Zwift - Tour of Watopia 2020

[Friedpiggy]

I see this started yesterday and they have changed the format slightly. Only 5 events this year rather than the 9 of last year. 

 

Did the Stage 1 race yesterday and was broken afterwards (3 months of not riding does not help one much)

Stage 2 on Saturday. 

Anyone else doing it this year?

[fanievb]

I'm hoping to find time to do it. But I first need to complete the Cape Epic mission

[Avo]

I have signed up. 

 

Doing stage 1 today. Still debating if I should do the 50km group ride or the 20km race.

 

Also want to try and finish the Cape Epic Mission in between the Tour of Watopia. That bike as a prize is amazing!

[RocknRolla]

Between Loadshedding and workload, this is going to prove difficult.

 

I have unfinished business with the tour. 

 

Edit: I don't care about the negative flack Zwift has been getting in the CTCT thread.

I couldn't ride road even before starting to Zwift...

Edited March 11, 2020 by RocknRolla

[HdB]

I did the long stage 1 last night. Unfortunately I had dropouts twice - around half-way the first time, and then less than 1km from the finish. I was not amused...

[Harryn]

I did the short stage 1 tonight, and enjoyed it. I think double draft must have been on, cos boy did we move.

 

What’s up for stage 2, and when is it?

[HdB]

I did the short stage 1 tonight, and enjoyed it. I think double draft must have been on, cos boy did we move.

 

What’s up for stage 2, and when is it?

It starts tomorrow, 13th. Looks like there are two different routes, depending on the category - Sand and Sequoias for Cat A (2 laps) and the race (one lap), Figure 8 for cat B and C.

 

More info: https://zwiftinsider.com/tow-2020/

[RocknRolla]

So in true form.

I decide to combine my suggested Z2 ride with the second stage of TOW.

Sign up for the long ride. Get going real easy at the back of the pack..fall out of a couple of groups, then a group comes along, had to put some effort in to stick with them. They lost me on the KOM climb..so lo up and down.

 

Then on the second lap, 4 of us are going a long nicely. A japanese fella does not seem to mind pulling the rest of us.

Up on the KOM for the second time, and for some stoopid reason, I decide to put the hammer down. A frenchman is with me, we take turns in front, and eventually with 1km to go to the top, I decide to give it my all. Drop the frenchie, and the rest was an easy cruise to the finish.

 

So much fun, Z2 nowhere to be found.

[Harryn]

So in true form.

I decide to combine my suggested Z2 ride with the second stage of TOW.

Sign up for the long ride. Get going real easy at the back of the pack..fall out of a couple of groups, then a group comes along, had to put some effort in to stick with them. They lost me on the KOM climb..so lo up and down.

 

Then on the second lap, 4 of us are going a long nicely. A japanese fella does not seem to mind pulling the rest of us.

Up on the KOM for the second time, and for some stoopid reason, I decide to put the hammer down. A frenchman is with me, we take turns in front, and eventually with 1km to go to the top, I decide to give it my all. Drop the frenchie, and the rest was an easy cruise to the finish.

 

So much fun, Z2 nowhere to be found.

Sweet report back!

 

I also did the longer ride on Saturday, and it was lekker. But 5km shorter than advertised. If it was a race in real life, ppl would have bitched, well the saffas anyway.

 

So many people were talking and joking about Coronavirus, it made me realise that the platform will hugely benefit from a world in isolation. They will be running the only mass participation cycling events, and I bet they are gonna capitalize on that. I guess wahoo, tacx et al, will also see a surge in sales as people get scared to sweat the spinning class out together with the bearded dude on the left and even the hot kugel on the right with the ass to die for. Maybe literally.

 

Anyway. I digress from the ride report which is a lot less cogent than yours. I stuck with 4 or 5 others and our group surged on the flats, and thinned out on the kom and the rollers. I glided to a smooth finish, very chuffed with myself - until yesterday when I left Watopia for the potholed streets of Boksburg, where all my mates all dropped me like stone - zero respect.

 

So, next is some climbing. I am not looking forward to that bladdy radio tower. I swear they move it further away every time I do that climb!

[HdB]

I did the long Stage 2 this morning. After yesterday's local hill climb and crit, and the usual 2 minute initial surge at 5w/kg, it took up to the rollers on the second lap before my legs came to the party again.

 

Next up, Road To Sky. Or Volcano Climb if you do B category.

Alpe du Zwift... where I need to cool down myself AND my trainer.

[RocknRolla]

so, I guess I will not be doing that one before work then...

 

Incidentally, there is no 6am slot for these stages. And that's when I usually get my chance to train. And no ways I'm getting on the trainer at 4am... 7am is too late for me, as then I will only get to the office after9. So afternoon/evening sessions it will be.

 

I missed stage1, will have to do it during make-up week.

[HdB]

Guess I was lucky, this morning's group ride was at 6am, but I see Stage 3 is only 4am and 7am.

Stage 4 has 6am slots on Sunday and Monday.

Stage 5 also, on Sunday 29th

[JohanDiv]

So with the nice weather the last couple of weeks, CTCT and the fact that my paincave has been turned into a spare room for my inlaws the last two weeks I've completely forgotten about the Tour of Watopia!! Inlaws leaving next Monday.. Too late to join then? How many stages would I have missed by then? I think I'll be comfortable catching up two or three stages in the catch up week with the time slots usually a bit out of sync with our RSA times..more than that I think is going to be a challenge. 

[HdB]

So with the nice weather the last couple of weeks, CTCT and the fact that my paincave has been turned into a spare room for my inlaws the last two weeks I've completely forgotten about the Tour of Watopia!! Inlaws leaving next Monday.. Too late to join then? How many stages would I have missed by then? I think I'll be comfortable catching up two or three stages in the catch up week with the time slots usually a bit out of sync with our RSA times..more than that I think is going to be a challenge. 

Not too late to join, but you would have stages 1 - 3 to cram during the catch-up period.

[Harryn]

I did stage 4 yesterday, and 3 a couple days ago. Both highly enjoyable. I am liking not having the fence, which has become a bit of an irritation in the D rides I usually do (though its been broken for a few weeks).

 

For stage 3, I think my SNAP needed calibration, because I got up the Volcano climb easier than my poor climbers legs usually allow for.

 

Stage 4 was nice on the Scott MTB but was glad I signed up for the slacker distance. Andre Greipel guested the ride, and he said who about 5 sentences the whole ride to the rest of the 770 people riding.

 

I must say, the zwifting is really proving great in these times of self isolation.

[Thornman]

Missed a few stages. Did stage 1, 3 and 5 today. Broken now. Ended with stage 3 up alp du Zwift. Not very smart.