Tour de Zwift - Jan 2019

[lechatnoir]

Is anyone out there doing this? I fancy a crack at it this time around.

[HdB]

I did stage 1 last night. First time I joined the event starting pen, Zwift crashed - well over 2000 people in the same spot was a bit much for my PC. It worked ok on the next attempt, after I turned down the graphics setting. Time for an upgrade, I suppose.

[Mailman7412]

finished stage one @ 7 am yesterday. EVerything was fine

[Gerhard765]

Done with first 4 stages. Always trying for the longer distance (group A).

 

Had about 4000 riders in stage 3. Did not get any connection or crashing issues on the road. Makes me think that Zwift can actually handle the numbers and that you need to look at your setup for problems.

 

Only 5 stages left. Enjoy guys, especially stage 6.

[HdB]

Done with first 4 stages. Always trying for the longer distance (group A).

 

Had about 4000 riders in stage 3. Did not get any connection or crashing issues on the road. Makes me think that Zwift can actually handle the numbers and that you need to look at your setup for problems.

 

Only 5 stages left. Enjoy guys, especially stage 6.

I did stage 5 this morning, not even 1000 riders. Had sensor issues though, just getting "No signal", and when Zwift eventually decided to connect to everything I was around 4 minutes behind. Wheee! 45km TT...

 

I'm honestly a bit (ok, a lot) worried for Stage 6. The only previous time I tried the Alpe (during L'Etape du Tour Sportive) was a miserable failure, got to hairpin 6 before the legs would go no more. I'll start it with the "Trainer Difficulty" setting on full, but I suspect I don't have the right gears on my bike for this kind of climb, real or virtual.

[s14phoenix]

 

I did stage 5 this morning, not even 1000 riders. Had sensor issues though, just getting "No signal", and when Zwift eventually decided to connect to everything I was around 4 minutes behind. Wheee! 45km TT...

 

I'm honestly a bit (ok, a lot) worried for Stage 6. The only previous time I tried the Alpe (during L'Etape du Tour Sportive) was a miserable failure, got to hairpin 6 before the legs would go no more. I'll start it with the "Trainer Difficulty" setting on full, but I suspect I don't have the right gears on my bike for this kind of climb, real or virtual.

 

Why not turn the ERG mode off and ride your own pace and intensity you can sustain and just accept whatever speed that equates to in Zwift - your gears matter much less then and you could almost use 1 gear once you find your comfort zone not that it should be comfortable at all.

[Gerhard765]

I did Alpe du zwift twice before. Not saying I got a good time or didnt break a sweat. I just survived...   First was during a ride and the other during a race. I noticed that you just have to start easy to ensure you can last the whole climb. Time for the climb was in region of 1h30.

 

Just a question, shouldn't you rather reduce the difficulty instead of increasing it? If I am not mistaken that result in you using less of your gears, so it should be easier to get a higher cadence which you can maintain during the climb (if that is your issue)? You can always just play around on one of the easier climb to test.

 

I am using my mtb on the trainer though...

[HdB]

Just a question, shouldn't you rather reduce the difficulty instead of increasing it? If I am not mistaken that result in you using less of your gears, so it should be easier to get a higher cadence which you can maintain during the climb (if that is your issue)? You can always just play around on one of the easier climb to test.

 

I am using my mtb on the trainer though...

I'll probably end up reducing the difficulty for this one stage, to be honest, or if all else fails turning ERG mode off entirely as suggested by s14phoenix.

 

53/39 chainrings on my bike, and 12-25 cassettes on the trainer (and bike).

My average cadence from the start of the climb up to the point where I stopped was 55 at an average of 202W, so way too low. Sure, it was after having already ridden 47km including the volcano climb and EPIC KOM plus up to the radio tower, but even on fresh legs that cadence would be too low.

 

[Edit] Alternatively I could opt for my MTB just for this one stage...

[dirtypot]

Slightly off topic, but while we're on the Alpe...  Has anyone gotten the KOM bike at the top with the spinning wheel thing?  I've gotten everything on the wheel except for the bike - some things multiple times which is really helpful.  Just wondering if the bike actually exists or if it's just a carrot which I keep falling for.

[Gerhard765]

I have only heard about wheels (Meilenstein Lightweight) some guys won at the top.

Not of a bike.

I have two sets of gloves so far.

 

You probably climbed that koppie a few times so far. Well done.

[dirtypot]

I have only heard about wheels (Meilenstein Lightweight) some guys won at the top.

Not of a bike.

I have two sets of gloves so far.

 

You probably climbed that koppie a few times so far. Well done.

 

I also haven't heard about the bike being won, but there's a picture of it on the wheel of fortune. 

Ya, I actually quite enjoy it and want to go faster but its such a long hill that I generally either go too slowly (too conservative) or I burn too many matches somewhere in the middle.  My quickest was 54 minutes, but most of them are around an hour. 

[Gerhard765]

I'll probably end up reducing the difficulty for this one stage, to be honest, or if all else fails turning ERG mode off entirely as suggested by s14phoenix.

 

53/39 chainrings on my bike, and 12-25 cassettes on the trainer (and bike).

My average cadence from the start of the climb up to the point where I stopped was 55 at an average of 202W, so way too low. Sure, it was after having already ridden 47km including the volcano climb and EPIC KOM plus up to the radio tower, but even on fresh legs that cadence would be too low.

 

[Edit] Alternatively I could opt for my MTB just for this one stage...

Luckily the stage is only Alpe, not the four horsemen. 

 

Good luck, see you there.

[Eldron]

I was having a great rest day ride on Stage 5 until a Goat and a Mafuta interrupted it with their incessant 5w/kg attacks :-)

 

4 to go - bring on the Alpe!

[HdB]

Luckily the stage is only Alpe, not the four horsemen. 

 

Good luck, see you there.

So yesterday when I did stage 6, my PC was acting up (driver issue, hopefully fixed now). So I switched to my Android tablet, starting a bit late but still with some other riders. Just after the lead-in the app crashes, so I join again, and get put right at the start of the Alpe, with other riders zooming past me at 5w/kg...

 

The Android beta currently (still) doesn't control the CycleOps H2; in a way this time maybe lucky for me - I could use my gears to pick my cadence and power.

So my first time up Alpe du Zwift turned out to be a reasonably easy affair, essentially a 3.1w/kg flat TT. Looking forward to trying it again, with no technology gremlins.

[Harryn]

I did stage 6 today, and found it very tough. It took me over 2 hours to finish.

 

I have missed stages 3 and 5. Anyone know if Zwift will allow you to make up 2 stages on the make up days

[HdB]

I did stage 6 today, and found it very tough. It took me over 2 hours to finish.

 

I have missed stages 3 and 5. Anyone know if Zwift will allow you to make up 2 stages on the make up days

I'm sure you'd be able to do two, or even all of them if you have enough time.

https://zwift.com/events/tag/tdz

 

Looking at 2 Feb, every stage will happen every two hours, at 5 minute intervals.

So, at 7:00, Stage 1, at 7:05 stage 2, etc.

 

I did stage 6 again tonight, using my PC, but I put the trainer difficulty setting at roughly 50% so I was able to maintain a decent cadence. For other routes I will move it back to 100, but for this and possibly Epic KOM I'll play around with the setting to find a good balance.