Hello All! This is a tread to discuss the WTRL Zwift Racing League. As so many of us will be participating, we can exchange experiences, reports, ask questions and vent here
5 Likes
Thanks.
I have signed up with a team.
Not sure if I’m ready for racing.
But decided I’d give it a go.
4 Likes
Have fun @tdash! No one who is new to zwift racing feels like they are ready, it will take time and practice because there is a racing learning curve so don’t beat yourself up if you struggle at all. And know that when you are hurting and wanting it to be all over, everyone else is too. 
5 Likes
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE TODAY. Let us know how it went!!!
2 Likes
@Coach_Theia promised a course report today since she did PL yesterday 
1 Like
OK so Big Foot Hills course! Here are my tips:
- KOM points are first 5 racers across the banners. If you have a big team/strong riders, you could designate someone to go grab the first KOM points (Titans Grove).
- The course starts flat then it undulates before the start of the KOM. In the PL race that’s where the first separation occurred, so you want to position yourself towards the front of the pack so you can follow attacks. This is about 8K into the course.
- Enter hills at speed with high cadence to carry momentum, then transition into lower cadence, higher power for the hills. Alternate seated/standing for the Volcano climb.
- Remember to accelerate OVER the top of hills and continue into the downhill.
- Remember the transitions - accelerating into flattish sections of hills with high cadence.
- I found it easier to stay in the pack at 85 rpms on the flat sections.
It’s a fun course!! Lots of opportunities to vary power and cadence to help with fatigue.
Have fun!!!
2 Likes
Here is me before the race- the second screen shows all the racers on Zoom, in case the announcers decide to show us racing. Of course they won’t show me, 'cause I am off the back… but it’s fun seeing everyone else during the race!!
5 Likes
Just remembered something that might help others. If you are a “salty” seater (usually gets white stains on your clothes), consider eating salt tabs during indoor races. We sweat so much more inside and even with fans it gets hotter than outside because the sweat does not evaporate as quickly. After seeing the stains in my last race, I had a salt tab during yesterday’s race. I took it about 20 min into the race and my HR went down significantly just from that! You can see the tab in the blue lid on my wahoo desk (chewable).
1 Like
I am so proud of my first race since June! I had 3 goals and reached all of them.
- I went out hard for 1 minute.
- I stayed in the top 35 for 20 minutes and dropped back and worked on my cadence.
*The climbs were very comfortable. However, the push over the top was challenging. My legs can’t seem to find 85 RPMs. I have been noticing that in my training as well. In the first 20 minutes, I had to use 90-95 RPMs to stay in the pack, which I can’t sustain for 60+minuts.
@Coach_Theia I can tell I am so much stronger. The training is working. I am excited to see how much stronger and smarter I will be a year for now!
6 Likes
Hello Coach Theia and Ladies. I would have put my head around the door and given you all a wave earlier but Racing got in the way.
I did my first impromptu race yesterday. Having been away for a week I thought I was coming back to race Thursdays TTT and had plenty of time to prepare. But my team asked me to race yesterday. I have a sneaking suspicion they saw the ride I did Monday, and thought to snap me up quick. (Mondays ride was hard and it was a test to check and see if my badly bruised ribs could take it for Thursdays TTT race) I wasn’t sure I’d be much good racing another 33 miles and worried I was too fresh to race, but then thought, What the Heck. If nothing else, it would be some much needed experience and whats the worst that could happen, I’d just come last, no big deal.
I’m a morning rider so wasn’t sure how I’d be on an evening ride (19.15)
The hanging around was the worst, plus I was eating like a horse all day long ( I think I didn’t eat enough after Mondays ride so was making up for it.)
Having never raced before, the ladies on my team were all wonderful in helping me get ready for it. I had one tiny panic. When I was warming up I did a sprint and the sprint jersey came with me to the start of the race. I thought I’d be disqualified for having the wrong top on. Apparently all was well and so long as my tag was correct the jersey didn’t matter.
For me I like my heart rate to hit its peak for just a second or two. Not enough to tire me but enough to get it ready for the race to come, hence the sprinting.
I must admit to being pleasantly surprised after the race. I did much better than I thought I would. I was also very surprised by just how much easy riding there is in-between each effort. Is this how all races are raced? I had loads of time to recover.
My first experience with racing has been very positive and I am now looking forward to the TTT race with more confidence. I need to learn about Discord as I have never used it before, team mates are helping with that.
Apologies @Coach_Theia for messing about with my workout schedule this week. I have one planned on Friday, the other on Sunday. I am unable to do the warm ups as my ribs won’t allow me to do most of them.
Congratulates on your race 
(those As were a fast bunch)
I’ll try and make my next report not quite so long 
Edit: Here is my race report. Thanks @Stefanie I forgot we could upload pictures.
5 Likes
I rode a nice tempo-threshold ride last night. I clearly had room heart rate and effort wise. I refused to go out > 3w/kg and that sealed my fate early. I found people to tow me along on the flats and buried them on the hills. I rode for my participation point.
I can’t get past the fact that I was “bait and switched” by Zwift and WTRL on this Zwift league. I passed on the Empowerment league racing Tuesday nights as just getting on my bike after a long clinic day is challenging. I would have passed on this league as well for the same reason.
On the flip side-we won’t get a division without participation, we have new team riders, and Revo 2.0 is rebuilding and needs support.
Great riding yesterday everyone !
6 Likes
First ZRL race done and are my legs feeling it today! I raced America East and I’m a cat B racer but WTRL made the 6 B teams race with the 11 A teams. My goal was to try and start in the front group and hang on as best I could for as long as I could. Then, find a different group to ride with to finish the race.
The start was not as manic as I had expected and it settled down really fast. The front group was big and I was in it! I felt really good holding high tempo/low threshold and practicing staying in the pack (I have a tendency to surge off the front) and seeing just how much I could back off on the power and still keep up. If the whole race paced like this on mostly flats I would have been able to hold on most or all the way. But we hit the rollers and the pace went up and my legs started protesting and then partway into the first QOM the front of the pack took off and I got dropped. Made it over the QOM with 4 other ladies and then a bigger bunch caught up to us and we rode together at a good pace.
The Hilly QOM split my group up and I managed to keep with the front of it until we got partway into the volcano climb when we could see a couple stray riders less than 10 seconds ahead and the group surged and I did not. I might have been able to catch back on if I had done a short effort but at that point I knew I was not going to finish top 29 for extra points so I couldn’t convince my legs the extra pain was worthwhile. An ATP rider had gotten dropped from the group too so we worked together to the top and back down. Then I think her legs gave out because her pace slowed and I dropped her. I paced the remainder of the race at the top of my endurance zone with some tempo and one final push to the finish line. I was alone the final 5 miles and that was ok. I was really glad I didn’t have to sprint at the end! I finished 43rd out of 60-something and I am really happy with that since it was my first time out racing in a big field of As. The other three women racing on REVOGodivas finished in the 50s. Looking forward to a shorter, flatter TTT next week.
here’s my race timeline
Nutrition was carbo-licious all day long. I also had some maple syrup and chocolate for extra fuel during the race. Hydration was 1 1/2 bottles of electrolytes and a bottle of plain water. I probably should have had more water, but there were some points early on when I was breathing so hard if I had tried to drink I would have choked.
Well done on your races @kellynoelharman, @Debbie, and @franklim!
4 Likes
So… the next scratch races are shorter and I’m feeling braver to try “getting out better”. I’m really bad at getting out of the pen. I noted most folks ahead of me finished with equivalent watts. How hard should I go out?
2 Likes
As hard as you need to stay in the front of the group. Join the pen 15+ min before the race starts so you can be dropped near the gate. Start accelerating with 10 seconds to go, get to near FTP power with enough resistance (gear) to accelerate from there. Plan on going hard at a pace you think you can’t sustain to stay with the group. The group typically settles/slows down after 5 min.
1 Like
I have enjoyed reading everyone’s race experience. I always learn from you ladies!! My team was only 5 ladies to begin. I had trouble with my trainer during the warmup so was a bit frazzled when I got to the pen. I kept my most calming voice on Discord for my teammates who joined the main team just 3 days prior!! They knew each other but I did not know them as they came from a different team that had “folded”. With 10 seconds to the start my trainer unpaired again and I was left sitting in the pen!! 
I had never needed to know how to do teamcar duties and was frantically figuring out how to follow them and help. About 1 minute into the race one of the ladies said she had hurt her knee and then her internet went down! 
The 3 remaining ladies did very well. They were seperated but each found a little blob to ride to the finish. It was actually interesting to watch the race and try to be a coach. The lady with the hurt knee was diagnosed the day after the race with a grade 2 MCL injury and will be out for several weeks.
3 Likes
I’m going to find a low stakes race and try this strategy
1 Like
Fearless beginners race. I’m game. or the Crit city race
1 Like
both are great options @gosimrr!
First TTT out of the way. 
Have you heard the term, Organized Chaos It was very much like that. Ultimately we got the job done, but it needs some work. I found out after the race I wasn’t the only complete newbie to TT racing. We all got together after the race and had a chat on how we could improve certain points. Some of us have been earwigging the A riders chat in our team and plan to use some of their strategies 
I am with all C category ladies and our pulls were 40 seconds each. One lady was dropped about halfway round. The rest of the team pushed on and there were times it all flowed quite nicely, and we managed to get some sort of rhythm to it.
I made the cardinal sin of not paying attention while at the back drafting, and got dropped. 
It needed a bit of a sprint to get back on.
Things sped up near the finish and we all finished strong with some nice sprinting.
I did feel I should do longer pulls as I am one of the stronger ladies in the group and it only seems fair I push as hard as all the other in the team. If I can pull a little longer then others can have a bigger rest.
It was great fun and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for the next one, I’m like a kid in a candy store
5 Likes
