

The Everest of Alp d' Huez on Zwift

 I didn't want to write about it until after I finished it. I was going to do it next week but I decided rather last minute to jump in and give it a go. I had planned to go up twice in a row (which is usually my breaking/cramping point), then take a break, relax, change clothes, eat, jump back on hours later. I even thought of doing two assaults, sleep, and do two in the morning, two in the evening, sleep, two in the morning. I know that goes against the "official" rules. But, I'm a sprinter. My legs are not built for nine hours of endurance full-gas efforts. If I am doing this, I am doing this my way. (I can do an official one some other day when I feel insane)

I will add a bunch of details. But, when I asked Emma Pouley about it, she told me, "It was the worst decision that I ever made." I basically agree. I sprained my right ankle getting off the bike after the second Alp. It only hurt when I walked on it. Yet, on the bike, it was fine. I used every single outfit I have, including one that is very tight and has an annoying seam. I got a pimple. I had bike problems, butt soreness/numbness issues. I had moments of greatness and moments when I had to just try to focus. Having a long ten minute downhill is great. I would never want to do the radio tower or the grade. You need the time to recharge a bit physically and mentally.

I rode the full Alp six times. Two times, one and a half, two times, one and almost two full times. Eight and a half in total for 8901meters uphill. I felt the best on the fourth climb. I felt strong and the power just felt easy. I finished two minutes ahead of my Holo. The fourth was way slower and the final one, I had very sore legs. I should have been in an easy gear but I kept it in the main gear I use as it seemed faster? I was afraid that once I used the small gear, that my power would evaporate. It was a bit dismal in the end. But by then, all I wanted to do was to finish. I did pedal just enough to take the 8849 to 8900 before cruising down to the start line. And no crash, no dropouts, no failing batteries. Yeah! I can't believe that I didn't give up.

Edit: It took me a week to recover before I could get motivated once again. Then I did three hard climbs: I did the Ski Lift climb which was designed for torture. It is massively steep (forget the Angrilu and some others) Then I rode the Stelvio, which is longer and has no steady rhythm, just hard and harder. Then I dared to summit both sides of Ventoux. It took over three hours. It was mentally hard but also took a lot of strength. I nearly had a PR on the Petite. The rest was dosed to survive the physical difficulty of 3100 meters. But, it is long and boring and hardly anyone on the climb. At least the Alp has a good number of riders to keep you from getting lonely.)

Edit: I just added another long ride or two. I hope to reride one or two routes where I lost the top spot.

The Orange Tour de Zwift 13 Stages

 It just sort of happened. I was bored, so I jumped into a race on Bologna. Then, I signed up for Crit City the next morning. I kept picking up the rest of the leader's lap jersey, planning to do them all in a week. So far, I have all of them except Watopia, New York, and Yorkshire. 

Did I do them all in one day? Yes, years ago. Was that insane for someone who can usually only take only an hour of racing? Hell yes. So this time, I'm not doing them all in one day. I will later fill in all of my rides. I will say, I am going full gas on all of them. (Crit City was a bit easy, I admit. I just wanted to check the box as I was in a hurry and didn't even put my shoes on.) 13 Jerseys! (They changed France Marina Sprint to forest green. France has no lap jersey unless you count Paris.

I'm just one short for my favorite...Yorkshire. I could have done it but it was getting late and I would rather do this as a full effort and not simply pedaling to get it done. I would love to do a double lap if the legs are good tomorrow. (just over 3 hours now.) Total time: 3 hours 26 minutes and 46 seconds.

Italy TT Course

Crit City  Dolphin/Bell Lap

Watopia Hilly 

Watopia Jarvis "Classic"

New York Central "Park Perimeter"

New York Prospect Park

London Loop

Richmond UCI World Course

Yorkshire UCI World Course

Innsbruck UCI World Course

Paris 

Scotland Loch Loop 

Makuri Flatland Loop

The Tour - Fall 2025

 Tour de Zwift Fall 2025 (The Unlocked Tour)

Race 1 went pretty good. I did great for about 12th or 14 minutes, then fell back at the castle climb, losing about a minute, then doing a good two minute effort on the South climb. My time of 18:15 will probably hold me back but we shall see. I could do it again but is it worth it for me? I need a better time to race as there were only 25 people in this event. I just couldn't make the bigger race in time. At least I held on to a very high-powered group.

Wow, a lot of gals have clipped the 18 minute mark. And boy, have the cheaters come out to play. There's no referee, so anything goes apparently. It's back to being the Wild West that Zwift used to be before ZADA and Elite Zwift testing. I've done it twice (and a third time just for myself). There was an older test and then it changed a bit. Both times, I feel I did good, just always tire in the long test after a few super hard sprints and one and five minute turns. 

Race 2 went good for only five minutes. I fell off a small group and didn't know why. It felt like the brakes were on. The next day, I felt terrible. I guess I was fighting a bug or something, and hungry, and tired. Wednesday, I did the long stage and felt pretty good. I don't know if I will do a late points race Friday or maybe do Stage 2 on Saturday or Sunday. Small groups are just much slower overall and there is no support when you fall back. Almost every rider dropped, drops out of the race. It's no big deal. I'm okay with knowing that I'm not going to win the overall.

Race 3 was not too good either. I did great for the first lap only, with three more to go plus the Sgurr North Face. I just rode it like a time trial with a time that proves I was not drafting, lol. I'm sure I could keep up in a B squad. Maybe tomorrow.

So the total women in Unlocked Tour was 30 in open with 6 returning in race 2. The Unlocked Advanced had 5 with only me in race 2. One was clearly extreme weight doping. Three riders are male accounts. Jamie, I do not know but 377 for twenty minutes and 744 for a minute (which would get a world record in women's kilo event and probably medal in the men's side too.) Come on. Where's the competition. I should have ridden in the B cat. My ego bit off more than I can chew. Maybe I could redo some races in Standard. But, with so few involved, it isn't much of a challenge. Nobody takes pride when they take third in a series with only six or seven in the mix.

Race four and five were about the same. I keep falling off on Brooklyn Bridge. I have lost my zeal for writing about this Tour. I am the only one to finish the Advanced Race series. There is a 60 year old male who looks about 90 kg racing at 60 kgs doing almost 6 w/kg who could potentially make-up the one stage he missed. He has since changed his picture from himself to a picture of a squirrel, but he still shows photos of himself working out at the gym. He's very muscular. LoL. She, to be politically correct. 

Thank you South Park

Fall Training and Racing?

 I enjoyed the sprint competition so much that the racing bug has been returning, even though I upgraded to an A due to some very hard but short efforts. I don't mind except in some races I know I will get dropped from the gun with two choices, either finish last and turn my score down, or drop out to avoid a long solo ride to the finish. Boring or stupid...hmm. Race score seems very random, with many B riders having a higher score than me? Weird, right? 

New York racing three stages over one week. Sounds great, IF there are time slots that work for me. A few series are set an hour too early or four hours too late with nothing in the middle. That makes getting a Wednesday race nearly impossible. But we will see how it shapes up. November 24-30. Got it.

Started with New York Highline Reverse. The start line is wrong and starts about 100 meters before the start line. Since I started at 90 meters to go, my time said 20 minutes. I was saying, What? I was pushing the whole time. So, I had to create a private segment at the proper line which shows my time at 15:07, a second best effort ever! I will attempt again for the official record book, but I will have to start my sprint way before the line. Eric, you goofed this one up a bit. We will see if I can better this time, at least under 15 minutes.

I did Muir Mountain, taking a 2 minute break before the radio tower and 13 minutes at the bottom of the hill. My moving time was just at an hour. I am riding to upgrade a few other bikes but only as I have the money over 50 million. I just upped my Canyon. I am also on my Diamondback tt (because of the colors) The Canyon has the Academy pink design. I also have my Gravel Crux waiting. (for a race that may never happen) I like my Pinnerelo time trial bike also and may spend money on it. This way I have a reason to ride Ventoux for a 100,000 effort. All others only get 50,000.

Monday starts Camp Baseline which I don't need to do other than new shoes and a few points. We will see what they offer. I hope for a portal climb also before the New York expansion. 

I was tired but grabbed my bike and hit the Alp. I only went hard for the first half (20:39). I plan another ride for only the top half soon.(21:13) If I have good power, I will ride the Highline again. But today, I was still a bit sore from the last workout.

Training/Testing Camp 5 @ 838 (very good) 1@ 501 (very high) 5@ 323 (good, maybe?)  20@ xxx Results by ZP 100%, 100%, 90%, and 70%

Highline Reverse np 291 avg power 268 and officially 2nd place after an almost unbeatable effort at first (a big Bravo, girl!)

Watts Next?

 four weeks to this schedule: Vo2 workout, ftp and other tests, short and long workout (short climb followed by long threshold climb). That is a three day workout schedule for now. It might get tweaked later. I'm just trying to train up for the fall season. I doubt that this Academy will be anything worth fighting for. Last year was the worst one yet. It was all tests, no comparisons, no true rewards. I did some of it but passed on committing to the whole routine.

It is a great idea to do some tests (even though races are much better). Only, Zwift needs to put up the results. It isn't fair that some of the entrants were hand-picked. The last two years have seen riders without the Zwift credentials getting selected into the finals. There is no transparency. And the finals were so boring. Will Zwift listen and up their game? Highly doubtful. It has become an advertising ploy.

My first workout went good, It was a few 4 minute intervals, starting hard for 30 seconds and ending hard with 30 seconds. Watts were 277, 285, 293, 291 = 286 average. I also did a step test which showed a 258 ftp with a 272 20 minute rate. I think the next workout is a series or 2 minute intervals with various resting phase and a scary crazy workout. I'm doing the grade with the extended goal of 20 minutes. I have done the Grade under 12 minutes. How to make this a true 20 minute test? Add a lot of weight. It will be done at 90 kilograms, I think. Maybe it is better if I don't know. We are calling it The Cheesecake Ride.

I felt really good today, and jumped on the Alp...not a great power but the first half was cracking under 18 and the top went pretty good under 21 to finish at 38:47! Wow. My Aethos 5 certainly helped. But it was old-fashioned gutting it out on the climb. I feel really happy with this effort. It shows I'm not at my all time finest. But, I am in a pretty good condition considering I have done a lot of sprinting last month. Great day. A top ten finish for me.

Jumped into a standard Zwift races. I lasted the first 20 minutes, then eased up and finished a lap. I had a great 15 minutes at high watts. The pack was very on and off, which is a bit silly, but okay. I set a pr on Brae at 49.79 as I finished with 30 seconds at 600 watts after using a draft. That part felt great. I had a difficult start but fortunately, no one went hard in the first few minutes. I think I just needed the old race stimuli for today as I didn't really have a training plan for this week. I may do another race Friday or Saturday. Or just another long climb in the big gear. I feel like I need a bit more muscle.

Ending August with a return to Tiny Races (So tough, even a top ten is a victory). I'm doing the A race where it is impossible to keep with the lead group. But, I did it! I did for the first race, at least. I finished 17 out of 42. I had to average 350 on any climb pieces, including the finish. I out-sprinted a few guys at the line. Some were upset at the start of the second race that they got chicked. Too bad Tilly or Fuhrer were not there. I still hope to line up with them some day.

July and the Tour and the Infamous POGGIO QOM

 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.

June....Summer, Summer, Summer Time

 Well, June is off to a good start. First thing after a ten day break was to climb Hautacam as a long workout. Then onto a full hour workout (actually two done back to back) Then I did a fairly brisk run on a short climb at six minutes. I full out rode Redoute, amazingly breaking the five minute barrier at 325 watts. Bang. I took this rested form two days later to attack the Madeleine. I was pointing to 52 minutes from the start. But, I started fairly hard for a long climb, looking at a 50 minute pace. I held that for the first thirty minutes before fading slightly. I was down almost a minute. I'm going to break 52, I kept thinking. Finally near the top, I gave it everything and came buzzing up to the final gate. 50:07! I can only see three people who could legitimately beat that time. Guerra and McCarthy (who almost never rides portals) and Illi (eye-lee), the queen of the mountains, will probably hit 48 minutes but maybe in France instead of Watopia. (You never know). Illi holds the real-life record of 52 minutes. But please note, she had to climb 10 km before that starting line, use some fairly rough roadways, breath at altitude, carry a waterbottle, and work with whatever bike she had. (probably not a fully outed premium climbing bike.)

What's next? I will take on Ettiene in a time trial next week (which is a bit longer than I like but it is flat which suits me better than trying to out-climb a 48 kg speedster.( She had to cancel, riding an outdoor event) I also want to retry a few portals with my level 5 Aethos where I only had the level 1 a few months ago. After Bretagne, I will have all of the short portals done at 100%. Look out!, Here I come.

Short work done. How to evaluate them, I wonder? Well, coach's problem.

I felt good on Bretagne, putting out just over 300 watts. Then, onto Trebiac where I did my red sections at 340 instead of 320. My average watts was almost the same, but my time was 9:53 (better than 10:00!)

I really want the Poggio now. There's someone at 8:00 and Illi has a 7:59. I think I can just eek out one second better with my Aethos 5. I need to be on a great leg day and get a few key power ups. It is a few seconds for each one gained. I wish I knew exactly how much. I have a better chance than regaining my Makuri qom that got stolen by someone that is a little hard to believe. (we know they're cheating but can't do anything about it.)

I am preparing for the July Time Trial competition. I want to see how I can do against the B squad (but Zwift messed up the A and the B so it is incredibly easy to change your grade. If I enter a big race as an A and tank it finishing last, I will likely become a B.) There are also two Tour de France options. I would like to chase the green jersey but the schedule is really hard for me. We'll see.

I did not only an entire tough workout, but I added an extra set. I'm so proud. 15 times 30 seconds hard red zone with 15 seconds rest. Three sets or 45 intervals total with an average of 283. I never finished this workout years ago. In fact, I think I said it was impossible. Now I have one more tough workout and a unique Watopia challenge to attempt.

I rode all four Watopia Laps, Jungle, Hilly, Jarvis, and Volcano. It was a blast. The last one hurt pretty much. But I raced them all with good times. 

Jungle 12:32.77 (gravel bike but not too hard)

Hilly 13:16.65 (forgot tt bike and used Dogma)

Jarvis Classic 6:30.84 (very good)

Volcano 5:27.05

Last workout was 6 x 6 at 30 red/ 5 yellow/ 30 red

My average was 310/233/335 for 248 average for 36 minutes up Ventoux.

Short and Sweet - The Elite Eight

Oude Kwaremont (Watopia Climb Portal)

350 watts 2:53.6

 Cauberg (France)

384 watts 1:58.8

Redoute (France)

325 watts 4:55.4

Bretagne(France)

307 watts 5:14.5

Côte des Forche(Watopia)

302 watts  6:47.5

Cote de Pike (Watopia)

298 watts 7:16.1

Poggio (Watopia)

(298 watts 8:05.0)

7/2025 298 watts 7:59.0

Cote de Domancy (Watopia)

285 watts 9:15.8

Trebiac (Watopia)

289 watts 9:53.4

May Flowers

 What's up this month?

Aethos level 5 achieved! So, I tried Ventoux and I was fast. But, after the half-way mark, I tired out and just couldn't hold my power for more than 30 minutes. I just kept seeing how much pain would await me in the second half. More a mental challenge possibly. It is very hard for a short distance power gal to suddenly leap into hour power. My best a few years ago has long been behind me.

However, I did set a pr on the lower half and actually have a better time than the current Q. I just don't want the attention right now. For me, it is just another climb (climb segment) that I don't really need. I prefer to know I have the best time, than to post it and then have that target out in the public where someone is willing to do shady things to beat my record. I don't like that routine. I actually have a few best times that are not published. It is enough for myself to know I beat the current time. I don't need to show off any more. It was mainly validation as a racer and maybe a bit to intimidate my rivals. But now, to me, it is all in fun. If I beat anyone now, it is probably due to them only going out medium hard.

I do think my best showing off rides are on the very short portals. I'm still a bit obsessed that I have an 8:05 that Illi beat with a 7:59 (she did have a draft on part of the climb which is perfectly legal but much harder to beat.) I'm more confident with my short rides. There is one more coming this week in the planning for the next update. I am almost at the end of this spring's program.

I need to summarize my short climbs, train, and reride them all. Good luck, legs.

Also, entered Zwift 2025 time trial series. Race #1 was very short just over three minutes where I put out almost 360 watts to take the win. I actually came in 47 overall of 119 men. Not bad, eh? I had an awesome day on race #2. I tied with S. Etianne...but I got the tiebreaker by having a faster time in both sprints and a better lap time. (someone at ZP proved my time was 0.097 seconds faster. wow)This is what running a negative split is all about. Etianne came out with a bang. She was fading a bit at the end but really maintaining power. I started just below what I needed (265 watts) then upped it to 285 for 12 minutes plus a sprint at about 400 watts over the last minute. Bam! There's a win! 

[I don't think I will ride the other three time trials as they are much longer and I am the only rider left in the A cat, plus no prize for winning.] Instead, if my legs feel good, I may launch into the Madeleine, trying to take it under an hour. I also want to redo the Redoute and Bretagne climbs. Also Hardknot, which is almost all red zone and takes intense concentration of effort. I just discovered that I did not ride Sa Calobra many months ago, and must have misplaced my invitation. I'm not sure why it was pulled out, so possibly it may malfunction. So, I will test it next week or in June. It's about a 30 minute climb.

I rode Sa Calobra as my finale for this block. Yes, I did test it before. I didn't remember until the circle overpass. The top is broken and you just sail off into the sky. (eventually, you will get to the gate, lol. I made a u-turn at the top and rode down I hit 260 watts for the whole ride, thirty minutes. That was great and I felt awesome today. It happens every once in a while. Did the main climb under 28 minutes. It actually starts on a small downhill. Why? Because Zwift cyclists and Zwift programmers are never in the same room at Headquarters. Two ships that go by in the night. 

It has been a beautiful spring campaign and finish to my winter efforts, peaking and maintaining top form for most of it. I will start a training block in June, targeting a number of climbs.

Love ya all!

PS Returned from vacation well rested and rode Hautacam as a starter. I went hard for the first half at a record (possibly) pace but I couldn't keep the pace hard and I pretty much clawed my way up the rest of the way. I broke 48 but 45 was the real goal. I was at a 41 pace for the first half, if that tells you anything. As soon as I feel back to form, I will put in a full effort on two short hills and attempt the Madeleine under the hour. (me? crazy, right?).

April Showers

 It has been awhile, yes. We are into April. In Zwift, the new challenge is to upgrade our bike frames. I am working hard on three frontiers:

Time Trial Cadex....40 hours to hit level 5. Done and dusted.

Aethos Climbing Bike...15,000 meters almost at level 4 after two weeks.

New Dogma Racing Bike 1600 kilometers. (the Venge was a bit slower, so why make it faster. Spent a million.)

I started out at just over 50 million drops. Each level costs more drops. Overall, you will spend 2 million dollars to upgrade a one million dollar bike. Strange. I have managed to earn the drops since upgrading my time trial bike, which I use often. I have 48.5 million today and will spend over half a million tomorrow to upgrade the Dogma (1) and the Aethos (4). I need the full Aethos to try to match some of my older climbs (the Alp again, after I promised I was done racing it. It isn't the effort to go all out. It is the weeks of preparation it takes to be in top condition for that specific effort. Very hard for me. A sprint, I can do with very little prep.) Ventoux too, I suppose. I'm not sure what portals I would attempt. Maybe one or more of the steepest climbs. Madone? When will the Madeline be ready? Maybe the Tower and the Grade (lots of pain and suffering). 

I only really want one more Q back in Makuri. But, it is almost impossible. I did manage to get to the top of the climb in record time, but slipped behind schedule on the downhill and finish. I have a plan, actually two, and I don't know which one is better to break the record. Hmmm. It is still very hard also because the disc wheels are slower now. So usually, the 858's are 'faster' though slower than the old disc wheels. Conundrum.

Ventoux has been ridden a few times lately. One, because I need the altitude and the distance. But also (you can thank me for this), I talked them into putting a spinner on Ventoux. The surprise for me was the finish gives big drop rewards instead of xp. I got 25,000 dollars the first ride. With my level 3 Aethos, I have ridden the first half in 29:07. So a repeat of 60 minutes may be possible. It is just so much harder to do 60 than 64 minutes. It isn't the same for someone to go from 94 minutes to 90. It is sixty minutes of a twenty minute level. Mind-blowing. How did I get there the first time? (I think over a dozen runs with time markers every few minutes to keep on schedule.) 

I also started a few crit races. I do two laps on my Dogma. Then, one all out lap on the time trial bike. Maybe, I will do the reverse next time around. How much faster is this Cadex now? A minute per hour.

Socks are said to save 12 seconds per hour. That is one second every 5 minutes. Is it worth a whole year of cycling to get them? Probably not. But, eventually, I will get them.

See you soon.